We have finally reached the point where we can unroll the Dicor Rubber Roofing material on top of our rig and prepare for gluing it down.
The additional extruded styrene foam board by Owens Corning has been glued in place between 1" wood framing.
The aft corner has been squared off.
Edges of the wood, have been sanded with a disc orbital sander to add a bit of a soft curve. All screw heads have been checked to make sure there is nothing sticking up that could damage the new material.
The water based Dicor glue was rolled on to the roof with a short nap roller, then the rubber was rolled forward and then aft, one section at a time, as per directions that come with the material.
----------------------------------------------All went smoothly, however since there is a recommended Spread Rate, I'm going to make a recommendation that I did not follow, but should have. One Gallon should cover 200 sq.ft. I estimated I had to spread the glue over 160 sq. ft. (20x8') so I should have marked the roof in say.. Five foot sections and poured a bit less than a quart of glue into 4 disposable buckets. Starting at the front, I could have Spread the Glue quite precisely. Instead, I rolled it on to what looked correct, but was less than the suggested rate. I ended up with more glue than I wanted to. Everything looks good and seemed to work and I'm sure the company allows for variances in Spread Rate, but I would have been more comfortable KNOWING, I was spot on! So for your benefit, measure and apply CAREFULLY for the best application.
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The outer edges of the roof had been built up by one inch of added wood; just enough to contain extruded polystyrene insulation. This was then covered with a 1/4" of luan wood and later coated with the same glue and one side at a time. A day after the flat horizontal roof surface was glued down, the edges...of the Rubber Roofing material was gently drawn down for final adhesion.
Since we were REDOING an older roof, I wanted to re-use the original screw holes in the side of the motorhome for re-installing the aluminum track/molding. To do this accurately, we had marked with a pencil, the old screw holes in the side of the motorhome from the aluminum track around the upper edges. When we lifted this rail back into position, we used duct tape to hold up one end after a tiny and thin screw driver was inserted through ONE screw hole/ on one end /for alignment. The other end was held up by my wife while i aligned the center. Once the center was held level with an ice pick, into one of the holes(Pre-marked), I inserted a #10 x 1" Pan head Stainless steel screw. Note that UNDER the Dicor roofing and on the fiberglass material of the M.H.'s side, you need to apply the butyl gummy tape in advance of installing the track. (I marked the center hole with a dimple). OK, when you start inserting the rest of the screws, everything falls neatly into place.
My wife had prepared the original molding, by carefully removing the old butyl gummy tape residue with a 1" scraper. We then tapped out the depressions made in years past when the original screws had been pulled in too tightly by others. We used a 5/8ths" piece of soft wood, to act as backing in the track as we gently hammered the backside down flat by inverting the track and using the male end of a 3/8th's" ratchet 6" extension, as the tool; and a hammer.
The Vertical Edges were actually done on a 2Nd day, not the first. On the 1 st day we concentrated on getting the Horizontal portion of the roof covered and all the bubbles brushed out.
Inside our rented 20' x 40' storage unit, the temperatures in our Florida environment up 15' off the ground and a 5' from the ceiling, would get well over 100 very humid degrees; so I could only take so much of this each day as my sweat dripped like rain and no matter how much I drank gatorade and water, I would get dehydrated by mid afternoon or a bit later!
Vent openings on top, were attended to after the sides were attached.
Those openings, were slit and the material stapled down with stainless steel staples. I applied a small piece of Eternabond tape to the inside corners, but as this should be a dry area is probably not needed, but I did it anyway.
The rolled material that comes with the Dicor Kit, is butyl putty. This gummy grey 1" tape is a gummy material that needs to be applied to ONE surface while still on the paper tape. Once applied to a surface, you can peel of the paper. The butyl tape was applied to the roof after all the holes from the small 2" PVC pipe vents were marked on the rubber roof with a pencil. This way all screw holes will be sealed. The vent was placed into position and #8 x 3/4" pan head s.s. screws used to draw it down into the butyl tape.
Dicor lap sealant(from a 10" tube) seals the screw heads from above, then all was covered with Eternabond 4" tape as an extra measure!
The Refrigeration Vent Cover, was done the same as the other vents. Always, plenty of attention to detail.
The opening for the Air Conditioner, had Extra attention and was built up with an additional layer of material to prevent any standing water from being near the seal. I found a 3.5" x .75" x 96" piece of what I'll call "Plastic wood"/white in color, in Home Depot. I chose to use this, as it will never, never be able to rot. Approximately 14" sections of this were cut and then screwed around the hole/ sealed with dicor lap sealant from tubes/ then covered with the Eternabond tape completely and well! Photos of this probably tomorrow as we prepare to reinstall the A.C. itself.
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5 comments:
Better than the factory could ever hope to equal!Did you haveany trouble removing your awning?It won't be long till you are ready for the road. Chris
I read the info booklet from the awning manufacturer that was luckily still in our rig, but truthfully did not understand the "factory loaded spring" thing! I ended up cutting the awning at the edge of the fabric, near the aluminum track on the M.H. to remove the whole roller assembly with fabric. The material was damaged on one end, so this will be checked and repaired at a fabric shop and reinstalled after I get the rig home. you have to slide the fabric out of the track with legs attached, to do it right, and I had already built the scaffolding all around the M.H. so had no other options that I could see. No big problem and it looks like a simple chore from here to completion. ron
Ron,
You did a fantastic job of describing and photographing the roof repair which you undertook. I am faced with a rubber roof problem on my 1999 Jayco Class C rig but I only need to repair the front 4 feet of the roof which has apparently suffered some water damage for the roof in this area is uneven and soft. The remainder of the roof is in excellent condition. In your opinion (I am reasonably sure of my capabilities in this type of project) do you think that repairing only part of the roof presents any unusual problems that could not be forseen? I would have to replace from the front edge of the roof to just in back of the first roof vent which I mentioned as being a total of 4 feet. I am assuming that I will need to replace the plywood, the insulation and then of course the rubber roof itself.
I plan to take a couple of trips this fall and then make a winter project out of my repair job. Many thanks in advance for your opinion.
Bob Windom
bob-windom@comcast.net
Hello Bob,
Sorry for your dilema. Your not the first to ask questions and I must explain upfront, that although I've always been a hands on guy and skilled in many of the trades, including auto body/paint etc.etc. The skills were all used on my project and sometimes I was wondering if I really got involved in mine a year or so too late. You know, the damage always seemed to surprise me that it was a bit worse or further than I had anticipated.
You will find this too, when you get under the rubber, so if and when you do, just be prepared to finish your project. If you 'know' you can do it, you will succeed. If your skiddish, then you might loose the needed spirit during the operation. Only you know if you are up to it.
I am not an expert and the Jayco construction is beyond my knowledge. I would think that by 99(mine is a 91), that the mfgrs. had moved to aluminum box tubing rather than mild steel.. If so, you will not have to contend with rust. The aluminum is probably 6061 structural non corrosive aluminum that they also us for boat construction and a material I love. You should also know and I never included it in my writeup, that someone at some time, had replaced my rubber roof and ALSO, someone had replaced the first 4' of plywood! Yes, it seems someone had a problem and thought they addressed it, but whomever did the work, did not pay attention to detail in such a way as to make SURE, no water ever entered again. Sooo, I had to do more than just a rubber roof replacement.
I suggest you really study the interior and look for anything that would indicate water getting that far and water follows gravity, so anything down below that forward roof can be damaged. Your rig is not old and if you like it, then a handy guy can get the job done, no matter what you find. Remember, if someone else can do something, so can you!
That said, I had considered what you are thinking of, while I was doing mine. but going forward-------- I took photos and measurements of everything... tons more than the site shows. I took them for me and maybe for the next owner down the road, so they can see what was done, where things are and BEFORE HAND, get the brain into the state of knowledge, rather than guessing. I considered that if I made a mistake, and DID miss something, and water DID get in, that I could do exactly what you are thinking of...a partial roof replacement. So YES. You can peel back what ever you need to with the rubber, it's quite strong. Trim it off with a straight edge and a sharp razor. IF you find you need to remove a bit more, you can do that as the project moves forward. Repair what you need to and replace only the front section of rubber roofing, using the Eternabond tape on the seem.
It's all doable. Make sure tho that you have a good interior space though for work. It really makes the project easier and if you can take your time. it can even be a fun project.
Good luck. I'd love to hear how you make out. ron
Ron,
Many thanks for your prompt reply and helful suggestions and ideas. As I mentioned previously, I intend to take a couple of short trips prior to taking on this project but when those are over I will tackle the roof. I have the time, the tools and the interest to proceed so barring some unforseen challenge I really believe I will enjoy the project. I certainly will keep you informed as to how it goes and once again, many thanks for your responses to my questions, greatly appreciated.
Bob Windom
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