RV Armor Roof Sealant? 2003 Journey.

[Maddmike]

Time to reseal the edges on my 03 Journey. My local RV shop will do it for about $2500-$3000 including removing all the old sealant and replacing it with OEM. I don't know if that price is in line with the industry or not.


In my search I also found RV armor which will not only do the corners but resurface the entire roof with their proprietary sealant which they back with a lifetime guarantee (for whatever that is worth). They cost about $6k for my 34ft RV. Their info here: https://rv-armor.com/



Just wondering if anyone has done this on the Winnebago fiberglass roof or is it not worth it.


Is $2.5-$3K a reasonable quote to do the regular reseal?

[creativepart]

The reseal price sounds about right to me. I’ve not priced it before but that’s about what I thought it was worth.

Personally, I’d stay away from some roof covering. If you had any issues it would be a nightmare dealing with that stuff.

[Maddmike]

Originally Posted by creativepart

The reseal price sounds about right to me. I’ve not priced it before but that’s about what I thought it was worth.

Personally, I’d stay away from some roof covering. If you had any issues it would be a nightmare dealing with that stuff.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of adding a covering for that reason. Thanks for the sanity check on the pricing.

[wahoonc]

I have heard nothing but good things about RV Flex Armor roofs. It is a one-and-done with a lifetime transferable warranty. It costs about the same as 2.5 annual reseals by a dealer. The main downside is if you have to replace something on your roof it will have to go to them to repair the coating.

I am seriously considering it for my 2014 Meridian. I am guestimating the cost at around $7k. Having to have the roof resealed annually is a PITA and if you have to pay someone to do it correctly is a crap shoot. I was physically unable to do my roof a couple of years ago due to surgery. I paid a supposedly reputable dealer $1700 to reseal the roof and penetrations on a 30' class C. Within 4 months I was having leak issues even in light rains. Fortunately, I kept my unit under an RV port, minimizing the damage. When I was able to get on the roof finally I discovered they had NOT resealed items, they had used incompatible and incorrect products. There was no recourse against the dealer. It took me two long weekends and $400 worth of sealants to correct it. Never again. I am getting ready to work on the roof of my Meridian. I have already found work issues that were done previously.

We just purchased this unit knowing there were gaps in the maintenance and expecting the worst hoping for the best. I can't quite swing the cost of a FlexArmor roof this year. So I will be resealing everything with the Winnebago specified sealants this year and hope for it next year.

FWIW I am an industrial roofer by trade and work with a wide variety of roof systems and sealants daily. I am retiring at the end of 2024, and don't plan to spend my retirement resealing my RV roof, when something better exists.

Aaron

[Maddmike]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I have heard nothing but good things about RV Flex Armor roofs. It is a one-and-done with a lifetime transferable warranty. It costs about the same as 2.5 annual reseals by a dealer. The main downside is if you have to replace something on your roof it will have to go to them to repair the coating.

I am seriously considering it for my 2014 Meridian. I am guestimating the cost at around $7k. Having to have the roof resealed annually is a PITA and if you have to pay someone to do it correctly is a crap shoot. I was physically unable to do my roof a couple of years ago due to surgery. I paid a supposedly reputable dealer $1700 to reseal the roof and penetrations on a 30' class C. Within 4 months I was having leak issues even in light rains. Fortunately, I kept my unit under an RV port, minimizing the damage. When I was able to get on the roof finally I discovered they had NOT resealed items, they had used incompatible and incorrect products. There was no recourse against the dealer. It took me two long weekends and $400 worth of sealants to correct it. Never again. I am getting ready to work on the roof of my Meridian. I have already found work issues that were done previously.

We just purchased this unit knowing there were gaps in the maintenance and expecting the worst hoping for the best. I can't quite swing the cost of a FlexArmor roof this year. So I will be resealing everything with the Winnebago specified sealants this year and hope for it next year.

FWIW I am an industrial roofer by trade and work with a wide variety of roof systems and sealants daily. I am retiring at the end of 2024, and don't plan to spend my retirement resealing my RV roof, when something better exists.

Aaron

Good input--especially from a roofer. My question with the RV Armor rep (that he has yet to respond to) is if the seal from the roof to the body is lifetime. I like the idea of another layer of protection over the fiberglass, but obviously on our roofs, the main issue is where the roof connects to the walls. Is that guaranteed for life?


Of course, any guarantee is only as good as the company behind it and if you can't get a hold of a rep or the company goes out of business, you are SOL--especially if another company won't touch it due to them not being familiar with the materials.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Maddmike

Good input--especially from a roofer. My question with the RV Armor rep (that he has yet to respond to) is if the seal from the roof to the body is lifetime. I like the idea of another layer of protection over the fiberglass, but obviously on our roofs, the main issue is where the roof connects to the walls. Is that guaranteed for life?


Of course, any guarantee is only as good as the company behind it and if you can't get a hold of a rep or the company goes out of business, you are SOL--especially if another company won't touch it due to them not being familiar with the materials.

I haven't had a conversation with my local applicator...yet. However, it appears that it would. They have been in business for just over 15 years.

There are some potential problem areas, basically anything that the coating comes partially over that can UV deteriorate or flex excessively during travel.

My other concern is are all the shops consistent in their application process and whether they will work on a roof that was installed by a different facility.

I am not 100% sold at this point, but It seems to be the best alternative to annual maintenance which, is hard to have done properly and becoming cost-prohibitive. The other issue is the constant reformulation of sealants, making it difficult to stay consistent when doing your annual maintenance. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more prevalent as various chemicals and compounds are banned or reduced.

Aaron

[Maddmike]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I haven't had a conversation with my local applicator...yet. However, it appears that it would. They have been in business for just over 15 years.

There are some potential problem areas, basically anything that the coating comes partially over that can UV deteriorate or flex excessively during travel.

My other concern is are all the shops consistent in their application process and whether they will work on a roof that was installed by a different facility.

I am not 100% sold at this point, but It seems to be the best alternative to annual maintenance which, is hard to have done properly and becoming cost-prohibitive. The other issue is the constant reformulation of sealants, making it difficult to stay consistent when doing your annual maintenance. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more prevalent as various chemicals and compounds are banned or reduced.

Aaron

They replied. I believe they are the company that applies the coating with their own technicians.


They responded to me today:
"
Thanks for the reply.
With the way that our system works, the application goes on as a liquid and cures into a 1 piece seamless roof.
We would go over the front and rear seam with our system and then come down to the gutter/drip rails along the side. (This would be as long as your unit didn't have a full body paint.) If your unit does have a full body paint we have the ability to stop the application on top at the paint line to maintain how the unit looks from the side. I can help to explain anything needed here in more detail to make sure that we are on the same page as well.
I appreciate all your time."


I do have full-body paint. I think I will reseal it the regular way this year and maybe look in to doing the whole thing next time in a couple years.

[Oldchinahand]

Mike

We just had RV Armor replace our roof last Sept (2023). So far very pleased. Not inexpensive, but very competitive.

Ours included a complete strip of the OEM fiberglas covering which had wrinkled and pulled away from the ply underlayment. We had them repair/replace/overlay all the original ply prior to applying their product.

Our rig is full body paint, but we had them carry the product over the roof radius specifically to get away from future re caulking. They can do several colors. We chose white. For a day or two, that white radius screamed at us, but now we don't notice. in all our travels, and curiosity driven questions about the product, no one has ever mentioned it. Look around, many rigs of all ages and price points have the same roof color radius wrap.

They also carry the product about four inches past the front and rear cap seams. No more worry there either.

Their installer removes and replaces all roof penetrations and appurtenances. We took the opportunity to have all new vents, vent covers, antennas, etc on hand for them to replace rather than putting back the old ones.

The lifetime warranty is for their materials and installation. If the roof integrity is breached (errant branch, you want to add/subtract roof appurtenances) they leave you with a small repair kit of product. If it is beyond that kit, you call them, they provide (sell) sufficient repair product and walk you through the repair OR they schedule a tech to do it. In either case, they refresh the warranty.

Lifetime warranty's are what they are. RV Armor seems to be drama free. Check back in a few years.

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

[Maddmike]

Originally Posted by Oldchinahand

Mike

We just had RV Armor replace our roof last Sept (2023). So far very pleased. Not inexpensive, but very competitive.

Ours included a complete strip of the OEM fiberglas covering which had wrinkled and pulled away from the ply underlayment. We had them repair/replace/overlay all the original ply prior to applying their product.

Our rig is full body paint, but we had them carry the product over the roof radius specifically to get away from future re caulking. They can do several colors. We chose white. For a day or two, that white radius screamed at us, but now we don't notice. in all our travels, and curiosity driven questions about the product, no one has ever mentioned it. Look around, many rigs of all ages and price points have the same roof color radius wrap.

They also carry the product about four inches past the front and rear cap seams. No more worry there either.

Their installer removes and replaces all roof penetrations and appurtenances. We took the opportunity to have all new vents, vent covers, antennas, etc on hand for them to replace rather than putting back the old ones.

The lifetime warranty is for their materials and installation. If the roof integrity is breached (errant branch, you want to add/subtract roof appurtenances) they leave you with a small repair kit of product. If it is beyond that kit, you call them, they provide (sell) sufficient repair product and walk you through the repair OR they schedule a tech to do it. In either case, they refresh the warranty.

Lifetime warranty's are what they are. RV Armor seems to be drama free. Check back in a few years.

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

So, they said they will honor their 2023 pricing which puts it at $5600 compared to just re-calking which is $2,500-$3000.


I am not retired and both my wife and I work foll time and we have two small kids and other hobbies such as a boat, motorcycles, and cars. So, unlike some people here that like to wax an buff their roof, I really don't have time for that. So, low and easy maintenance is key. So, I think I'm going to do it.

[Oldchinahand]

Sounds like a plan!

Fair Winds and Following Seas

[JR314]

It seems high to only reseal, but that could be standard. I went with rv flex armor a couple of years ago and it is incredible. It is different than the standard roll on or brush on applications. It is sprayed on in an indoor facility. It is a thick polyurea product that bonds well and also offers insulation. It was a good decision for us. It also has a transferable lifetime warranty. Here is the website: https://rvroof.com/about/

[staggerlee]

Originally Posted by Maddmike

Time to reseal the edges on my 03 Journey. My local RV shop will do it for about $2500-$3000 including removing all the old sealant and replacing it with OEM. I don't know if that price is in line with the industry or not.


In my search I also found RV armor which will not only do the corners but resurface the entire roof with their proprietary sealant which they back with a lifetime guarantee (for whatever that is worth). They cost about $6k for my 34ft RV. Their info here: https://rv-armor.com/



Just wondering if anyone has done this on the Winnebago fiberglass roof or is it not worth it.


Is $2.5-$3K a reasonable quote to do the regular reseal?

To me that price is outrageous. If you want to come to Oklahoma after it warms up some. I can get it done for less than 1K probably more like $600. That includes scrapping out the old stuff.
Just had that done.

[Campering]

Removing the old sealant, and carefully sanding off some of the tough remaining sealant, and installing new caulking is a lot of work, but not undoable. My wife and I did our Winnebago in just one afternoon. We used two Little Giant ladders in the tepee mode with a short 2x12 between them. Be sure to have several tubes of sealant available. We forced caulking down into the gap between the fiberglass sheet and the edge. If you don't do that the repair can crack and fail too soon. A single tube does not go near as far as you would expect.

[FIRE UP]

Maddmike,
Well Sir, it's your roof so, you can so as you feel is right. I'M ONE OF THEM that does buff and wax my roof. To be honest, I've only done it one time in 12 years of ownership and it's been nice ever since I did it. There is in reality, absolutely ZERO need to coat a fiberglass roof with ANYTHING, PERIOD! If your roof is even slightly maintenanced, it will last for years and years.

As for "Lifetime warranties" well, yeah sure you can collect on them, just try. Even standard EXTENDED warranty companies hop skip and jump every possible way to escape paying on any warranty claims on anything that rolls on this earth.

The roof-to-cove joint on your roof, like a few zillion Winnes and Itascas before yours (including our '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP) is primarily fastened to each other with a type of caulk/adhesive that Winne chose back when your coach was built. Even when a coach is housed INDOORS like ours has been for about 98% of its life, that joint gets weak, it cracks, dries up, and eventually separates. the subject of failing Winne and Itasca roofs has only been discussed maybe oh, about a few THOUSAND times on here and other RV forums.

To do the job of re-gluing or re-caulking (however you want to label it) is not an easy job. It is very, very labor intensive. While you may not want to waste any time on that very important repetitive process due to all your other hobbies and FUN things taking your time, it would behoove you to take 1, 2 possibly three days, about anywhere from 5-6 hours or so per day, to thoroughly remove all that old caulking and adhesive, surgically wipe things down repeatedly, and then apply the correct sealant/adhesive.

Number 1, this way YOU'LL KNOW if the job was done correctly, without any doubts. Number 2, you'll save yourself the $2K-$3K you were going to spend on it. It's not a technically hard job. It's just labor. Plenty of us have done it. Our coach, the Itasca mentioned above, turned exactly 20 years old 10 days ago and that roof-to-cove joint is still in pretty darn good shape. I did about 5' of maintenance on those joints on each side from the front cap a few years ago and both sides are still holding flawlessly. Yeah, it took me the better part of two days, BIG DEAL! I (we) we have plenty of hobbies too but, this is part of life in the ownership and operation of an RV. Your choice on this one.
Scott

[cruizerEd]

I don't understand how roof coating and adhering the edge down relates.
Does roof coating hold the edge down? How? Forever?
If it doesn't don't you still have to redo the edge.
If you have to redo the edge with roof coating will you have the coating touched up?

As for the traditional redoing the roof edge I think the best way to do the edge adhesion is to clean out the old, press a screen spline down into the aluminum extrusion that holds the roof down. Press it down deep enough to get a good bead but obviously not beyond the edge of the pilon. Fill the void with a the original product or a sikaflex product but NOT proflex. Whatever you use has to have some give and should be UV stable (profex isn't uv stable).

My entire roof is covered with solar panels but after I pulled them off scraping the old caulking out wasn't that bad. I put duct tape over the painted part to protect it. I pulled and scrapped with a typical paint scrapper. It took a lot of passes to get the surfaces clean and make sure the gutter underneath was clean. I just keep going over it with water and alcohol until my rags came out clean and the gutter looked clean. After that it went pretty good. I masked the edge with tape but I don't think I'll do that again it wasn't necessary.

Moving the panesl was the biggest chore.

[creativepart]

I’m with CruizerEd. I know buildings with flat roofs use coatings like the RVArmor product but they don’t move down the bumpy road at 60mph.

I’m probably going to do this job this summer. IF I do it myself I’ll rent scaffolding and do it from the sides… like Azexpert does.

But I’m in my mid-70’s and my body can’t cash the checks my brain can write. So, I’ll likely hire this job out.