Elastomeric roof coatings on Winnie fiberglas roof

[MarkW]

Hi Duecehotrods,
Was that on a Filon Flexroof with gel-coat?

[moabdds]

Here's a photo of my finished roof coat, alongside a pre-op photo. Someone in a previous post said my roof was white, but as you can see, it is more of an ecru or light beige, and in the summer time, it got very hot to the touch.

Coating the roof also had the side benefit of trapping a bunch of mosquitos before it dried, so I don't have to worry about mosquito repellant for a few days at least! I may get the corona virus, but at least I won't get malaria!

[deucehotrods]

Originally Posted by MarkW

Hi Duecehotrods,
Was that on a Filon Flexroof with gel-coat?

Yes, it is. https://cranecomposites.com/pdf/6330.pdf

Even though they tout that its "less expensive to maintain" it does need yearly buffing and waxing or it will eventually break down from continued exposure to heat and UV. I saw a Corvette that was in outside storage for many years that eventually shed all of its exposed gel coat over the years of sun exposure.

[deucehotrods]

Originally Posted by moabdds

Here's a photo of my finished roof coat, alongside a pre-op photo. Someone in a previous post said my roof was white, but as you can see, it is more of an ecru or light beige, and in the summer time, it got very hot to the touch.

Coating the roof also had the side benefit of trapping a bunch of mosquitos before it dried, so I don't have to worry about mosquito repellant for a few days at least! I may get the corona virus, but at least I won't get malaria!

Looks great Moabdds! I did two full coats on mine too. Have you been able to be on it under full sun yet to feel the difference?

I sure like your solar array, I need to do that next.

[moabdds]

It's only 70 degrees here today, so I'll have to wait till summer to see the full benefit.

As for solar panels, before you buy any, contact me and I can tell you where to get a great deal on them in Phoenix. Attached is a photo of the batteries and control center for the solar and a 3000w inverter. This photo was taken before I had connected the PV wires to the small breaker by the inverter. I put it all in the storage compartment by the door since it was right next to the old battery compartment. We'll be ready for Quartzsite next winter.

[deucehotrods]

I'll do that! I love the solar on the house so I might as well have it on the motorhome.

One more tip that will reduce the heat in your motorhome is to head back down to Home Depot and buy a roll or two of Reflectix 48 in. x 10 ft. Double Reflective Insulation to install in all your windows and windshield. Just cut to fit and place in your windows and draw the blinds to hold them in. I leave them in until I need them removed for light or ventilation. Of course the side glass and windshield sheets will need to be removed when driving, but if I'm pointed into the sun while parked on a hot day I'll put them back in. I also have several spring loaded adjustable curtain rods from Walmart to hold the one piece windshield sheet in place. When you aren't using them, just roll them up, place a rubber band around the roll and store them under your bed. When they are in place they do a great job of keeping the heat out of your motorhome, much better than the blinds and front curtain do.

Reflectix 48 in. x 10 ft. Double Reflective Insulation
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflecti...8010/100318551

Mainstays 28-48 in. Adjustable Spring Tension Curtain Rod
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays...?selected=true

[MarkW]

Did either of you paint Tropi-Cool over any Eternabond tape?
I am thinking that taping the seams before painting may be a good preventative measure.

[deucehotrods]

My Adventurer 38R doesn't have any Eternabond tape on the roof, just the thick caulk on the seams of the front and rear caps. If it did I would put the coating over it, but if you think you need to apply any Eternabond tape to the roof, do it before it's coated because it wouldn't adhere very well to this pure silicone coating.

[moabdds]

I put Ebond tape over the front edge cap seam before I painted the Tropi-cool on the roof. I did paint over the tape as well. I did not put Ebond tape on the rear cap seam because it was a very wide and heavy layer of the black caulking, wider than the 4" Ebond tape. I opted to just paint over that caulking with the Tropi-cool, since it seals small leaks as well. I did that on all the caulking on the top of the roof (but not the radius edges), so now I have nice, clean white surfaces to monitor for leaks in the future.

[MarkW]

i need to say thank you very much - between the two of you i have been able to put together a roof preventative maintenance plan - soon to be executed.

I am curious as to why the round edges of the fiberglass roof were not also painted - i would not mind the white edging if the curved fiberglass has extra protection as it already looks to be under stress.

[deucehotrods]

On my Adventurer it has full body paint on the curved part of the roof and is unpainted just on the flat part of the roof. I didn't want the curved part coated because I just like how it looks painted and I will probably need to repaint it at some point. But if that part was white on mine I would have painted it with Tropi-Cool.

[moabdds]

My coach has silver and blue full body paint and the curved part is painted silver. The white would look awful on my rig. I also do not want the Tropi-cool interfering with the periodic re-sealing of the roof edge behind the drip rail/awning rail.

[TallTex]

I have similar questions. I’m viewing AZ Expert as a subscriber because he has a lot of information about Winnebago roofs. He responds to my questions. He is very clear to inspection on roof once a year minimum. He also stated Class A Winnebago roofs are filon not gel coat, I am not sure what filon is. I am very familiar with fiberglass resins and gel coat from being a long time boat owner and restoring boats. He has no opinion on the Henry 100% silicon roof coating and the related caulking products. He has not used them.

[deucehotrods]

Apparently he hasn't looked into what a Filon Flexroof actually is. I too have experience in working with fiberglass and gel coat on cars and boats. I have been on my roof extensively prior to coating it. I have cut and drilled through it when mounting a satellite dish, and examined it. It is indeed a thin fiberglass mat with a thin coat of gel coat. Part of the durability problem with it is in order to make it flexible enough to be rolled down to the sides, the mat and gel coat is very thin. That also makes it very susceptible to tearing if it gets detached from the wall side joint. You'll notice this when you walk on the roof and see it flex. UV light and heat break down the gel coat unless it is religiously maintained with restoration products and then protected with wax. When it is restored you'll notice your buffing pad constantly fills up with "dead" gel coat from the surface. If it is weathered, each time you buff it you are removing some of it to restore it. I doubt you would ever buff through to the mat, but theoretically it would be possible.


Here is a PDF flyer from the Crane Composites, the manufacturer.

https://cranecomposites.com/pdf/6330.pdf

In the Crane Composites literature it describes their Filon Flexroof product.

Roof panels that are specifically engineered to be a
one-piece, laminated roof panel finish for recreational
vehicles and campers. Its flexibility allows the panel to
bend around the radius where the roof meets the
sidewall, resulting in a seamless, no-leak roof system.

UV INHIBITORS
Provide superior weathering performance.

SURFACE OPTIONS
Available in a highly scratch and abrasion resistant embossed finish or
smooth gel-coat finish.

SCRATCH RESISTANT
Hard-abuse resistant finish prevents tearing - avoiding water damage.

Crane Fiberglass is the best RV exterior on the
market. No one else stands behind their product
like Crane - American made on American
machines by American workers!

YOU HAVE A CHOICE!
Get more out of every mile and every moment,
choose Crane Composites Fiberglass Exterior for your vehicle.

Automotive-like finish
Greater impact-resistance
Gel-coated surface
UV resistant
Will not rust... Period.