Camper roofs are like basements they all will leak . But unlike your house RVs don’t require a complete replacement roof. With preventive maintenance your RV roof can last forever in turn keeping your camper in excellent condition.
Unlike home which don’t move the preferred “caulking” for Rv’s is Dicor 501LSW-1 Self-Leveling Lap Sealant, 4 Pack . Dicor lasts a long time but eventually it gets old and cracks which will allow water in. When it does start to crack you can just clean the old stuff and caulk right over it with new sealant. Don’t try to save time or money and use painters caulk or silicone caulk over it , it won’t stick and you will have a bigger mess .
After a few years I woke up one spring and our roof had gone from white to black. When the white coating comes off the annoying part is that you will get black streaks on the side of the camper. But the white costing also helps keep it cool and prevents the rubber from cracking. After speaking to a few RV repair shops and reading a bunch of opinions on the internet Heng’s Rubber Roof Coating – 1 Gallon is the product I decided to use. I started early one morning and had it finished by noon before it got too hot.
Before re coating the roof , I cleaned it really good with scrub brush and a powder laundry detergent. Once all of the loose dirt was off. I then pressure washed it clean a few times . Getting the roof clean is key to the coating adhering properly and lasting. I used a brush along the edges and around all of the roof penetrations . Then rolled it on with a paint roller in 3 light coats to make the roof like new again . Most campers 25-30ft will use about 2 gallons to get a few good coats. I used about 1 and a half gallons. Since re coating the roof it has been a year and it looks as good as new.
