73 D18 roof replacement

[demon]

man I hear what your saying but just cant see that happening. The original roof goes around the edge and down the wall about an inch and then stapled then the rain gutter pieces were screwed on to the sides. If it expanded an inch  where would it go? it was all glued down. Now im back to thinking fiberglass..

[Rickf1985]

EDPM, The easiest and most user friendly way to go. And since you are starting over a brand new surface it is ideal. You can get different thickness's but it is a lot tougher than most people think it is. Unless you hit it with something sharp it will stand up to most anything. The thin aluminum is not as tough as far as I am concerned. And if it does get cut then repairing it is simple, repairing the aluminum means gooping mastic on there and we all know how that ends.

Fiberglass is alright but you are talking a huge area, Have you figured the cost let alone how are you going to lay up an area that size without having resin hardening issues? I figure a couple gallons of resin? You could have a rubber roof on before you got the first layup done.

Here is a site for glass and supplies and a lot of good info. I am going to save this one myself.

http://www.fiberglasssite.com/fiberglass-videos-1/

[TerryH]

Aluminum, and I have worked together in various forms for more years than I will admit. It has one of the highest expansion/contraction factors of any surfacing you are considering.
When one substrate expands/contracts at a factor of .001 and the substrate it is 'bonded to'  expands at a factor of .010, (factors are abstract) something has to give. Physics, metallurgy, chemical, weather, temp variations, they all enter and with differing factors.

Not saying it is a huge consideration here, but should be part of your decision.

Should you have a commercial building in your area that is clad with aluminum - fairly common - stand in front of a wall as the sun hits it. You will actually hear 'cracking, popping sounds' as it expands.

As for 'where would it go?'. It will follow the path of least resistance. Should it meet something with greater resistance it will start expanding elsewhere - against your adhesive or whatever lets go first.

Again, take into consideration the amount of new roofing you have removed for vents, AC, etc. Both the reduction in roofing square footage and the various cut outs and that they are variously placed works in your favor.

[demon]

for now im not putting anything up there until I finish the rest of the Winnebago . then i can figure out exactly where things will go but only plan on having the ac and maybe 2 vents. What I still dont understand is how come it was never a problem from the factory? the aluminum was glued down to 1/8 wood. the aluminum on the roof is flat . the aluminum on the sides has ribs in it so i can see that would help there but the roof was perfectly flat aluminum.

[demon]

Im definitely not opposed to  the rubber roof at all. seems like it would be the easiest. There wouldnt be a problem with putting the roof rack and ladder back up there on top of that would there?

[Rickf1985]

I hate roof racks with a passion, that is about 20 holes in the roof that just do not need to be there. Think about it, are you ever going to use that rack for anything other than looks? And the ladder is no problem as long as it is solidly anchored at other areas on the body so there is no movement at the roof mount points. You would mount it just like mounting something to a boat. Drill your holes and put bedding compound in the holes and under the feet and mount it good and solid and then pour self leveling sealer around the feet. The key is to use quality products and not bottom shelf stuff. And follow the directions of the roofing manufacturer as far as what adhesive to use and what sealers to use on it around the fittings like the ladder. That goes a LONG ways towards making a watertight roof. Mismatched products will sometimes just peel right off.

[demon]

The roof rack is a must! Basically the whole thing is for looks! I want it to look original from the outside. I probably will put some old 70's stuff up there anyway not to mention I plan on taking this thing everywhere and need the space. Its only 18' . the rack was mounted in the rear of the roof close to the edges and the walls inside so I know it will be nice and stiff there. I was looking a lot at the kits for the rubber roofs and the winni . I think if I go that way I would put 1/8" x1 1/4x1 1/4" aluminum angle over the edge of the roof and the wall. I know it will have a ledge there but I can make a few places for water to drain thru from the top. Plus its not going to be sitting for long anyway. Still not sure though..... I think I just think to hard about this kinda stuff

[Rickf1985]

Well it doesn't matter what the roof material is the more holes you put in it the more potential you have for leaks so just be sure everything is tight, bedded well and the sealed over with compatible sealant for the surface you use. I think angle on the edges is over kill, there are moldings made just for that purpose that are much better suited for the job. They also will not trap water like the angle would, and they would look better and more original.

[demon]

Alright! I bought the Dicor rubber roof!. no turning back now! Im happy with the decision and thank all of you for helping with that...would have sucked to have done something else and had a unforeseen problem.. This will be easy ,look great ! and ill be done with the roof!! hopefully next weekend.

[Rickf1985]

 

[TerryH]

As always, photos are appreciated.

[Rickf1985]

Once we can figure out how to do the picture thing after the photobucket meltdown. I have tried the thing that Mark recommended, irfanview, but it took over every picture on my computer and made a real mess of things and took me forever to get off the computer so I never went back to it.

[demon]

Planned on putting the rubber roof down Sunday but of course it was pouring down raining when I woke up. Yesterday a transformer blew at the shop early in the morn so I said screw it an went home to do it. My dad came over to help. Im happy with it. Wasnt to difficult . I did put aluminum angle over the corners. Its 1/16 thick and im sure its not the greates for draining water of the roof but I think it was necessary to cover the bad metal on the sides toward the top... the angle covered that all up and i dont need to worry about the corners tearing ..plus I think it looks great! Came home today and finished putting some screws in and caulked the top. I have the self leveling caulk but I dont have the no self leveling stuff yet....its on the way. Hope this stuff does self level on the roof! Looks kinda Lumpy now but well see

[demon]

more pics

[Rickf1985]

Did you round over the edges on the angle that is up against the rubber? The normal movement of the unit will flex and that thick of and angle is not going to flex well with it and it may cut the roof it it is not rounded. The factory molding is pretty thin and flexible and smooth for this reason.

It does look real good.

[Rickf1985]

You are going to find that it would have been much easier to frame out and cut in the vent holes and things like that before putting on the roofing. Then you would have just cut the roofing into the hole and folded it in and done and sealed in one step. I don't see how you can do that now.

[demon]

I dont know where everything is going yet and Im not really doing the interior next anyway so I just need it sealed up. would be nice to fold the rubber around the holes but im sure ill get it to work regardless

[demon]

and yes i used a da sander over the whole top with 80 grit and rounded over the edges of the wood before the rubber roof went down

[TerryH]

I agree it does look good. Some comments:
Keep in mind that the addition of the angle creates a dam situation. Somewhat minimal, but will provide a degree of standing water. You may want to check it often during the rainy season.
I expect you did caulk the underside of the angle as well as screw holes before fastening screws?
While I am not a fan of 'self levelling' caulk, the visible bead in your photos does not show any evidence of tooling. Proper tooling is critical when caulking as a sealant. I hope the caulking as applied does not add the the dam effect as you will find it very difficult to safely remove any (should you have to) from a rubber roof.
Again, looks good.

[Rickf1985]

and yes i used a da sander over the whole top with 80 grit and rounded over the edges of the wood before the rubber roof went down

I was talking about rounding over the edges of the aluminum angle where it contacts the rubber.

[demon]

Oh yes those edges are nice and smooth. I was more worried about the jagged edges of the walls in certain spots where it was corroded so the angle covers it all and looks good. I'm sure if I run a branch or something the angle will protect the rubber roof as well. I realize the angle will hold a little water but it will be minimal and I'm hoping to keep it under a carport anyway. With the hydraulic suspension I can tilt one end up or down to help with runoff too. But really I plan on driving the crap out of it so no problem while it's tooling down the road!

[Rickf1985]

You gonna take the carport camping with you? W% :)rotflmao Remember, the fridge has to be level to survive. A new rubber roof will tolerate some water ponding but you don't want to leave it there for weeks.

[demon]

Won't be sitting that long!

[sharon051266]

Sorry new here in the new year..  I have a 1973 Dodge tailgate sportsman and the ruthless like a whoop Dee Doo park for dirt bikes it's tags in between trusses which are every 16 inches water pools and lakes and he is a pain in my butt. What did you use and how tall did you make your center arch on your new trusses I have to build new ones to fix this problem and resale my roof ....

[Oz]

All you need is 2" rise.