This article is about RV roof coatings and which one is the best to buy.

Which one can drastically extend the life of your RV roof? And really cut down on the maintenance you spend on that roof as well?

So recently I made a video about RV rubber roofs. And you can view that video by clicking here now.

And in that video I included information about how to identify what kind of rubber roof you have. If that’s what you have on your RV.

And I also covered information on how to maintain the roof as well. That’s because RV roof care is vital to the life of your RV.

In fact, it’s the first line of defense against water leaks and water intrusion.

Because if your roof allows water to get into your RV, it can break it down from the inside out. And could eventually destroy it altogether.

Table of Contents

• RV Roof Maintenance – Why Many Don’t Do It
• RV Roof Sealant Problems
• Why I Bought Another RV
• The Rubber Roof Problems On My Fifth Wheel RV
• 3 Things I Wanted A Roof Coating To Do For My RV
• A Great Product That Cuts Down On RV Roof Maintenance Time
• RV Roof Coatings – The One I Chose For My RV
• What Roof Preparation Is Needed For RV Roof Coatings?
• How I Applied The Roof Coating
• Before And After Photos Of The Results
• Other RV Roof Coatings You Should Consider
• Conclusion

RV Roof Maintenance – Why Many Don’t Do It

But here’s the sad truth. Very few RVers actually care for their RV roof like they should.

Now there can be various reasons for this. And number one is that the roof is up on top of the RV.

So it’s out of sight and therefore in many cases it’s also out of mind. And they often just don’t think that much about the roof.

Also, it could be that the RV owner doesn’t really know what to do to maintain their roof. And therefore they kind of do nothing because of that.

But in many cases, they just don’t want to get up there and do that kind of work. So the job just gets procrastinated and keeps on getting worse.

Well, RV inspectors like myself find these roof problems regularly. In fact, it’s one of the most common problems that we list on our RV inspection reports.

RV Roof Sealant Problems

Now usually, it’s a problem with the sealant. And we always note where the sealant has started to age.

Very often it has started to crack somewhat and needs to be reapplied.

But in many cases, it has often gone so far and the neglect has happened so long that there’s no saving it.

And at that point the sealant just has to be scraped off and reapplied brand new again.

Well that’s a lot of work, right? However, it’s also a lot of work to maintain the sealant and RV roofing material as well.

So a good question would be – is there a way to lower the required maintenance on RV roofs?

Now I ask that question because I myself am not crazy about going up on RV roofs and doing all of that necessary work.

I mean it’s not something I look forward to. But I do it anyway! Because I know that it’s so important. It’s so vital to the life of my RV!

So is there a way that we can lower all of that effort and time spent on RV roof maintenance?

Why I Bought Another RV

Well, let me tell you what I did to my own RV that could be helpful in this area.

Last year I bought a Grand Design fifth wheel. The purpose is so that we could use it as a home base for our RV travels.

And that’s because Covid-19 taught us a lot of lessons. But one of the best lessons we learned is that it’s a good idea to have a home base.

Even when you’re full-time traveling in an RV. Or maybe, especially if you are a fulltime RV traveler!

So we got the fifth wheel and we put it on a permanent RV lot in Arizona. It’s a 2015 model that has an EPDM Rubber roof.

The Rubber Roof Problems On My Fifth Wheel RV

And the rubber roof is already showing some wearing and age, and as a result it’s darkening.

Now if you watched my video about rubber roofs you know that’s a characteristic of EPDM. As it ages, it very often darkens in color.

And that means that it absorbs more heat and transfers that into the RV. Of course, that’s not a good thing, especially in Arizona.

So I decided that I needed to put an RV coating over the original rubber roof.

3 Things I Wanted A Roof Coating To Do For My RV

And I wanted to accomplish a few things. Number one is I wanted to extend the life of my roof. Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Then number two is I wanted to reflect heat off of that roof better too.

And number three is I wanted to find a way that I could cut down on all the necessary maintenance that I was having to do on RV roofs.

A Great Product That Cuts Down On RV Roof Maintenance Time

Now the good news is that the previous owner of this RV had already started working toward the idea of cutting down on roof maintenance.

So they had used Eternabond tape on several of the seams of the RV. Also around some of the roof equipment, like skylights and vents.

So where the sealant was placed in these areas, they covered it over with Eternabond tape.

And that’s actually a great way to start cutting down on maintenance requirements.

Because Eternabond tape lasts 20 years or more in many cases. And can protect roof sealant from UV damage from the sun that breaks it down.

So it was a good thing when I found that the previous owner had already started to use Eternabond tape on the roof.

But that didn’t solve the problem with the roof material itself being older and aging.

RV Roof Coatings – Here’s One That Works Well

So what coating should I use for that? Well, I started doing a lot of research.

And many RV coatings are made as acrylic based products. In fact, Dicor makes some very good roof coatings that area acrylic based.

And they make coatings for various kinds of RV roofs too. They’ve got a product for rubber, fiberglass and metal.

Now there’s a separate product for each one of them. You don’t use the same product for every kind of roof material made.

But the good news is that there’s lots of great reviews about all of their products. Reviews from people that have used it and had great results.

But the major issue for me was that you had to reapply the product again every few years or so. In order to keep the roof in good shape.

RV Roof Coatings – The One I Chose For My RV

Well, I kept looking and eventually I found a product called Henry’s TropiCool 887 silicone roof coating.

And I found that it comes with a lifetime warranty, and I thought that’s pretty good!

Also it also can be used on almost any RV surface you want to name. And it specifically says that it’s made for high UV and severe weather areas.

So when you’re talking about high ultraviolet situations, that’s Arizona for sure!

And I thought this is really good, that it specifically resists UV damage.

Then I took a further look at the product instructions on the bucket.

And I highly encourage that whatever product you use, look very closely at the instructions and the guidelines they give you!

So the bucket instructions said that it could be used on TPO, EPDM, PVC and on metal roofs.

And here’s the kicker! It can usually be done with a one coat application.

Well, that’s great! Because the Dicor products require a multiple coat application to be effective.

What Roof Preparation Is Needed For RV Roof Coatings?

Then the instructions covered the prep that you need to do on your roof before applying the product.

And the instructions were to just clean the roof with TSP and water. You could use a stiff bristle brush to clean the roof and then hose it off with water.

Or you could use a power washer too. But I recommend that if you’re going to use a power washer, be very careful!

Don’t use high pressure at all. Because you can damage these roofs with really high pressure. So proceed carefully if that what you decide to do!

How I Applied The Roof Coating

Then once you clean the roof thoroughly, allow it to dry completely. And then you can just use a roller, like a paint roller, to apply the product.

Well sure enough, on my rig it was a one coat application. And I found out something else by reading the comments and the reviews that many RV owners have left on Amazon.

Many of them have just gone right over Eternabond on their roof. And they say that it’s worked well for them. So that’s what I did too!

Now let me say this. Whatever product you use, follow the instructions very carefully.

Make sure that you’re using it the way it’s intended to be used. And be safe on RV roofs as well. Take all necessary safety precautions during the process.

Because this kind of work can be very dangerous if you aren’t careful. So if you are not comfortable on RV roofs, then get someone to do it for you.

Before And After Photos Of The Results

Now here’s the proof of the pudding! Let me show you the “before” and the “after” photos on my fifth wheel EPDM roof.

Here’s a picture of the roof after I cleaned it which made it look much better. And the coating has not been applied at this point.

You can still see that there’s darker areas on the roof that are clearly visible.

OK, so I applied the product, and here is the “after” picture of the roof. After applying the TropiCool product from Henry’s.

Now isn’t that a beautiful roof? It’s so bright and white, and that is going to reflect heat so much better now.

So for me, I am very happy with the Henry’s product. And I’m also really happy that this is going to cut down on my roof maintenance too.

Now let m be clear that you don’t have to use Henry’s TropiCool on your RV’s roof though.

Other RV Roof Coatings You Should Consider

Once again, I can highly recommend using Dicor too. It’s a quality product that just didn’t fit exactly what I was looking for on my personal RV roof.

But there’s another fine company called Heng’s as well. And they have great reviews from RV owners too.

The only problem with both Dicor and Heng’s is that you do have to re-apply the product every so often.

But if you decide to use the Henry’s TropiCool 887, let me warn you about something.

And that is that Henry’s makes a lot of roof products. So don’t use anything else if you want to do what I did on my roof.

I used “TropiCool 887”, and that is what you want to look for if you want to do what I did.

And there’s lots of great reviews too from RV owners on Amazon for the Henry’s products. So it does seem to be tried and true at this point.

Conclusion

Now I encourage you do your own research on this subject. And try to determine what’s best for you and your RV before you buy anything.

I just wanted to share with you what has worked well for me in this article.

But you need to choose what works best for your situation and needs.

However, if you want to extend your RV roof’s life, and you want to cut down on your roof maintenance, than getting a really high quality RV roof coating is a great way to do that!

Have safe and happy RV travels my friends!