Painting the roof

[alwechs]

I have an 06 Roadtrek, painted gold, and I was up on the roof today and noticed the paint is pretty much gone. A few cracks here and there but I assume it's superficial. Thought it would be a good idea to paint over the surface. It would be nice to have something white to keep the van cooler. Any thoughts on best way to go about this and good products to use?

[InterBlog]

I used Bus Kote, which I don't know is the best alternative, but it was latex and I could deal with it without worrying about having to take it back off.

I was warned by the Bus Kote manufacturer to avoid their own marketed top coat, which they say tends to yellow and can't be painted over. Better to refresh the Bus Kote by brushing on a new coat each year, they said. That's what I've been doing.

Blog description:

ADDING A REFLECTIVE ROOF COATING TO AN AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

Initial photo:



IIRC, this was taken about a year in. You can see some graying and soiling.



Note as well that I did POR-15 the lap seams before adding the primer and top coats.

[booster]

I painted the roof of our 07 C190P Roadtrek, which was the metallic sand color, with a highly reflective sparkle silver paint. I certainly did help the roof and and van temps in hot sunny conditions.


I used PPG Deltron base and clear urethane which is very good stuff, over a coat of epoxy primer for bonding.


It has been on quite a while now and holding up fine. We do store indoors, though,so not outside unless in use.


Here is a discussion with some pix.


https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...-top-2317.html

[bwatters60]

In my research to solve my paint/clear coat issues, I ran across InterBlog's project and decided to proceed with the Bus Kote product. I called the company, which is just a couple miles from my son's in FL, to ask about the yellowing of the top coat. They told me that was no longer a problem. Well, I found out the hard way that it's still a problem, at least on my '08 Roadtrek 210. I stopped to show them the yellowing on my last trip to my son's, but didn't get much of a response. Anyway, I light sanded it and applied two more coats of Bus Kote and it looks great. It seems to be extremely durable and I didn't take any temperature measurements like InterBlog, but I know it has helped keep it cooler inside in the TX heat. So, if you decide to go the Bus Kote route, my advice is to apply the Bond It and Bus Kote products, but skip the Flexi Clear (top coat). And follow InterBlog's advice on the application!

[tbroad]

We have a 1990 Roadtrek that had a hard life thru multiple owners. The roof in many locations was beige (right down to fiberglass) and covered with mildew. We likewise were looking for a solution that would reduce heat in the summer. Here is our DIY solution that cost less than $200 ...

(1) Scrub the roof with TSP. Get *real* TSP (not the "TSP substitute" being marketed some places now) or use your preferred heavy-duty cleaner. You may need to lightly sand the roof, then wash again.

(2) Clean roof with "Dicor Fiberglass Clean & Prep" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B3P5EC4/) per instructions and be sure to rinse *very* well.

(3) Paint the roof with "Dicor RPFRC1 Fiberglass RV Roof Coating" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TQI96K/). You do NOT want to use the Dicor for Rubber Roofs version -- be sure to get FIBERGLASS Roof coating.

In our case we didn't care if we covered over the pin-striping or branding. The van itself had been painted by a previous owner and covering over the decals made us more stealthy, which helps in areas where "RVs" are not allowed.

Carefully mask with blue painters tape and LOTS of plastic. Anything that gets painted will stay painted, so mask carefully. Our three roof windows had horribly ugly black gunk that someone used to seal them -- we elected to paint over that rubber gunk with the Dicor white paint and it worked well. Or mask off the rubber gaskets. You either want to paint in the shade on a really calm day, or preferably inside.

Using a regular medium-nap roller (extension handle is a bonus) apply a generous, but well-rolled coat. You will need two, and possibly three, coats. The first coat will not look very good, but don't be discouraged, because when you are finished you will have an incredibly tough and weather resistant covering. It will seal all cracks and small imperfections, and is a *very* bright white.

When removing the blue painters tape, you may want to use a razor knife to cut the paint along the tape edge -- the paint is very tough and doesn't want to tear along the tape edge.

That's it -- a beautiful DIY new roof. We've got four years on the covering and its holding up very well. Looking a bit dirty, but otherwise very functional.

[Hammernine]

I too used the Bus Kote on our 2004 Roadtrek 200. Cleaned the roof well, taped off the top, applied with a brush. Has been on 1.5 years and holding up well.

[g1g]

I had the thought of painting mine too. I use to paint in a body shop and thought I might use Dupont Imron. It is very durable great for fiberglass as it also flexes too. It is resistant to about anything and holds a shine. My only question is that it seems like the paint on there now is a self cleaning one as sometime there is a chalky feel. Anyone know about this ro hoe necessary is this?

[roy.hedahl@gmail.com]

I realize this thread is some 3 years old.

Is there any followup on the usage of "Bus Kote" relating on longevity?

I see there are at least 2 companies in Florida who make?/market Bus Kote.
Nationwide Protective Coating has responded on my inquiries where as Hytechsales.com has not responded.

I'm needing to redo the roof on my 2004 Chevy 3500 RoadTrek 190.

Thanks for responding

[alwechs]

I'm the OP, and I used the stuff from NPC. It worked great and it's still holding up. My only mistake is that I bought two gallons, which was way, way too much. Definitely buy the primer from them as well -- it is not like store primers. In fact, if you want to buy my unused gallon and remainder of the primer for a steal, give me a shout at alwechs at gmail.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by alwechs

I'm the OP, and I used the stuff from NPC. It worked great and it's still holding up. My only mistake is that I bought two gallons, which was way, way too much. Definitely buy the primer from them as well -- it is not like store primers. In fact, if you want to buy my unused gallon and remainder of the primer for a steal, give me a shout at alwechs at gmail.

What is the product from NPC?

[alwechs]

It is the aforementioned Bus Kote. IT's what the school buses use on their roofs.