Sanding old roof and grizzly-ing

[DeanoK]

Hey y’all,
Started sanding off the old latex paint or whatever was used on the roof prior to buying my Pup (it was peeling off in strips). Grizzly grip should be delivered next week. Does anyone have any better ways to get the old paint off the roof? The quick strip disc is laborious! [progress pic below]
I don’t have a power sander unfortunately, but the nature of the old paint clearly not bonding to the roof makes me think stripping it off is Definitely necessary before Re-coating.. thanks!

Side note - I pulled all the silicone that was around the vent and will reseal with Dicor.

[rsdata]

Have you thought about using a chemical stripper? Being outside using it is an ideal situation. They are not as powerful as they were in the old days. Typically apply, then use a putty knife to lift the finish off. Not to be used on a sunny day as it will dry too quickly to be real effective.

[DeanoK]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Have you thought about using a chemical stripper? Being outside using it is an ideal situation. They are not as powerful as they were in the old days. Typically apply, then use a putty knife to lift the finish off. Not to be used on a sunny day as it will dry too quickly to be real effective.

Man! I started off with a paint stripper! Was wondering why it wasn’t working, didn’t event THINK of the fact I was in 80degree direct sunlight. DOH! Lol. I’ll go back at it with that in the morning before it warms up. Thanks a lot!

[rsdata]

yea, maybe small 2 x 2 foot area... keep it wet, paint it on, then paint it again to keep it wet until paint bubbles up... different brands work, some better some not so well...

maybe use a BBQ stiff wire brush, or one of those Scotch-brite pads... when the paint loosens and wear some protective gloves

good luck

[KEliasz]

I remember this stuff as a kid called Zip Strip. If it got on your hands it felt like it was melting your skin off. That stuff bubbled up the paint on cars or anything else mighty quick. Not sure if they still make it or now they eased up on the strength for "our safety".

[rsdata]

all of the GOOD STUFF is off consumer level shelves...

I stripped all of the painted woodwork in a arge house back in the early 70's and yes, I did not wear any rubber gloves while doing it... paint that stuff on and scrape off layers of oil and latex paint in about a minute... I went through gallons of that stuff.

[DeanoK]

Got up at the lower back of dawn and got into it! Picked up this stuff called ‘Xylene’ - couple of coats and 10 minutes Staring at it, and it scraped up fairly easily. Still skimmed over with the wheel since the roof is textured, but got about 1/3rd of the roof done this morning.. good progress. Thanks for the help on that.
Sub question; I know Dicor is self leveling and to be used on flat surfaces - does that mean it isn’t suitable for sealing around tail lights and vertical panels?

Hopefully next week I’ll be able to share some after pics !

[rsdata]

Self-leveling means it flows, slowly on horizontal surfaces...

I am a big proponent of Eternabond tape... for all sealing where a caulk might be used... applied correctly ( cleaned and dried (with IPA alcohol) surface) you will get a decade or more of service from it.

Go to Eternabond dot com to read about it.

[DouglasReid]

YES, you NEED to get all that old covering that is peeling off FIRST. If you paint over it, it will simply take off the new coating with the old when it peels off.

If you are going to use Paint Stripper get the Gel kind, not the liquid. It does not dry near as fast.

Also, try working in the early morning before everything, including the roof, heats up.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by DeanoK

Sub question; I know Dicor is self leveling and to be used on flat surfaces - does that mean it isn’t suitable for sealing around tail lights and vertical panels?

Hopefully next week I’ll be able to share some after pics !

There are two kinds of Dicor: self-leveling and non-sag. Use non-sag on vertical surfaces.

[DeanoK]

Well, still plugging away at stripping paint. Made an interesting discovery this morning [see photo]. Mysterious markings as well as patch repairs I had no idea were there.. he spots where the paint was pulling off in strips turned out to all have repairs underneath. Bondo or something?! Anyway, the grizzly grip should have no problem sticking to those repair spots, right?

Thanks for all of the responses and input from y’all!

[rsdata]

the grizzly grip should have no problem sticking to those repair spots, right?

I have no idea what grizzly grip is so I googled it... are you referring to some type of skateboard tape?

You can use what you think is best, but I strongly suggest you look at a roof repair tape like Eternabond to fix splits/cracks and possible leaks in the roof. Maybe tape it from the inside (underside) of the cover then apply new paint... Could be a previous owner piled something heavy on the trailer roof while in storage?

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by DeanoK

Anyway, the grizzly grip should have no problem sticking to those repair spots, right?

Good question. The purpose of a primer is to provide an adhesion layer. For example, A will not stick to B, but both A and B will stick to C, so you put a layer of C on B before covering with A. It is possible that whoever did the prior repair failed to use the proper primer.

It is also possible that whatever was used for the repair simply has a low surface energy and nothing will stick very well to it. Ever heard of "Bakelite", also known as phenol formaldehyde? It's a non-melting brittle plastic that used to be used for radios and promotional ashtrays, still used for circuit breakers and electrical outlets. If it cracks or breaks, you can't glue it. There is no glue that would stick because the compound has such a low surface energy.

You may not be able to find out what the repair material is, or what kind of paint was used, but it would be a good idea to find out what primer is recommended for Grizzly Grip and to use it.

[DeanoK]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I have no idea what grizzly grip is so I googled it... are you referring to some type of skateboard tape?

Check out Grizzlygrip.com. It’s essentially a truck bed liner specifically for RV’s/Campers.
I took note of your input regarding eternabond tape and have seen this mentioned everywhere. The main reason why i decided on the Dicor was that there really are no cracks or any leak repairs required, so I figured I’d just slap the dicor around the vent and edges of roof prior to the Grizzly coat. Suppose I could line the seams with the tape though.. can it be painted over too?

LARRY, I found this on the Grizzly website: “ You only need primer if you are coating bare aluminum, bare steel, glass surfaces or surfaces that will be submerged in fresh.“

That said, seems like etching & priming the repair spots (at very least) might be worthwhile!

Thanks !!

[DeanoK]

Figured I’d post the finished product of my Grizzly Grip roof Project! I’m not a great painter by any means, and this stuff is very different from regular paint so it isn’t perfect, but I’m super happy with how it came out, you can FEEL the durability. Very similar texture to Line-X. Covered up all the old repairs I discovered, and sealed well over the Dicor on all seams.
It’s sticky, stinky, and expensive, but IMO worth it.

Thanks again for all of the help

[rsdata]

looks good

tell us in a year where it is at please

[DeanoK]

Sure will. Cheers