another roof replace question(s)

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tomsteve

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Joined
Jun 14, 2018
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good morning,all. ive been suring all weekend and it seems like a lit of great wisdom here. however, i dont think i saw an answer to a queastion i have.
i have an 89 class C coming into my drive this evening. im not sure how the make and model are said with these, but its an '89 ford chassis and i believe a mallard? anyways,its in need of a new roof with probably some structure repair. it was " repaired" last year and 'repaired" i mean asphalt rolled roofing was used right over the old roof, nothing removed from the roof first, and flex seal sprayed seams...and trapped a lot of moisture. so the probably means i am not sure how much structure repair, but theres going to be structure repair.
im looking at putting EPDM to go back down.now to my question:
i am looking at dicor EPDM and installation kit. however i see i can get the EPDM less expensive but isnt the dicor name. is there a major difference between dicor and other EPDM's?
also, i see they seem to ship folded up and have read a couple reviews with the people writing the reviews saying they couldnt get the folds out of the EPDM. is there a trick/ process to do it properly? i havent found anything yet addressing this.
also, could i still use the dicor install kit on EPDM that doesnt have the dicor name?
lets see if i can get a picture of loaded of the wonderful repair done last year.....

 

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Roof membranes (EPDM, TPO, etc) don't bend around curved corners or bumps in the surface, but other than that should be easy enough if applied with care. Best to remove as many obstacles as possible to make the job simpler, though. A/c units, fridge vent, skylights, etc. As with anything you are gluing down, you have to get it done within the working time limits of the adhesive, so plan ahead and don't stop for a beer with a piece of sheeting halfway on.

Dicor and Alpha are the two leading brands of EPDM membranes used in RVs, but I would not be afraid to use other brands of similar thickness and color (not all EPDM is white).

http://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=15884

TPO doen't cost a lot more and is easier to maintain (clean, no streaking, etc). Consider it as an alternative.

You may find a galvanized metal roof under that roll roofing. Of so, it may or may not have a substrate - my '88 trailer just stretched the metal panels over ribs.  EPDM and TPO require a smooth substrate, usually thin luan plywood.

 
thanks ,gary. im starting today on tearing off the old and putting on the new. im going with EPDM. everything will be coming off the roof as i want to do this right and theres going to be some structure replacement.
a little background on the rig:
the owner has owned this for 23 years. she only uses it 2-3 times a year and thats for loading people up for a few different events- a golf outing, concert, and some other event i dont recall. any camping is done in the driveway. with 34k miles on it, its actually in pretty good shape except for the roof and some minor water damage( ive done remodels on houses with pretty serious water damage- requiring a complete roof from the wall up, so i call what this has minor :) ). apparently after i get the roof done and the 2 other events for the summer have passed, its coming back for some interior remodeling.
 
RV construction is actually pretty simple, so other than being dirty & tedious, a roof and substrate replacement isn't a challenging task for someone with roof or construction experience.
 
one thing i have going for me is 15 years in carpentry with main focus on rough framing. ive framed about 100 houses in that time plus quite a bit of roofing,siding,windows, and remodeling thrown in to the mix. this isnt quite the mcmansions im used to working on, but its pretty understandable how these come apart and go back together.
 

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