DIY: How to Repair the Rubber Roof on an RV

Most road vehicles need repairs and maintenance at some stage or another to keep them in good running condition, and RVs or recreational vehicles are no different. These recreational vehicles generally have a metal roof or one that is made of rubber. It is a good idea to do a maintenance check of either type of roof every so often, this helps to pick up any RV roof repairs that may need to be attended to before they become a major problem. If a leak occurs in a rubber roof then this should be fixed as soon as possible. Before beginning repairs give the roof a good clean to remove any dirt and other problems that would reduce bonding of the repair product. Some of the better products for repairing come in two parts, one part is the base and the other is the catalyst which ends up looking like a liquid rubber product when mixed.

Once the roof is clean and dry, a wide masking tape can be used to tape off the gutters and any other sections that you don't want to have to clean up afterwards. Most of these kinds of products can be sticky and messy, and can get all over everything making the clean up job harder than it should be. When everything is ready and you are ready to do your RV roof repairs, the base and catalysts can then be mixed. This generally requires a heavy duty drill and one on power is better than a battery driven one, but if you don't have a power variety, make sure the batteries are fully charged before beginning. Using a larger style mixing wand or thicker type drill give the two products a thorough mixing which may take from five to ten minutes. The product is quite thick and once mixed is generally usable for several hours.

The directions on the product for the RV roof repair, should tell you what to use to apply it, but you can use your own discretion and apply it using what works best for you, this could be a paint roller, paint scraper, paintbrush, putty knife, or something else. It is a good idea to use plastic or rubber gloves of some sort so you can remove them when you need to and have several other pairs on hand in case they get too tacky and need to be thrown away. It should go on easily and cover the areas that need repairing if you work to the manufacturer's directions. Make sure you also purchase the right product for cleaning up as some of these products don't come off easily with other cleaning products. Give it the appropriate time to set then inspect the area and do a touch-up wherever necessary. If there is any of the mixed product over after you have finished, check to see if there is an ideal way to keep this for your touch-up work afterwards.