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CaCraig · 06-10-2016, 05:29 PM

Had anyone put the vinyl that that is used to store front lettering or car decals on the roof? I'd rather not paint the roof with an elastomeric coating because it will be a pain to get off.

The vinyl comes in 14"x 150 feet. One roll could probably do a few trailers. It sounds like a better option than paint. I tried the search but couldn't find anyone who did it.

Hamptastic75 · 06-10-2016, 06:28 PM

So curious too. I saw a picture of one like that. I didn't know if that is what they did on newer ASAP.

dwightdi · 06-10-2016, 08:04 PM

New Airstreams use a factory prefinished white aluminum. Who and where do you get 14 ft wide adhesive backed exterior grade white decal stock? I was involved for setting up our factory to apply large decals to outboard motors back in the '70's. Putting them on a curved surface, without wrinkles, proved to be a big problem. I can think it would be near to impossible to apply it to the three dimensionally curved older Airstream roofs. The newer Airstreams are pretty flat, in the middle of the roof, where the precoated white aluminum is used.

Protagonist · 06-10-2016, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwightdi

Who and where do you get 14 ft wide adhesive backed exterior grade white decal stock?

Possible typo. Shouldn't that be 14 inches wide?

If so, and if the OP allows for overlap between adjacent strips, it would take about 9 strips running the full length of the trailer, with gaps for existing roof penetrations. 14-inch strips with overlap would cover 12 inches wide per strip. So one 150-foot roll would cover one trailer at most, with some left over for short trailers and nothing at all left over for longer trailers.

CaCraig · 06-10-2016, 08:58 PM

Yes, 14 inches.

The roof panel on my Sovereign is 21 feet long and about 4'-8" wide (according to the service manual).

That's about 4.5 strips per roof with about a 2" overlap. Round it up to 5 strips and that's 105 linear feet. Now subtract the AC, vents, solar panels, etc.

So my calculation was off a bit. You can do one large trailer and a small one with 1 roll.

J. Morgan · 06-10-2016, 10:34 PM

Here is my take.

Using vinyl is one of those ideas that looks good on paper, and sounds easy enough,,, it can be done, and it can be done well. But....

I have applied many square feet of large decals over the years, and in fact I had more than enough white vinyl to cover my roof when I painted my roof....... But I never even considered it.

It would (imo) be a NIGHTMARE to put that much vinyl on the roof of an Airstream.

I simply used a good epoxy paint, it was quick and easy. Sand, mask, paint, done. In just a couple a few hours.

It would take a long time on your knees on the roof to squeegee the thousands of bubbles that would form under several 14" wide strips of vinyl. (It would really, really suck)

If you decide to do this, shell out for better vinyl, not the economy stuff, it is going to take a beating on the roof. Cheap stuff will start cracking and peeling in a couple of years.

Superat stultitia.

BIGED52 · 06-10-2016, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigCA

Yes, 14 inches.

The roof panel on my Sovereign is 21 feet long and about 4'-8" wide (according to the service manual).

That's about 4.5 strips per roof with about a 2" overlap. Round it up to 5 strips and that's 105 linear feet. Now subtract the AC, vents, solar panels, etc.

So my calculation was off a bit. You can do one large trailer and a small one with 1 roll.

That's all well and good but where is the benefit to doing this? There is no real insulating value to shrink wrap the roof with this kind of product and I truly doubt there is any lasting cure for leaks on the roof panel that would hold up over time! I don't see that using this product gains you anything. At least the elastometric coating helps insulate and reflect the sun thus creating a thermal barrier on the top of the roof panel. That helps keep the roof cooler and the trailer as well. Just sayin' Ed

CaCraig · 06-10-2016, 11:16 PM

um, that's the point of this thread. I don't want to paint the roof and I'm looking for an alternative.

I've installed plenty of vinyl too. It doesn't have to be perfect because you can't see it from standing on the ground. If there's a small bubble, pop it with a pin or slice it with a razor blade and it will lay flat. The idea is to get something that will reflect the sun and try and lower the interior temperature and can be removed in the future.

Whatever Airstream is using now is some type of vinyl adhered to the aluminum sheet. I touched it a few weeks ago at the factory, but the get it that way from the supplier. If there was no benefit, Airstream wouldn't do it.

I'm in the desert. Soon the temps will be close to 110 in the day and in the 80's at night. I need to do something to try and lower the interior temps.

J. Morgan · 06-10-2016, 11:38 PM

Well, my opinion about covering the roof with vinyl is that the initial application will be a freaking nightmare, and that the longevity of the product will be eight years or less if you buy premium vinyl, and about two years if you buy economy vinyl. The roof is in full sun for an entire day, and the vinyl will take a beating up there. When it fails, (and it will), fixing it will be worse than if you had painted it.

The vinyl is going to crack into a thousand pieces of just a few square inches each. These pieces are going to stick like mad and require chemical removal to resurface the roof the second time.

Just my opinion..... But I wouldn't do this with a trailer I planned on keeping. Of course I might have the whole thing wrong, and I reserve the right ti be wrong about this, but if I thought I was wrong I wouldn't have posted these posts in the first place...

FWIW, a white roof really helps with the heat a lot. I am parked in full sun and it was 105 today where I am camped out, I was able to keep the trailer down to about 75 today.

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

Superat stultitia.

Protagonist · 06-11-2016, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigCA

Yes, 14 inches.

The roof panel on my Sovereign is 21 feet long and about 4'-8" wide (according to the service manual).

That's about 4.5 strips per roof with about a 2" overlap. Round it up to 5 strips and that's 105 linear feet. Now subtract the AC, vents, solar panels, etc.

So my calculation was off a bit. You can do one large trailer and a small one with 1 roll.

I was thinking you'd want to extend it past the roof panel onto the curved sides, which are also heat collectors, which is why I was thinking nine strips.

wahoonc · 06-11-2016, 05:15 AM

Not sure what the factory is currently using. The last time I checked it was a coating/paint, not a sticker. Elastomeric coating is the way to go in my opinion. I don't see how a vinyl sticker left in the sun for any long period of time is going to be easier to remove than a coating.

Aaron

dwightdi · 06-11-2016, 05:17 AM

Early Internationals did not have 30 amp service. Therefore, no air conditioning. At the first Rapid City Rally, with a plasticoated roof, interior trailer temperatures were over 105 degrees. My sick wife roasted. When I got home, I painted mine white. Next year, the trailer was more liveable. The paint lasted 10 years. I repainted. Putting on decals that big would be much more work and likely be more difficult to repair. Pick a paint that does not chauk. House paint will leave white strips down the side of your trailer.

CaCraig · 06-11-2016, 08:17 AM

Ok, nobody thought it was worth a try so I'll just cover it with elastomeric roof coating.

J. Morgan · 06-11-2016, 08:30 AM

Dont get me wrong, I think that the idea would work to help keep the heat down, but when I read your post I was having visions of myself on my knees up on my Airstreams roof trying to peel the backing of of large strips of vinyl, wetting it, laying it down, cutting around the roof stuff, working out the bubbles, working the vinyl around the seams and every single rivet, and then trying to pull the top protective layer off the vinyl.......... Sheet, after sheet after sheet.

I am too lazy in my old age for that kind of work when it is so easy to sand, mask, and spray on a high quality epoxy that will last for at least ten years.

Superat stultitia.

aquinob · 06-11-2016, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaCraig

Ok, nobody thought it was worth a try so I'll just cover it with elastomeric roof coating.

Not sure what your aversion to painting the roof is. If this is a '71, its not like you're going to hurt the value. A good elastomeric paint not only keeps the roof cooler but also helps to seal up the rivets and joints.

I've never done vinyl in a large area, but as J. Morgan stipulates, its probably a big PIA job with not a lot of value added over the paint and probably wont last as long or work as well. I used a product called ceramiflex that is no longer available, but there are other products that would probably work as well. It was documented here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f478...lex-98479.html Good luck with whatever way you decide to go.

lewster · 06-11-2016, 10:36 AM

[QUOTE=CaCraig;1804861]um, that's the point of this thread. I don't want to paint the roof and I'm looking for an alternative.

"Whatever Airstream is using now is some type of vinyl adhered to the aluminum sheet. I touched it a few weeks ago at the factory, but the get it that way from the supplier. If there was no benefit, Airstream wouldn't do it."

DEFINITELY NOT!!

I'm on the roof of an Airstream almost every day and I can state definitively that they are using a factory pre-coated aluminum. The white surface is an Alcoa applied factory coating that is more like a paint and NOT VINYL. It might even by a type of anodizing.

Lew Farber
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Jacob D · 06-11-2016, 02:20 PM

There are threads on these forums about coatings on Airstream roofs past factory. I am thinking seriously about using something called BUSKOTE on my '67 to ease the work load on my 50 year old Armstrong a/c.

CaCraig · 06-11-2016, 10:35 PM

The blue vinyl I got to re-stripe the trim has adhesive on one side and no protective coating to remove once it's down.

I should have said the factory coating looks like vinyl. It must be paint or something similar because the last I heard there is no white anodizing.

J. Morgan · 06-11-2016, 11:20 PM

If it is what I am used to seeing on freight trailers, it is an amazingly thin layer of paint.

If is fairly durable, it wont peel, but it will become thiner yet, and in time become translucent.

Superat stultitia.

JCWDCW · 06-12-2016, 01:41 PM

One post suggested Epoxy White. Epoxy tends to chalk and like house paint it will dribble stains. If I were going to re-coat my White roof (Factory Original '96) I would be using 2 part Urethane like they use on boat topsides, aircraft and Semi-trailer bodies. I painted my boat topsides with it and the paint was tougher than any paint or other coating I have ever used. It is also highly sun resistant. Still on the boat 35 years later
JCW