roof goo

[NancyKay]

Sorry for lack of a better term, but I need to re cover my roof with the buckets of gooey stuff, I don't know what it's called. And since I myself am not going to be doing the work, I guess I'm tossing around having a professional do it, or just my brother and his friend, who have good intentions, but have never done it before. My question is, how much basically is the rate would you think? Like $100 or $1000? I've lived here almost 4 years and I know it needs it by now. I live near Detroit Michigan, it's a 1971 Single wide, 12, X 65. Has it's rusty spots and needs to be scraped and cleaned off first of course. I think they have the roof stuff at Lowes? I just wonder what an average rate should be?
And is it a hard job for two well meaning, but not knowledgable men to do it? I don't want them to fall thru!

[JD]

Hi NancyKay,

What you are asking is kind of the nature of DIY. Learning to do something new and being able to do it correctly can be very rewarding. Two guys that do not have experience in recoating a roof may do a good job for you or their work may be totally ineffective. Depends on the guys really.

The roof goo you are looking for is elastomeric coating. It is a white coating sold in many brands, at least one of which will be available at all major home stores. The standard type coating will cost about $55 to $75 for a 5 gallon bucket. There are much more substantial products that will seal better and last longer. These products can cost $350 for a 5 gallon bucket and are not available at most home stores.

If your roof has never been "mopped", where the entire roof surface and more importantly the seams is covered with the elastomeric coating, I would advise not to coat the entire roof. You can seal a roof on a single wide by coating the edges of the roof, from about 4" on top of the roof to down over the screws in the drip rail, and sealing all the vents. On a doublewide, you will need to seal the ridge cap as well. You should also check for stress fractures or other damage. Stress fractures usually occur where you see kinks, dents or warped areas of metal. The are very small and sometimes hard to see. They are caused when the metal near a dent or kink expands and contracts with the weather. This is kind of like bending a thin piece of metal too many times, causing a fracture.

One other thing I recommend is to be sure the old sealants are cleaned off completely. I clean the metal down to where is actually shines with a buffer and wire brush.

The cost for a contractor to do your single wide will vary a lot, depending on where you live and who you choose to do the work. There can also be an upcharge for a more difficult roof. But basically, in my area there are handy man type guys that will do the edges and vents on a single wide for $250. I have never seen them do a good job. The least expensive experienced contractors in my area will charge about $500. Again, price will vary (go up) for roofs with a lot of build up of old sealants, past use of black asphalt mastic, major rust or damaged seams. I often see old metal roofs that would require so much labor that I decline to bid on the job. The work does not bother me, but if I think the recoat won't last 3 years because of the condition of the roof, or if the additional labor, patches, etc. goes over $800 on a single wide, then I don't think it is good product to sell my customer. They should look at getting a new roof.

Hope this helps

JD

[NancyKay]

Thank you JD for your very informative post! You do good as a moderator. I wish you lived in my neighborhood!

[JD]

You're welcome and thank you for the compliment. If you decide to DIY, come back for more details. Many of the forum users have done this repair recently. I know Troyster used the Liquid Rubber/Rubber Roof product expecting to get many years service out of his labor.

JD