A good friend of mine decided he was finished with inspecting and maintaining his motorhome roof, and decided to drive to Phoenix and have FlexArmor coating applied.
OK, he also had fun with ai during the July 4th holiday…here’s his real RV.
Getting a FlexArmor roof is a big decision, as the current cost is about $235 per linear foot, plus extra for any additional work required.
Why would it be worth the cost? For several reasons! You may want to longer be concerned about:
- Climbing on the roof to inspect, clean and repair your seals.
- Driving rain, hailstorms or low branches causing leaks or damaging your roof.
- The sun drying out and damaging your roof. This is especially important if your RV is stored outside all year.
- Some modern manufacturing techniques make a roof leak almost inevitable. Phil and I both have Newmar motorhomes, and the way they attached the AC to the roof creates a potential leak point that isn’t visible unless you remove the AC unit.
Spending this money upfront, especially on a newer RV, can make the ownership experience more carefree and enjoyable.
What are the cons and why you might want to take a pass on this upgrade? Here’s a few reasons why I have yet protect my roof:
- I have covered storage, so 3/4 of the year my motorhome is protected from the sun and rain. I could save money by using non-covered storage, but I probably wouldn’t. It’s not just the roof that ages in the sun.
- I still don’t mind getting on the roof for maintenance. Honestly, I’d probably still be up there occasionally just to clean the roof! 🙂 However, as time marches on, this will change.
- Having had a motorhome for 14 years, I’ve never had a roof leak. It is similar to how most people don’t have security systems in their home until after their first burglary.
So things may change for me in the future, but for now, I’m satisfied with the roof Newmar provided.
Phil’s appointment in Phoenix was shortly after July 4th, so he had to make his way through the scorching desert in the summer heat! Fortunately, his Newmar insulation, Magne Shade window coverings, and 2 AC’s, kept his motorhome comfortable most of the time.
Phil survived heat and made it to Phoenix on time, and FlexArmor got to work right away on his coach.
FlexArmor first cleans the roof and masks off the area to be coated.
Then they remove everything on the roof that should not be coated, including AC units, solar panels, and vent covers.
They thoroughly inspect the roof for water damage at this stage. Additional costs could be added for water damage mitigation. However, consider yourself fortunate to have water damage identified and corrected before it is noticed inside. Fortunately, Phil had no damage to his roof, and the project progressed.
A choice to be made at this point is whether cover the skylight with FlexArmor or keep using it as a skylight. Covering it will protect it from hail or anything else that might crack it.
If you have a standard size skylight you can also opt to replace it with a more durable version that FlexArmor can provide.
Phil decided to cover the skylight, but also replace his black vent covers with translucent white ones. This allows much more light to come into the RV, making up for the reduction in light from covering the skylight with FlexArmor.
Phil also had them replace his gutter extensions with a longer version that works better. These are long enough so the water rolls off the roof and onto the ground, rather than onto the side of the RV.
For solar panels and other equipment screwed into the roof, FlexArmor embeds bolts before the coating is applied, so these items can be reinstalled without penetrating the FlexArmor. Genius!
Once everything is ready, the roof is coated. The main coating has a grayish color, so they follow up with a white coating to better reflect heat.
After a final inspection of the coating and any corrections, all the equipment is reinstalled and the process is complete.
The process takes about a week and has a lifetime guarantee that also transfers to any new owners. I get first dibs on Phils rig if he ever sells! 🙂
If you ever need changes to your roof for new equipment or repairs, just bring it to any FlexArmor dealer. They will inspect the roof and make any changes you want.
Here are before and after photos of Phil’s motorhome. I’m a little jealous of Phil and the great roof he has on his motorhome now, but wish him years of leak-free miles!
Click on either photo to expand to full size.
Since the process takes about a week to complete, Phils biggest problem was figuring out what to do with his time in Phoenix during the hot summer! He found a cool app called Roadside America that has tons of offbeat, quirky attractions listed. So no matter where you are in America, you can find something interesting to see. Note it costs $8 for the whole US or $3 per region.
Here’s a few of the places he visited, including Buc-ees’s (not just in TX anymore), large farming billboards, and the Sun Cities museum (the first model home in a 55+ community community and included in the National Register of Historic Places)….Well, it kept him busy during the day and sounds like a lot of fun! I downloaded the app myself!
Click on any photo to expand to full size.
So that’s Phil’s FLexArmor adventure last summer. I appreciate that he let me share his experience with you, and I hope it helps you make a more informed decision about your RV.
Al
P.S. Neither Phil nor I received anything from FlexArmor or Roadside America for this review, and all opinions are entirely ours.
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