Roof Coating after Relocation - Need Advice

[HeyJake]

Recently (Monday) I had an '83 Fairmont that I purchased arrive safely on our property.

The move from the previous owner's land was difficult and there was a long country drive from there to here, so the home underwent quite a bit of torsion on its way here.

My question is about the roof. The roof has a silver coating on it that looks good for the most part with a few flaking spots. Along the roof seams there are small cracks in the coating and larger cracks around the vent pipes. I'm worried the stresses of the move stretched and cracked the coating to the point that water will seep in.

All but one of the roof coatings I saw at Lowes say it needs to be at least 50 or 60 degrees (depending on the coating) and dry for application. There was one coating that didn't specify, but it looked like a black rubber coating (wish I had written down the name - don't recognize it online) that didn't seem as high of quality as the others. Being that it's December and cold/snowy where we are...

• * Should I use mastic to cover the vent caps for the winter, just in case, or will that bite me down the line when I want to do a proper coat in the spring?
  * If so, should I take the time to cover each seam with mastic too?
  * Is there a coating anyone knows about that would at least get me through the winter?
  * If so, does that coating limit my options for further coatings?
  * Not ideal in the least, but would tarping the roof be a viable option at this point, if that even works?

I have no idea if any of these small cracks will be a problem, but the interior of the home is in decent shape and I'd hate to take the "wait and see" approach only to have costly repairs down the line. Of course, I wish it were still October and I could do this the right way the first time, but everything took longer than expected and here we are!

Thank you from a mobile home noob!

[DCDiva]

Unless you get really lucky and get a few days of warm weather,it looks like you are going to have to wait and see,as for the coating to work correctly and get into all of places to stop any leaks it has to be warmer--but be ready to jump on the job if you get luck witha warm spell lol--have you checked into a metal roof--this can be done at any temp--the cost well yes a little higher--not sure of the cost per foot in your area--I will do the math for a 14 x 70 MH at 2.25 per lin ft,is 3 ft wide with small over hang/soffit so 33.75 per sheet x 24 sheets=810, plus screws,trim and new cover for sewer/furnace/vents--so the total cost will be around $1000 but never have to worry again about a roof--vs-- coating cost 150-200 every year-3 yrs and after so many times it just does not work---it seems lke a lot of money but if you saved 50 a week--basically pack your lunch and take your own coffee vs spending money,you can get a new roof
Good luck,Melissa

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. I think that I would use a few tubes of Butyl rubber sealer (in caulk gun tubes) and hit any spots that look questionable. That should get you through to spring.

When you do re coat the roof remember to check on the compatibility of the new sealer with what is on there now.

Greg

[flcruising]

Sounds like you are describing an Aluminum Roof Coating. I've applied this to an RV roof before. If the 'cracks' you are seeing are surface only, then I wouldn't worry about it as they are superficial. The aluminum finish that usually floats to the surface after application is perishable (at least for the kind I've used) as it's mainly there for solar reflectivity. If you can see the black asphalt but not the substrate, you should be fine. But then without a picture to see what you are looking at, I would treat them like Greg mentioned so you don't have any surprises later. The rubberized caulk can be applied with a plastic throw away putty knife, and probably dug out when you can fully address the issue or re-coat next spring.

[JD]

I would really recommend against using tar/asphalt mastic of any kind. While it would stop a leak this winter, it will also create a problem when you want to recoat in the spring. There are products that you can apply in cold weather. One company that comes to mind for spot repairs is Geocel, GeoGreen or the ProFlex. http://www.geocelusa.com/products.html They have several one-part tube sealants that can be applied in temps near freezing and can be applied to a wet surface, some even under water! While they do make coatings for roofs as well, my personal experience is that the material dries out and cracks after a few years. But for emergency fixes, I am quick to use the tube sealants and coatings.