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Mainly I hate having to clean the residue when removing it from the Gel Coat exterior of my trailer. I am having a tough time getting the residue to go away. I've tried different chemicals, including lacquer thinner (it was handy), Goof Off Pro Strength Remover and Acetone. I've tried plenty of elbow grease along with a straight blade paint scraper.
I know the residue needs to come off if I'm to have any hope that the next type of caulk (Geocel Proflex RV) will adhere well. I have an old foam pad for my 6" Random Orbit Polisher that I might try.
I use mineral spirits to remove most silicones but you have to let it soak in before it will work. I tried the Geocel Proflex RV and I hate it, it will not go on smooth and if you try and smooth it out and some excess gets on places you don't want it it will not come off and I can't see where it flexes at all. The remainder of the tube I had went under a door I was setting in my garage where I never have to see it agian. Still trying to figure out how to remove it from my trailer
There are a lot of people that rave about the Proflex RV caulk. I used it once and it didn't work well, but I think it was my fault. I used a chemical to clean the surface. I later read that they explicitly said to not use that chemical. I did have problems getting it smooth, but I thought that was on me also as I put down a fairly long bead which meant it took me a while to get back to smoothing it.
I'm trying this, just starting to use it so I don't know how long it will last but it cleans up with water until it cures and the pieces of vinyl fooring I tested on it remained flexible.
I know from home projects, the silicone caulk vs. acrylic caulk will make a difference. If you want it to last, don't use the acrylic stuff.
I've used mineral spirits to remove old caulk in the past, but it still can be a pain. I've never thought to try an automotive eraser wheel, but it would probably be a good option if you have good access to the surface where the caulk is.
If the molding is installed properly and has good butyl tape under it, do the edges of the molding really need to be caulked? It seems redundant.
I'll throw out a couple more issues. I'm in the midst of repairing delamination. I'm learning a lot of molding/trim, caulk and butyl tape.
In this picture, I had just removed the screw that closed off the end of the vinyl trim. Water came gushing out. Well, not quite gushing, but I was surprised at the amount of water held in by the trim. There is still a drip of water on the downspout, which is almost worthless. For some reason, I thought the vinyl trim insert would keep the water OUT.
In this picture, I've peeled back the vinyl trim insert. As you can see, there has been significant corrosion taking place. The further back I peeled the vinyl trim insert, the cleaner it was with no corrosion about 2' back. The first few screws I removed were rusted badly. The roofline of the trailer is not horizontal. Instead, it slopes down toward the front of the trailer.
In the above photo, notice the caulk line above the molding. It's almost worthless. What you can't see is the caulk line below the molding. It was in almost pristine shape. I have to wonder if the caulk on the bottom of the molding was detrimental because it was holding water in. Drilling a few holes in the bottom of the area where the vinyl trim insert goes might go a long way to keeping the area behind the insert dry.
I use Dicor self leveling lap sealant on horizontal surfaces and Dicor non sag on vertical surfaces. Most of the factories use OSI Quad sealant available at Lowes, Home Depot, etc..
If the molding is installed properly and has good butyl tape under it, do the edges of the molding really need to be caulked? It seems redundant.
I'll throw out a couple more issues. I'm in the midst of repairing delamination. I'm learning a lot of molding/trim, caulk and butyl tape.
In this picture, I had just removed the screw that closed off the end of the vinyl trim. Water came gushing out. Well, not quite gushing, but I was surprised at the amount of water held in by the trim. There is still a drip of water on the downspout, which is almost worthless. For some reason, I thought the vinyl trim insert would keep the water OUT.
In this picture, I've peeled back the vinyl trim insert. As you can see, there has been significant corrosion taking place. The further back I peeled the vinyl trim insert, the cleaner it was with no corrosion about 2' back. The first few screws I removed were rusted badly. The roofline of the trailer is not horizontal. Instead, it slopes down toward the front of the trailer.
In the above photo, notice the caulk line above the molding. It's almost worthless. What you can't see is the caulk line below the molding. It was in almost pristine shape. I have to wonder if the caulk on the bottom of the molding was detrimental because it was holding water in. Drilling a few holes in the bottom of the area where the vinyl trim insert goes might go a long way to keeping the area behind the insert dry.
I've always considered the vinyl trim insert as cosmetic. The real protection comes from the butyl tape underneath. From the pic you might want to remove the trim rail itself and check for roof/wall damage behind it.
All the vinyl trim does is cover up screws, I would remove the gutter and make sure its sealed with putty tape, I would use screws from metal buildings that have the washers on them when reinstalling the trim.
I've always considered the vinyl trim insert as cosmetic. The real protection comes from the butyl tape underneath. From the pic you might want to remove the trim rail itself and check for roof/wall damage behind it.
Originally Posted by rvpuller
All the vinyl trim does is cover up screws, I would remove the gutter and make sure its sealed with putty tape, I would use screws from metal buildings that have the washers on them when reinstalling the trim.
I'm in a time crunch, so removing the entire gutter isn't going to happen. The rest of the wall is OK, it isn't showing delamination. I will be recaulking the gutter. I'm not looking forward to removing the old caulk there. The EPDM roof comes down under the gutter, so I have to be really careful to not put a hole in the EPDM.
I have a big rubber block that is used to clear debris out of sanding belts. I tried it out on the silicone residue tonight. It takes a lot of elbow grease, but it does take stuff off. Well enough that I ordered a $10 eraser wheel. But what really worked was Xylene. It's nasty, stinky stuff, but it cleans up the wall quite well. On stubborn silicone it seems to soften the silicone well enough that it comes off with a straight blade razor (aka paint scraper).
Here are before and after pictures when using the rubber block. I used the rubber block only on the vertical line of caulk located to the left of the hole in the wall. I cleaned it up a but with a quick wipe of a cloth with a bit of Goof Off on it. It looks much better, but it wasn't worth the sweat.
I'm going to revise my assessment of Goof Off Pro Strength. It does help take off the silicone residue. I get a rag good and wet and then use a circular motion on the residue. What doesn't come up with the rag, easily comes up by using a razor blade perpendicular to the surface. As I was using Goof Off I was thinking that I recognized the smell. Sure enough, it contains Acetone and Xylene.
The eraser wheel does a remarkable job on vinyl graphics. Not so great on the silicone residue. I tried to hard with the wheel to get rid of the residue and ended up burning the surface and leaving mark behind.
I had a conversation today with the technician at the RV repair shop that is collocated with yard where I store my trailer. He said they don't caulk under horizontal molding. This reinforces my theory from post #7 that you shouldn't caulk under horizontal molding.
They make plastic razor blades, plenty sharp and dirt cheap at HF when I bought a box. Lot less scary than metal. Just a thought. Not a fan of silicone myself.
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