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06-04-2018, 03:36 PM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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To sand or not to sand - pre TropiCool?
just started a skoolie build on a 97 international and trying to determine a few things in regard to sealing the roof.
1. Should i sand the top of the bus before applying?
2. Not sure if the bus leaks, but the floor had a lot of surface rust. Should I do something on the seams on top to seal them first, or with the TCool handle that?
3. I plan to eventually swap out emergencies with skylights, is there much difference between doing that now vs waiting on it, not completely sure what skylights i want, might DIY?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
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06-04-2018, 04:43 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
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Sanding gives the finish a "tooth" for the new paint to grab onto, so yes, you should sand before painting.
Are you insulting the ceiling? If so and the ceiling has been removed, spray water over the bus to find leaks and use a good sealer to seal, don't rely on paint to seal them. If you are building a skoolie it is important to start with a solid foundation, which means removing the existing wood subfloor and inspecting and repairing any rust and sealing the floor before progressing.
Once the hatch is removed you can seal and pop rivet a piece of Lexan (polycarbonate, NOT plexi) over the hole, simple skylight. I plan on doing that and then adding a vent/fan in the middle of it.
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06-04-2018, 05:16 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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Thanks,
Just asking because some of the videos I seen, seemed like people were sanding the sides of the bus when applying regular paint, but not sanding roof when they were applying the silicon paint.
I have removed the ply, ground surface rust, and treated the floor with corroseal, and am in the process of removing the ceiling and walls. Also plan to pain the floor and in the next couple of days and seal the holes with pennies/polyurethane adhesive.
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06-05-2018, 07:44 AM
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#4
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 171
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 40' Saf-T-Liner MVP ER
Engine: CAT 3126 7.2L
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I sanded the entire roof with a pole sander attachment
Then I seam sealed every rivet, seam and bolt with self leveling stuff
Then I painted the roof
Haven’t finished yet but I am going to apply several coats on the roof
After the sealing and first roof coating I got zero leaks following several rounds of severe rain storms (3-4” in a partial day) and so we spray foam insulated the roof
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06-05-2018, 08:00 AM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
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Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc
...Are you insulting the ceiling?...
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I've always been very nice to my ceiling.
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06-05-2018, 10:32 AM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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Thanks, Gulley, think i will do the same. What self leveling sealant did you use?
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06-05-2018, 10:36 AM
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#7
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 171
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 40' Saf-T-Liner MVP ER
Engine: CAT 3126 7.2L
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To sand or not to sand - pre TropiCool?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
Thanks, Gulley, think i will do the same. What self leveling sealant did you use?
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Https://amzn.to/2xHyKAD
I used 3-4 tubes on the whole bus
That link is for 4 tubes
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06-05-2018, 11:04 AM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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Thanks for the link! I was looking at that brand but the cost i saw was like 13 per tube. This is a much better deal
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06-06-2018, 03:41 PM
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#9
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Skoolie
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: League City, Texas
Posts: 221
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
Thanks for the link! I was looking at that brand but the cost i saw was like 13 per tube. This is a much better deal
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You bet Dicor is spendy, but nowhere near as much as the results of a leak!
I can point you to at least 3 Class C RVs, 2 or 3 Travel trailers, and one skoolie that are utterly destroyed because of leaks...
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06-06-2018, 03:42 PM
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#10
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,830
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbhost
You bet Dicor is spendy, but nowhere near as much as the results of a leak!
I can point you to at least 3 Class C RVs, 2 or 3 Travel trailers, and one skoolie that are utterly destroyed because of leaks...
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I use dicor for the roof vents and seam sealer for the seams.
Dicor is awesome stuff.
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06-07-2018, 09:48 AM
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#11
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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I used Tropicool and gave up sanding the roof about 1/4 of the way through it. I power-washed the roof instead and called it a day. I see no difference between the areas I sanded and the areas I did not....
I find it odd to "seal" stuff on the roof before applying Tropicool. Tropicool is silicone, and given enough coats will seal the roof itself. I did one coat, then was interrupted by weather all the way into the winter... the one coat itself covers all the seams, screws and rivets, but I can still see some of the original color coming through.
I had leaks, but those were in the windows. Post removing the windows, its bone dry in the entire bus.
I'm going to power wash the roof again and then do three more coats.
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06-07-2018, 10:27 AM
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#12
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Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Upstate, SC
Posts: 164
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DTA360
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We sanded the roof two days ago, tsp washed it, then rolled on the tropicool yesterday. All went well.
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05-30-2020, 02:20 PM
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#13
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New Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 4
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Could you give an update on your Tropi-Cool Ŕoof coating now that it’s almost 2 years later, please?
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05-30-2020, 02:20 PM
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#14
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New Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kazetsukai
I used Tropicool and gave up sanding the roof about 1/4 of the way through it. I power-washed the roof instead and called it a day. I see no difference between the areas I sanded and the areas I did not....
I find it odd to "seal" stuff on the roof before applying Tropicool. Tropicool is silicone, and given enough coats will seal the roof itself. I did one coat, then was interrupted by weather all the way into the winter... the one coat itself covers all the seams, screws and rivets, but I can still see some of the original color coming through.
I had leaks, but those were in the windows. Post removing the windows, its bone dry in the entire bus.
I'm going to power wash the roof again and then do three more coats.
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Could you give an update on your Tropi-Cool Ŕoof coating now that it’s almost 2 years later, please?
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05-30-2020, 03:14 PM
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#15
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Athens, TN
Posts: 1,573
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International RE
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie’nMick
Could you give an update on your Tropi-Cool Ŕoof coating now that it’s almost 2 years later, please?
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It doesn't look pretty, as it is rubber and some bits get into it over time. Its still white, so it hasn't yellowed on me or anything. I'd probably add another coat some time down the road to fill in the areas that have been scratched but that's about it.
The whole bus being white has helped with keeping it cool, prior to this stuff it was an oven in here and the roof metal was too hot to touch on the inside. After, its cool to the touch.
Its not magic, but it is a good product IMO.
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