I’m getting ready to start on my roof and roof rails. For those that have done this, what was your method of removing and cleaning old sealant? I read a heat gun and a plastic scrapper and maybe final clean up with acetone.
Roof sealant removal
- Thread starter Billygoat
- Start date
We are about to tackle this as well. I have what looks to be metal foil tape with silicon as a topper on the front and rear cap seams. Im using plastic scrapper and decal residue removal wheel and probably a lot of elbow grease. I hate that I cant find a decent color match for my green GMC.
I haven't done this (yet), but my wife refinishes old furniture and I am tasked with fixing them. To remove old glue from mostly hardwood chair legs and spindles, I use a wire wheel. I have a 6" one on my bench grinder and also a variety of sizes I can use on my drill for freehand work.
A lot of what I remove has had gobs of various glues added over the years. The wire wheel removes it effortlessly with virtually no damage to the hardwood.
I have used the wire wheel on aluminum to remove paint etc, so be aware it will remove the paint along with sealant. Removal of paint may or may not be an issue on the roof.
One trick is to move the wire wheel towards the uncleaned area with the wheel turning towards the uncleaned area.. This will push the removed material towards the uncleaned area and leave the area behind clean of sealant and debris. Depending on the sealant, it may crumble and fly away, or it may heat up into some soft balls of material. You may wish to hold the wheel on an angle to throw the debris off to the side.
Let me know if this works for you.
A lot of what I remove has had gobs of various glues added over the years. The wire wheel removes it effortlessly with virtually no damage to the hardwood.
I have used the wire wheel on aluminum to remove paint etc, so be aware it will remove the paint along with sealant. Removal of paint may or may not be an issue on the roof.
One trick is to move the wire wheel towards the uncleaned area with the wheel turning towards the uncleaned area.. This will push the removed material towards the uncleaned area and leave the area behind clean of sealant and debris. Depending on the sealant, it may crumble and fly away, or it may heat up into some soft balls of material. You may wish to hold the wheel on an angle to throw the debris off to the side.
Let me know if this works for you.
When you mention wire wheel, what kind of wire wheel? Just want to make sure I get the right wheel so I don’t damage the aluminum. Is it a brass wire wheel?
Also bought a roof only cover online so I can cover the roof when I start stripping it down. Currently I’m storing it outside with no cover.
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It's just a run of the Mill spring steel wire wheel. I buy them at the surplus store since name brand ones don't last any longer (I'm talking about the smaller ones you chuck in a drill). They look like brass (colour) but they are spring steel.
Like these
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If the sealant isn't cooked hard and brittle, I would take a 4" and a 2" putty knife along with a paint scraper and heat gun, and (depending on the type of adhesive) a can of methyl hydrate, lacquer thinner or acetone. A bunch of rags too.
First warm the tape/sealant material (if you are working in sun you may not need the heat gun at this stage) then test which solvent works best at softening the adhesive.
Put some solvent in a small polyethylene ice cream bucket or similar and wet the blade of the narrower putty knife. Start working the blade under the sealant and push to create an opening. Keep wetting the blade and keep it clean of residue. Slowly widen the open area adding solvent into the contact area and lifting off the old material. After bulk of sealant is removed, wipe the residual with solvent and use the paint scraper to clean it all off.
Tips:
Mask up and wear gloves if using strong solvents
Put solvent in wide base container and/or tape it to the roof. Easy to spill
Wear knee pads or use kneeling pad
Keep tools in cloth bag, easy to have them slide off roof otherwise
Apply sunscreen, wear a hat.
Drink plenty of water
First warm the tape/sealant material (if you are working in sun you may not need the heat gun at this stage) then test which solvent works best at softening the adhesive.
Put some solvent in a small polyethylene ice cream bucket or similar and wet the blade of the narrower putty knife. Start working the blade under the sealant and push to create an opening. Keep wetting the blade and keep it clean of residue. Slowly widen the open area adding solvent into the contact area and lifting off the old material. After bulk of sealant is removed, wipe the residual with solvent and use the paint scraper to clean it all off.
Tips:
Mask up and wear gloves if using strong solvents
Put solvent in wide base container and/or tape it to the roof. Easy to spill
Wear knee pads or use kneeling pad
Keep tools in cloth bag, easy to have them slide off roof otherwise
Apply sunscreen, wear a hat.
Drink plenty of water
It of course depends on what sealant(s) are up there. If there's 3M 5200 or 4200, which is highly unlikely, you can use a wheel like Bruce said, but the sealant is softer than the aluminum and both brass and steel wire wheels are not. They'll damage the aluminum if you're not very careful.
A heat gun and plastic scraper is a good place to start. That'll take off most off it if it's the typical Dicor (highly likely) self-leveling or non-sag sealant. Judicious and sparing wiping with acetone will take care of the final cleanup.
If you chew through the paint and expose bare aluminum it'll have to be touched up with self-etching primer then painted before the new Sealant can go on. In other words - don't do that!
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So, your saying try not to get to metal through the paint when scraping. Will try my best. Thank guys for all the good info. Will have more questions for sure.
Bruce, do you also use flap wheels and nylon wheels? Many different grits available - choosing the right one makes the removal efficient with very minimal damage to the substrate.
I'd still start with the heat gun and plastic scrapers as most of it will probably come off fairly easily.
The question also arises if all of the sealant necessarily has to be removed. Dicor will stick to pretty much anything except silicone caulk, so removing the failed sections and cleaning up the rest of it the sealant is usually all that's necessary before applying more.
Photos would help with that determination.
This is one of my favorite tools, use them frequently, they can easily be resharpened or reshaped, surprisingly durable and they're cheap.
