Removing Old Rubber Roof

This is for the nitty gritty work in which small bits of tar and gravel have stuck to the roofing membrane.

Removing old rubber roof.

Clean the old sealant if need be. Apply the rubber cleaning solvent to the entire roof. Step 1 check the weather. Tar and gravel roofs have a layer of roofing felt between the tar and the substrate so removing it with a flat bladed shovel or scraper is usually straightforward though often backbreaking.

Weston installing a rubber roof over gravel roof. Don t worry however rubber roofing is the easiest to remove and doesn t require a professional. This step went pretty quickly. The heated putty knife should cut through the caulk with ease.

A torch and a putty knife one way to remove old sealant is to take a hand held butane torch and heat up your putty knife. Aim your shots with the roofing spudder and be sure to keep the blade away from your feet shins knees thighs and free hand. I cut lines with a utility knife around fixtures. If staples were used you will have to be able to remove them as well.

Allow the solvent to dry for a minimum of 10 minutes. Step 1 clean the existing rubber using the broom remove all loose debris that may be lying on the roof. Peeling up old rv rubber roof in sections. Spray it on a clean rag and then wipe it over the old sealant to remove any remaining caulk left behind by your scraper.

All rubber roofing removed from camper. On the other hand a caked and hard to remove old sealant means that you can just leave it be. If your rubber roof was nailed down you will need to have a hammer available to remove nails. Use a roofing spudder or pry bar when the tear off shovel or cutter do not work.

There was an adhesive under the bottom layer of rubber that was still pretty well stuck in many places but with a good bit of force it peeled up cleanly.