silicone sealant along entry door and slides

[AustexGP]

Howdy Everyone,

We have a Reflection 311BHS and it's time to replace/repair the silicone that is around the entry door and slide outs. How do you remove the old, clean the area and what do you use to reseal.

Thanks a bunch.

[WhittleBurner]

Elbow grease and a plastic scraper. I use the same type plastic scraper that I use on my cast iron pans. After removal wipe down with denatured alcohol.

Any good quality flexable silicone will work...don't go cheap or it likely will not last long

[dryfly]

Elbow grease and a plastic scraper. I use the same type plastic scraper that I use on my cast iron pans. After removal wipe down with denatured alcohol.

Any good quality flexable silicone will work...don't go cheap or it likely will not last long

I have been using Lexel on non-trailer projects. It's super clear and is supposed to adhere better than other silicone products. Will try on trailer next time it is needed.

[geotex1]

Sikasil-N Plus is very high quality and the easiest tooling silicone you're going to find. Do take all efforts to remove the prior silicone and it's residue. 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover is a great final prep step before applying new.

[Calbar]

Sikasil-N Plus is very high quality and the easiest tooling silicone you're going to find. Do take all efforts to remove the prior silicone and it's residue. 3M General Purpose Adhesive Remover is a great final prep step before applying new.

Thanks for the info on 3M General Purpose Adhesiver Remover. I need to get me some of this to help with the silicone removal which is such a pain in the !@#$%.

Rob

[Farklepilot]

I also have that nasty silicone around all windows from factory. I plan to tackle one window at a time, remove the silicone, thoroughly clean area and carefully mask window frame and body. Apply black SikaFlex 291 and be done with worrying about my window seals. Used this product on boats for years. Harsh salt water environment, much flexing in hull/window frames when in heavy weather. Never ever had to redo... Down side is it's almost impossible to remove.
Can anybody with more experience with RV's tell me why this is a bad idea?

[Heavysledz]

It's just like painting....it is all in the prep work. You will spend 95% of your time removing the old stuff and preparing the surface for the new stuff.

[traveldawg]

I've been using Lexel. It stays clear. I think it's harder to apply than silicone tho. Now that I read about SikaFlex 291 I may grab a tube.

A body shop owner in Red Bay, Alabama (home of Tiffin Motor Homes) showed me a trick for peeling the old silicone off. Take a single sided razor blade, put a bend in it and slide it along the bead of silicone (gently of course) and it peels the silicone off pretty good. I tried it on my full body paint motor home years back and it worked well. I don't think it works so well on plain fiberglass (current rig).

For sure use some adhesive primer for whatever you apply. I going to look for that silicone cleaner someone mentioned.

[rootusrootus]

SikaFlex 291

As I was reading the posts about silicone, I was thinking exactly this. Why not use something like sikaflex? This is the kind of stuff I use on my house for sealing things, I'd never use silicone for that, why would I want it on my RV? Looking forward to hearing someone explain why it would be a bad choice on an RV. Sikaflex is awesome.

[geotex1]

Only thing about 291 is that it's an unreal headache to remove when you need to repair something. Not that I'm a fan of silicone here either, it is cake to remove with plastic razor blades and an adhesive removal wheel. Aside, several RV manufacturers use 219-LM in their production. Every sealant has their pros and cons and you just need to balance those to your personal fit.