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Bus Kote

Yahoo Message Number: 65311
We are thinking or having our roof done with Bus Kote. I know others have done this and would like to hear your thoughts.

Did you apply it yourself?

Did you apply the clear top coat?

If applied by a shop, who and what was the labor charge?

Are you happy with the result?

Thanks,

Jim 07 Allure #31570

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 65313
Hi Jim,

There was a thread on Bus Kote early this summer.

If you search the Yahoo site I am sure someone will pop up.
I think David Tuttle had it done..... love to hear what his experience was.

Supposed to be a very nice product.

Russ

05 Intrigue
11883

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 65315
Yes I've seen his posts. Just had a friend report his experience and it was very positive. They did the application themselves and rhe results are very great.

Jim 07 Allure #31570

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 65354

Stan

With one coat on the shower dome does it allow any light through? Or is it totally dark?

Dave

aka Billy Byte (trusty hound)
2000 Allure #30443

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 65357
I had it applied by Coach Worx in Clearwater, FL in September.
They did a 5 step process: power wash, primer, bus kote 1, bus kote 2, sealer. All the materials used were what bus kote recommended. The cost, including materials was about $1,100. I say about because I also had them repaint and clearcoat the roof radius to get rid of what I call CC roof rash - that was the expensive part - about $3,000.

Don't know if I'm happy since we have not had it out since in hot weather. It sure stopped the white streaks though!

Les

00 Magna, 40 ft

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 65370
Dave,

The one coat on the shower dome allows some light but not the heat, for us it is perfect. You will be amazed at the drop in temperature on hot days.

Stan Inspire 2005 51406

Bus Kote

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69263
A friend and I have purchased Bus Kote for each of our coaches. Before I start applying it I have a few questions for those of you that have experience using this product.

1) We purchased primer. In the instructions that came with the product, it was recommended that a smooth surface be "sanded" to rough it up a little prior to the application of the primer. Is the sanding necessary? I'm very hesitant to do any sanding on the roof of my coach.

2) The instructions say the Bus Kote may be "rolled" on. Will the Bus Kote "flow" on smoothly or will it have a rolled appearance. We plan on putting 2 coats on.

3) Finally, it is our intention to complete the process with two coats of sealer. If applied with a roller, will the sealer dry smooth--and can you walk on it without slipping after it has dried?

I would greatly appreciate any "tips" or suggestions anyone may have prior to starting this project.

Thank-you,

Fred Compton

02 Intrigue # 11407

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69269

Fred:

My experience with it is as follows:
Although I paid a guy to do most of the work (DW orders) I was involved in how the work was done. Having a clean surface is important. The instructions I got mandated a pressure wash optionally with a mold removing solution - readily available in FL as mold is a big problem. Same stuff used to pressure wash houses - doesn't harm anaything including plants - Home Depot usually has it.
My roof surface was already somewhat coarse from sunlight damage to the gel coat. If your gel coat is still new glossy you might want to consider roughing it up a bit to ensure adherence. Not a lot. The important part of the Bus-Kote is the micro ceramic added to the paint. From what I read and have been told there is nothing unusual about the paint part so treat it like any other paint, they add their materials to someone elses paint. If they say it needs a roughed up surface I would guess they think it is necessary. If you store your coach inside it might need it, I believe an outside coach would be weathered just about right, other than clean and the other requirements such as caulking and leak fixing, no other prep. No special chemical wipes (like acetone). Clean is the word.
I used base/primer, Bus-Kote and Flexi-Clear. The full treatment does not dry slippery glossy. It looks shiny but slightly rough. Excellent surface for walking as far as I am concerned. We used roller and brush where the roller wouldn't fit. I can't see any difference between the two - except where I know I used a brush, I can't tell it from the rolled part.
I would avoid heavy applications as this has always led to trouble for anything else like this I have done. The materials are selected to work in accordance with the instructions. In paticular there were some time frames mentioned - I don't remember them exactly. But it said something like a second coat could be applied between 60 minutes and 6 hours after the first or 48 hours after. I am almost certain that isn't exact but not following the timing will probably mess with the curing process and reduce the life span of the application.
I love it. No more white streaks running off the roof. It looks good and, so far, is weathering well - looks as good as when it was applied well over a year ago. As I have coated RV roofs many times, the previous products started to look sick within a few months. This appears to be much more durable and most importantly attractive - to me anyway.

Good luck.

Bob (rthandren@...)
'05 Inspire 51178

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69278
Bob,

I was wondering if you did notice a reduced temperature in the coach on hot days. We are looking at applying the product more for the reduction in heat than the streaks but that's a nice side effect. We will be putting it on ourselves. I will be testing my painting skills. Thanks for the info.
Safe Travels,
Kathy

'06 Inspire #51782

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69280
Bob,

Thank-you for your comments/suggestions. I'll follow your advice.

Fred Compton

02 Intrigue # 11407

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69297

Hi Kathy:

Being a scientist there is no way I can think of to prove a temperature change for Bus Kote on our coach. There are too many variables including I don't have a baseline measurement to compare. Some owners have posted numbers for temperature drops. I don't know the details of how they were determined but it is possible. I think I "feel" an improvement, I like the product very much. I didn't buy/install it for the insulating properties but any that it provides is a bonus to me.

The company that makes the Bus Kote I used (Hy-Tech, there are apparently two companies making a similar or even identical product) posted a study they did on a test house - I'll look but I don't think I saved the link or the document. They did show an insulating property for the materials used in the product. But those applications were to walls as well as the roof so it doesn't directly transfer to our coaches - unless of course you want to try applying it there too.
My SWA guess would be there is some drop in temperature using Bus Kote. It is quite reflective and hollow micro insulating materials such as those used in it have been shown to be very effective. It is not an unfounded claim that this coating was developed from NASA work/projects.
I doubt very much you should consider disconnecting the A/C or heat though. ;-)

Bob (rthandren@...)
'05 Inspire 51178

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69360
Bob,

Thanks for the info. We are looking for the protection issue as well as better insulating properties. We were told we could bypass the primer but I think we will include that step now. We were looking at the HY-TECH product as well. When we are in Red Bluff in July @ 105 degrees we welcome all reductions in roof temperatures. We are going to do the shower skylight as well. This project is after the LED lights and new satellite and Tv's. Now we just need to win the Megamillions..... Thanks again.
Safe Travels,
Kathy

'06 Inspire #51782

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69372
If I chose to use Eternabond around my vents and skylight etc...can I paint over the edges of the tape with the Bus Kote ??.....just curious

Michelle

05 Allure 470 #31199

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 69374
ygrps-yiv-873810581 v0003a* {} We used Bus-Kote over eternabond last month...bonded beautifully, looks great. Time will tell but for now we are happy with the results. By the way, the inside temperatures without air conditioning (we are in the Phoenix area) are much lower than our neighbors.

Jack and Sue 51672
2006 Inspire 350

Bus Kote

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 70975
My 1995 Intrigue has white lines coming off the roof after any kind of moisture in the air. Am thinking about having a painter friend apply bus kote. Is this available in your local paint stores or do you have to buy it on line? What is up there now? Is there any reason not to try bus kote? also how important is it to remove all A/C and vents? Seems you are asking for trouble with leaks. Thanks for any feed back.
CC#10137

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 70976
I don't know about a "local" source, I orderded it from: http://www.hytechsales.com/prod2150.html and had it shipped to Carrier & Son's in Eugene.
Removing the vent & AC "covers" is no big deal and should not create any leaks.
The white streaks are oxidized gelcoat and if sealed under the Bus-Kote base should stop.

We're very pleased with what we've seen so far.

Jim

07 Allure #31570

Re: Bus Kote

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 71004
ygrps-yiv-584686795 v0003a* {} Dixie...I did not remove any vents or air conditioning covers...I used a brush to get in all the areas that I couldn't do with a roller...easy as can be. I bought it from the manufacturer - My contact in Florida was Ed Shedlock (941-753-7500). He will answer any questions you have and mail the product to you. You can't buy it in your local stores. Good luck...one piece of advice...be sure you wait at least two days between the base primer coat and the first coat of bus kote. I waited just one day and it wasn't quite dry enough and my shoe caused tears in a few places, which I had to repair. I love the results...cooler, quieter, no white streaks and I don't have to clean off those pesky little black spots anymore. Do it!! Sue 51672
2006 Inspire

Bus Kote

Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 71813
After reading and agonizing for a year over whether to put Bus Kote on the roof or not, I finally decided to do it. Having just completed the job and using the coach a couple of times in this wonderful hot Texas sun, I can say that I am very glad that I did it. At a family reunion this past weekend with the coach sitting in full sun (not even a trace of shade) and with numerous folks passing into and out of the coach all day (we were the closest bathroom ? `nuff said), it never got over 78 deg inside the coach even though the outside temp hit 105 deg ? absolutely the best it has ever done. One other comment: after applying the Bus Kote, if you go on the roof in the bright sun, you better wear sunglasses because the reflection off the roof is intense.
Rather than waste the time of folks that may not want to know what I went through to apply the coating, I have uploaded a file (Bus Kote Application) to the files section. If you have any questions after looking at the file, feel free to contact me.

John and Lollipop (a 2.5 pound fuzzy person) '06 Inspire DaVinci #51905