In a previous post, I described an experiment with a telescoping lid using an acrylic rubber coating designed for resurfacing EPDM and other roofing materials. Basically, it is like an extremely thick gloss paint (each coat roughly equal to 20? coats or so).
It failed.
The flat lid was constructed of a piece of plywood with 3/4 inch thick (standard 1x thickness) banding to make it "telescoping" and a few coats were applied, leaving a dried thickness of 1/16" or greater.
After exposure to weather for several months, fine cracks in the rubber are apparent, running with the wood grain; allowing water to leach through and grow mold on the interior surface. ... a lot of water ... after the last rain, when I stood the lid up, there was enough water clinging to the inside of the plywood to run off and dribble to the ground.
It's obvious that any hope of getting the stuff to work properly as a roof sealer would require a decoupling membrane of some type or using something other than plywood for the substrate.
(or ... dang it, this isn't an easy solution to this problem ... and yeah, I'm trying to force the pun even though the coating is more of a suspension rather than a solution, but maybe that adds another layer to the pun? ... sorry, I'm easily distracted sometimes).
I'll probably try again after I decide on a cheap material for a membrane, but for now the original vinyl coated aluminum (coil stock)clad plywood cover is back in place, and the bees are doing great.
Just exposing my failure so that others won't try this particular "easy way out"
Edit to add : Sorry if this is in the wrong category. I was torn between the experimentation section versus here as a warning to not do it. I think the original post is buried in another thread somewhere rather than one specifically on the lid.
2nd edit: I mistakenly called it latex at first. It is actually an "elastomeric siliconized acrylic". APOC 243 (white). It does work very well on EPDM, btw. ... IF you pressure wash away the oxidation layer on the roofing. It's not good enough for it to just be clean.
Topic: Lid failure (Read 1047 times)