When Ryan and Melissa Torres bought their 2014 Forest River Georgetown Class A in 2021, they thought they were getting a deal. The previous owner had kept it in excellent cosmetic condition — clean carpets, new upholstery, fresh paint. What they couldn’t see was what was happening on the roof.
The Discovery
“We went full-time the summer we bought it,” Melissa recalls. “By September, we noticed a soft spot in the overhead cabinetry near the bedroom. We thought it was just how the cabinet was built.” By November, when they were parked in Florida for the winter, it was undeniable. A significant leak was flowing from the roof into the wall cavity above their bed during rain.
Ryan climbed on the roof and immediately saw the problem. The entire rear seam — a full 36 inches — had separated. The sealant was cracked and peeling, and what appeared to be a 3-inch section had completely pulled away from the roof membrane. “There was no way this was new damage,” he says. “The previous owner definitely knew.”
The Wrong Repair
Their first attempt was DIY. Following advice from an online forum, Ryan applied lap sealant along the entire seam and called it done. It held for about six weeks before the next rain exposed three new small leaks along the same seam line. “That’s when I realized I was playing whack-a-mole,” he says. This is exactly the scenario our article on DIY vs. professional RV roof repair warns about — DIY patch repairs that address symptoms while the underlying substrate failure continues.
Finding the Right Solution
A friend in their RV park recommended they contact an RV Roof Protection certified applicator. Through our applicator directory, they connected with Marco Reyes in central Florida, who came out for a free assessment within two days.
Marco’s evaluation was sobering: the entire rear third of the roof membrane had begun delaminating from the substrate. The DIY sealant had masked the visible seam but hadn’t addressed the underlying bond failure. “He explained that we had maybe one more summer before we’d need a full roof replacement,” Melissa says. “Or we could coat it now and stop the problem in its tracks.”
The Polyurea Solution
Marco’s team spent a full day on the repair. They delaminated and removed the compromised section of EPDM membrane, applied a fiberglass-reinforced filler to the substrate, and then applied a full polyurea coating to the entire roof surface. Total cost: $2,400 — compared to the $6,800–$8,200 estimate they’d received for a full rubber roof replacement.
The job was completed in mid-December 2021. As of today, the Torres family has driven over 47,000 miles, parked through three hurricane seasons in Florida, and experienced zero leaks. “Not a single drop,” Ryan emphasizes. Learn more about how polyurea creates this kind of lifetime seal.
What They Wish They’d Known Earlier
When asked what advice they’d give new RV buyers, Melissa doesn’t hesitate: “Get on that roof before you sign anything. Know what you’re looking for.” Ryan adds: “And if there’s any doubt, get it coated. The cost of a polyurea coating is a fraction of what water damage costs. We learned that the expensive way.”
Their story is why we created the comprehensive leak detection guide — so no one else has to discover a failing roof the way they did.
Inspired by Ryan and Melissa’s story? Request a free quote and find out what it would cost to protect your rig for life. Or join our community to connect with members who’ve been through exactly what you’re facing.