How To Take Old Silicone Off Roofs

Scrape until the majority of the sealant is gone.

How to take old silicone off roofs.

Its an easy job that you can do at home. If this happened in an area of high visibility and the roof is more than a few years old and matching the shingles isn t perfect have the person doing the repair take a few shingles off the roof from an inconspicuous area. Set the hot air gun to a high heat setting and point the nozzle at the trouble area. Get a roofer or someone who knows how to pull off a few shingles and replace them.

Ponding doesn t matter when it comes to silicone roof coatings. Apply a bead of silicone. Clean the old sealant if need be. They make a silicon caulk remover to loosen it up true value hardware store carries it as i am sure most home stores do.

To release the silicone from its tube you ll need to cut the end of the nozzle with a sharp knife. This means exposed roofing substrates that are no longer waterproof or moisture proof. Apply heat with a hot air gun if the silicone does not come off easily with the razor. Some silicone tubes may also require you to remove the nozzle and cut off the top part of the tube as well.

Then you should be able to seal right over the old one without any problem. If the sealant and the roof are clean you should be able to apply a new one easily. On the other hand a caked and hard to remove old sealant means that you can just leave it be. Scrape away as much of the old caulk as you can with a sharp razor blade.

Step 2 wet the area thoroughly and scrub with a nylon dish scrubber or medium bristle brush. If you wish to apply a thick silicone bead cut further up the nozzle to create a wider hole. Push the razor away from you being careful not to scratch into the finish on the metal. After a few moments test the area with the scraper to see if it has softened enough for you to continue.

Over time silicone tends to retract from roofing edges and contract into a curl. I use plastic scraper and round plastic kitchen scrubbies work good too preventing a lot of scratches to the finish.