Rubber roof Fleetwood
The EDPM or rubber is still by far the most used roofing material for the RV industry. There are many reasons. It weighs less, is more durable, costs less, and is easier to install, than most other choices. Metal roofing is nearly gone for many reasons. It costs more, has more problems, requires more maintenance and it does not work well with the modern arched roof of RVs. It is also noisy and difficult to repair. And aluminum has become very expensive.
Fiberglass is an alternitive that is used on some RVs and it is probably the next most popular material. It is less often damaged by low tree limbs, but it is much more easily damaged by hail. The maintence is slightly less than EDPM, but repair and replacement is far more expensive and it weighs several times as much. And it isn't quite what many buyers think they get. On all except the highest priced motorhomes, the fiberglass used is about 1/8" thick and is glued over a plywood deck, just as EDPM is. It is much more prone to problems like edges coming loose and such. My RV tech friends all prefer EDPM to the more common fiberglass. The highest priced motorhomes do use a one piece fiberglass roof that is built much like the end caps on most motorhomes. But those roofs weigh far too much and are too expensive to be used on the low to mid priced motorhomes.
Probably the best choice for a new motorhome today is what is called "Beite Tec" and is sold by Dicor, who also makes most, if not all, of the EDPM roofing. This "Brite Tec" has all of the advantages of EDPM and few of the problems. It does not chalk like EDPM, nor does it damage as easily. Weight is about the same but the cost is significantly more. If I were to buy a new RV today, "Brite Tec" is what I would insist upon for a roof.
As to care of the EDPM roofs, there are conditioners that do slow the rate of chalking and somewhat help the streaking problem. But the chalking comes off in a more white to gray steak, while the black that is often blamed on it is from the windows and other seams that use the butyl caluk.
