Replacing Silicone on a RV

[t&y]

So what are the tricks of the trade here. I'm looking at the silicone surrounding the various attachments on the side of the 5th wheel and it's getting dried and cracked and separated from either the side or the object in places.

Couple questions:

Should I scrape off the old before putting on new?

If Yes, what's the best thing to use without damaging the side panels of the RV? I'm thinking plastic putty knife

What is the best way to keep the silicone lines looking clean. I don't want a ton of silicone slapped everywhere. I was considering taping a gap around everything prior to taping but that seems pretty labor intensive. Is there any other way of doing it to keep it clean looking?

Should I go with the RV specific type of silicone or just exterior stuff from Home Depot/Lowes?

 

[tkrrox]

Yes I just did this on mine. I used a plastic putty knife a straight razor blade and lacquer thinner. Obviously taping is going to give you the best finish, but with practice and a well prepped caulk tip, you can get a good bead without much mess.
I personally do t like silicone...I use polyurethane. Sikaflex is a great product and you can get it in different colors. That’s what I used.


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[endobear]

Depends on the old caulk type and its age.
I've used a heat gun and plastic scrapers to remove old caulking. Most left over after scraping with heat will roll right off with a dry terry rag and heat and some elbow grease. Wd40 followed by denatured alcohol to remove what doesn't come all the way off and prep for new.
If you do use silicone you can use a rag soaked with mineral spirits to aid with tooling and clean up.
Whatever you use, look at what the labels calls out for cleanup. Use a bucket of whatever it calls for and rag to tool it.

 

[LazyLavey]

^^^^^

Take your time! careful with harsh solvents!

Dynaflex 230 works well to reseal and cleans up with water while wet

I'm currently doing my windows and using this stuff

check out this vid regarding window reseal where they use Dynaflex 230 (avail at Home Cheapo) to seal the tops

 

[monkeyswrench]

I use Sikaflex. Some Home Depot's keep it in a different section then the other caulking. If you tape a limit line, fade/taper to zero at the tape, and remove tape before it sets. This will keep it from wanting to lift, and keep stringers to a minimum. If you're good with a blade, you can cut and remove the factory boogers before cleaning. Depending on the situation, I usually smooth with a "slick". A slick is a tongue depresser shaped thing, usually made of plastic or thin metal, allowing it to flex when applying pressure. It's more consistent than a finger, and easier to apply the excess to the next area as you go. In a pinch, a plastic knife, with a little scraping on cement, will work as such.