Has anybody here had any experience with the do-it-yourself type bedliner??

 

I am going to be doing some repairs to my bed, and once im done I want to have the bed coated. I dont feel like paying a shop a couple hundred and figure I could do it myself for under a hundred.

 

Just curious how much of a mess I am in for, what sort of prep I need to do and maybe any tips & tricks to applying this stuff.

I did the BRAT with Herculiner, was on sale at Menards for 60 a gallon kit, then it had a 20.00 rebate.

 

I first sprayed it out using some of that simple green cleaner degreaser, then rinsed with the hose. After drying for a long time in the sun, I used scotch brite pad to scuff the surface up, and the two little scratches i cleaned up and sprayed with a etching type rust converter. After the scoth brite, i used a rag with alcohol on it to get any of the sanding grit up. I have not had any peel up in the year plus. My dogs have not appeared to have scratched thru either.

 

Herculiner recommends 2 coats, i think i ended up with about 2.5 coats, basically after 2 coats i was almost out and i re rerolled some of the areas that looks a little thin, or could still see some body color under. Key is to use a power drill with on eof those stirrers at the end, you have to constantly stir the product, as it has pieces of ground up rubber that will sink to the bottom unless you keep stirring it.

duplicolor has a nice DIY bedliner kit out, as far as prep goes you just need to sand the metal to get some grip for the liner to stick to, as far as mess it all depends on you=) its fairly cheap, for a small bed prolly 50 bucks. roll on to apply.

The PO of my BRAT did something similar and I am none too happy with the results. +1 for having a real shop spray on REAL bedliner.

So one gallon did about 2 complete coats??

 

Sweet, im thinking 1.5 gallon for 3 coats should do the trick then?

one gallon, i did not go any higher on the back than the hook handles, did the entire inside of tailgate, and about a foot below the back window and below. I left everything higher as body color cause it was in great shape there.

 

http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp132/bheinen74/?action=view&current=IMGA3764.jpg

 

http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp132/bheinen74/?action=view&current=IMGA3759.jpg

Edited February 3, 200917 yr by bheinen74

As I'm sure you know, it's all preparation! As long as you clean and sand/rough up the surface and clean again, it should last forever! I've wanted to do something with mine as well, just haven't gotten around to it

I have used herculiner with great results. Did a truck interior and my Wagons roof and hood with the stuff. Good prep and will last forever

Work fast as it dries quickly, use gloves or you will become a sponsor for it for at least 2 weeks.

after a few years it is mostly worn off and looks like crap

also fades terribly

 

 

rhinoline it and be done http://rhinoliningsindustrial.com/products/chemicals/hardline?/22/32

subiemech, did you do the work yourself?? And what kind of prep. did you perform prior to applying it.

 

I saw the duplicolor stuff used on Extreme 4x4 this weekend, and the final product looked pretty good. They did not go into high detail on the prep & applying the product, but im sure if they backed it up then it couldnt be crap.

 

This was also a $40,000 project they were working on, so they didn't use the do-it-yourself job to save money.

after a few years it is mostly worn off and looks like crap

also fades terribly

 

 

rhinoline it and be done http://rhinoliningsindustrial.com/products/chemicals/hardline?/22/32

 

You could probably Herculine your car 10 times over and stil; have it be cheaper than Rhino lol:banana:

not really.... my short box pickup was $275 for rhino, and that was bed rails as well.

Well close to 5 times over then lol

i cleaned up and sprayed with a etching type rust converter.

 

I have done a few DIY bed liner applications, both interior and exterior with good results. I think one of the keys to longevity is the etching type rust converter or self-etching primer. I have always done a good self-etching primer coat (2-3) before spraying the bedliner. I have also always used the spray can version which I'm sure costs a bit more.

 

Rhinoline is of course going to be more durable, but more $. Definitely wear a respirator with some fresh cartridges because the self-etching primer and bedliner both have some hard core stuff in them.

Herculiner definitely doesn't go on as thick as the professionally sprayed ones (Rhino and others). You'd have to do many, many coats to get it that thick.

Andy

Rustoleum roadwarrior would be a good in-between. The herculiner is just a urethane base, but the r/o is a 2-part rubberized epoxy. My work sells it for around $130.

Granted but still and maybe off topic for DIY but Line X is the best I've come across being a Valet attendant dealing with ranchers trucks. No stains or nothing (I asked off record) on what looked like "sprayed yesterday but not" or not and yes, rhino is good but still stains but I would personally go Line X. Check out Discoverychannel.com(?)

i have a couple friends that did their tacomas at the same time. one did his bed in line-x, the other used a diy (i can't remember which but he sandblasted then primed it so i know his prep was legit). the line-x truck is still beautifull almost 2 years later. the diy job was coming off in chunks after a year and has been line-x'ed since then.

 

they had their line-x done in manteca, was a real good price and worth the drive from merced.

go professional , if you're going to do it at all.

 

rhino looks awesome, seen it... and it lasts...

 

 

If i had a GL-10 BRAT i wouldn't play around wit options

 

think about your old roof rack, i sanded it off, it sucked

Yeah but my old roof rack i did a pretty half assed job on. I used primer and only one coat of bed liner, and i brushed it on instead of rolling it on.

 

But I think with my day off tomorrow Im going to visit the local Line-X dealer and get a quote.

http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp132/bheinen74/?action=view&current=IMGA3759.jpg

 

i think it turned out pretty decent and 40 bucks. after over a year, no pealing cracking flaking etc. it stayed put. its rubbery, but durable. The big dogs have not scratched thru and they jump in. I don't think the Price can be matched.

Edited February 4, 200917 yr by bheinen74

Another concern of mine is the California summers. Im not sure how well my do-it-yourself job will hold up to 100+ temp's.

Another concern of mine is the California summers. Im not sure how well my do-it-yourself job will hold up to 100+ temp's.

 

Just fine lol I live in Puerto Ricoooo so my hood and roof get pretty hot

if it rains on my herculiner, it turns it a grayish...when it dries goes back to black.

I used Rustoleum Road Warrior as mentioned earlier in this thread on a 2000 F150 I bought new. I sanded the bed with 180 sandpaper, blew out with my gas air blower, wiped it down with some enamel reducer I borrowed from my brother's body shop. I sold the truck in 2006 and the bedliner had been in 5.5 years and still looked good. No chunks, no peeling only slightly fadded. One kit did 2 complete coats in a fullsize shortbed. It is a two part epoxy base. I was highly satisfied with how it held up and would not pay for anyone else to do mine after achieving those results. I took my time and spent all day doing the job making sure to rough up in the tightest of corners. I am getting ready to redo my Brat and that is what I will use. I installed the duplicolor bedline about 11-12 years ago in the Brat and it didnot hold up very well. The Brat does have a less than ideal surface compared to a new truck so that probably is not a fair comparison but I feel the Road Warrior is a better quality product.