Do it yourself bedliners and tough exterior finishes

I have read the mostly poor results that have been posted with the varing brands. I have personally seen some pretty good herculiner installations, but I do not really like the texture of the finish.

I bought a spray product made by duplicolor to test. It had a nice slick rubber looking finish, kind of like rhino liner but without the stippling. Unfortunately after a week I can still dig out pieces with my thumb nail so I guess using it is out unless one of you has had a better experience with it.

I also would like some input on the durabak smooth paint. From their website it appears to have a glossy finish. I do a lot of driving on ranch roads and in pastures and would like something that is resistant to be scratched by mesquite thorns but I do not want something that can not be removed like rhino liner. I would like it to look glossy but it doesn't have to be show quality. Has any one used industrial enamels?

The durabak (smooth) is pretty good stuff. If you roll it on, take your time to avoid bubbles in the finish. If you spray it on, you have to take your time as it's slower than hell to paint. It's also very thin, you will get very little build up of material. I personally would look into either vortex or platinum coatings. They have a better smoother finish than most of the other commercial brands. Plus, they're portable and can come to you. The hard part is finding a local dealer/installer. But it will be as permanent as rhino...in fact, if done right, so is the durabak.

I can tell you, it is all about the prep work to make it stick!

5 hours to prep.
30 minutes to spray.
And 1 1/2 hours to clean up.

I sprayed mine myself with the duplicolor from Walmart 4 years ago and it still looks good and still stuck. Even where I did not get a heavy enough coat, it's still stuck.

Kirk

I used the Duplicolor on my interior. I rolled on most of it, but I also used the aerosol in spots. prep prep prep is what it's all about. 2 years later and it's still good. it takes a beating well.
FYI, it doesn't stick to galvanized no matter what you do.

but,
there's no insulation properties in it, it's slickery when it's wet, and it's very inflexible.

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation.

Any surface coating will work if you prepare correctly. The more time you spend onthe preparation the better the outcome. Kirkallen143's numbers are a good example.

POR-15's hardnose paints are harder than diamonds and very durable. I think they have UV protectant in them to prevent fading. Make sure you get something with UV protectant for exterior surfaces.