Best DO-IT-YOURSELF Bed Liner

[helo-mech]

Alright. I have stripped the tub and prepped the area. Getting ready to POR-15 and coat with bed liner. I have seen different ones mentioned and of course there are Pros and Cons of each. You can find websights that claim each is the best and each is the worst so........I thought I would go to the source.


For those of you that have the interior of your tub coated....what did you use and how do you like it?

Link to project pictures........go to the last 2 pages to see where I am at now.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/559261515RMnyAc?vhost=rides

 

[mp]

I have heard you want to lay on your bedliner product on top of TACKY POR-15 in order for it to prperly stick.

I had my truck Line-X'd and they were not happy having to scuff hardened POR-15 that i had used on some rusty areas.

 

[NicksTrix]

looks like you are almost there. if it where me i'd dust a coat of etch primer over all the bare metal then use a nice 2 part seam sealer over all crucial seams and shoot it with SEM.
the primer only needs to be a thin coat.

here's one of the builds i've got going on now. i sprayed the complete underside as well.

there are numerous brands out there and they are all pretty much based on the same thing. your spraying technique will dictate the texture.

 

[Sbolt19]

My personal experience is with Herculiner. I have rolled it and sprayed it. Spraying it has a much more uniform look and texture, but won't be as thick with 1 application as a roll on will. It also isn't as rough if you spray it in. I did my tub 7 years ago and the only problem I have is that it is wearing off under the pedals from my heel constantly moving. I like it, but it is still somewhat rough, you definatly don't want to drag your knuckles across it. 1 gallon of herculiner & 1 gallon of Xylene (used to cut it if you are going to spray) got me the entire tub with 2 coats & the engine compartment & under the hood with 1 coat.

 

[fireman1749]

i just ordered this.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...RK:MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=200124472518&rd=1,1

 

[MattMoe]

let us know how it turns out fireman

 

[coachbarnes]

Nick turned me on to this stuff on Ebay -- I used it on my trailer and it turned out terrific, so I highly recommend it. It comes in different colors, and has stood up well for about a year now. HERE's THE LINK:Spray In Liner

Here's a couple of pics of the trailer;

 

[FerrumCampitor]

Scott, I like the looks of that. It doesn't look very rough. How's the texture?

Helo, I just used Herculiner on mine back in April. I really like the way it turned out. I rolled it in and used a brush for the corners and hard to reach places. I did one good coat, and then went back to hit a couple of spots again that needed some touch up. I really didn't care about a perfect job, but it came out way better than I tried for and I hardly prepped much at all. Haven't had it long enough to test longevity though. It is pretty rough like heavy grit sandpaper. So if you like to drive with no shoes on, I wouldn't recommend it. But for the price and ease of application, I think its a great purchase.

 

[coachbarnes]

Scott, I like the looks of that. It doesn't look very rough. How's the texture?

It comes with these little bags of rubber bits that you can mix in if you want to. I used about half of what they provided to give me some "non-slip" when we are walking on the trailer. So the texture is sort of how you decide you want it to be. The guy they provide with this kit sort of splatters it on, but it smoothes out nicely. Big clue that if "I" can get it to look decent, it's fairly idiot proof! (Actually, me and my two boys did it!).

 

[bax]

looks like you are almost there. if it where me i'd dust a coat of etch primer over all the bare metal then use a nice 2 part seam sealer over all crucial seams and shoot it with SEM.
the primer only needs to be a thin coat.

here's one of the builds i've got going on now. i sprayed the complete underside as well.

there are numerous brands out there and they are all pretty much based on the same thing. your spraying technique will dictate the texture.

NNNNOOOOOOOOO no no. SEM will not stick to etching primer. I can't say this enough. NO NO NO SEM will only stick to epoxy based primers. Ask me how I know this.
Not Nick bashing, he is a smart cookie but he may have miss spoke on this one.

Bax

 

[flousberg]

I used a red durabak because I did not want a black interior. The red matches my color pretty good. I did por 15, the used scotch brite pad to roughin it up and rolled it with two coats. It is a little rough, but looks really good. Its been 2 years.

 

[tim70]

Do NOT use the duplicolor bed liner... I am in the process of chipping it out of my rig so I can get it line-x'd (the line-x dealer woudl not guarantee the application over something other than automotive paint or bare metal). As I'm chipping this stuff out (it's hard, not rubbery) I'm finding lots of surface rust, especially in the foot well and seam areas, which will then be treated with POR15.

As for HHerculiner, I used it in an old landcruiser about 3 years ago. I liked it alot for what you get. I would suggest two applications though. I also used POR 15 in spots in the cruiser, but sprayed it with a light coating of primer while tacky and that did a good job of providing a surface for the herculiner to adhere to. The POR 15 FAQ vouches for this method (or used to).

 

[Tito]

I just got done putting the Raptor bed-liner in. I used the tintable and I am so far VERY VERY happy with it. I have 0 miles but the application and sprayability and texture are very nice. Here are a coupe pics of the prep and the product. I basically used 1 1 gal kit, they are like $100 on ebay or like 120 at your local paint supply. It is a U-Pol product.

 

[blubuckaroo]

What about this stuff called Lizzard Skin? Suppose to reflect heat.
Spray-on liners aren't for everyone and you should think long and hard about weather or not you really want one! They actually hold in the heat and weigh a lot. They are just about as permanent as it gets! I guess if you had to cover a lot of body work sins that would be the easiest way. If you don't plan to get under water once a month stay with paint.

 

[bronconate68]

I stripped and used POR-15 on my tub top and bottom.
The one thing I would have done different is used the Metal-Ready by the gallons. The places I have problems is where the POR-15 didn't bond.

Also I used the POR15 Primer, it sprays on top of the regular POR-15 and gives you a surface that the bedliner will stick to, without any further prep required. It sprays on with a good rough texture. The bond between the 3 products is amazing.

http://www.por15.com/Tie-Coat-Primer

I sprayed on Herculiner, gray on the inside and black on the bottom of the tub.

It looks great. I sprayed 2 coats, if I do it again I would spray 3 coats. The Herculiner works great. I've had it for two years and my throttle heal isn't wearing through. My header on the passenger side has melted my floor matt to the floor but has not changed the H-liner.

Harbor freight has a bottom coating gun for about $7 that sprays the stuff nicely. I have an extra.

I thinned the H-liner like they say to do in the instructions, I just filled the gallon can until it started to over flow while mixing.

I have not worked with other do-it-yourself bedliners but from what I have seen spraying them on gives the best look. I think it also made it go further without thin spots for me.

1 gallon and 1 quart was what I used for each coat - two coats is a must!

Good luck,

Nate
'68

 

[rednck21]

will herculiner stick to por 15 thats already dried? is there any prep work involved?

 

[jarrod]

I rolled on 3 coats of herculiner it great stuff has hold up great for 2 yrs but like others have said its nice and rough when rolled

 

[bronconate68]

will herculiner stick to por 15 thats already dried? is there any prep work involved?

Not that I know of. Haven't tested it but everything I read says no. That is why you should use the POR15 primer product. It bonds to the dried POR15 and allows other products to bond to it. It worked great for me, no sanding involved.

Nate
'68

 

[Sbolt19]

I would use a primer under Herculiner. It says to clean all surfaces with Xylene or Xylol (generic) to remove anything that h-liner won't stick to. It also says you have to skuff the surface up to get a bonding surface. Like said, if POR has a primer, I would use that rather than the finish product.

As for Lizard Skin, I talked to the folks at their office last year when I painted my sister's j**p and was going to shoot the LS and then coat it with a bed liner. They told me "DO NOT, under any circumstance use a petroleum based product under or over LS". They said their product is water based and that all (to their knowledge) bed lining products are petro based. It will eat through the LS and you won't have the product you paid for. They also said that their target audience is for the car restorer/hot rodder and though the product is tough, it isn't geared towards the 4x4 community because of the added "abuse" that it might go through. With that, they said that if you are restoring a 4x4 for show & shine and not a trail rig that will get overly dirty, then yes, LS would work, but if it is going to be used as a 4x4 should, then no, they do not recommend it. Those folks were very helpful and were very appreciative about me calling and asking about it.