Has anyone tried the DIY bedliners from Herculiner, Dupli-Color, etc? Does the roll on work OK or do you really need to have an air gun to achieve the best results? Will the electric paint spray guns frome Home Depot work or do I need to buy a compressor and auto paint gun? Thanks for all advice.

 

I used a Duplicolor roll-on bed liner for my old Mazda B2200. I actually rolled it on and it was OK, but Duplicolr was the cheapest stuff I could find. It did a good job at light to mild abuse, but the tailgate, where I tended to pound on things, the Duplicolor didn't like it. I also found that if I used a camp stove on my tailgate, the bed liner would eventually peel. But the up side of this is that you can get the Duplicolor in a spray can for touch up work.

I have seen the Herculiner and line-X installed professionally and they look really thick compared to the Duplicolor DIY. They also, had a more rubbery feel to them.

 

I was gonna do herculiner, it is nice and thick so it doesnt flake off like those cheaper ones, but i bout my truck rhinolined, and i dont think anything can beat that, it is soooo thick, and lifetime guarentee too.

 

Buddy of mine did a roll/spray on liner. Not impressed at all really. I got mine sprayed (yellow jacket??) and if I had to do it over again I'd have gone rhino. My buddy's cracked and peels all over the place. You really should prep it well if you want it to stick, imho.

 

I bought a used aluminum tool box, and the inside was all scuffed and marked up. It looked like crap, so I decided to spray the inside with bed liner. Being a tight wad, I bought some aerosol spray-on stuff at Walmart. It actually looks good (made the inside of that old toolbox look brand new), and seems to be pretty durable (though I don't think aluminum is the best surface to adhere to). My only complaint is that it was hard to get it very thick (because the aerosol can sprays such a fine mist). If I was to do it again, I would do the roll-on. You can get it much thicker with a brush or roller, plus you can change the texture depending on what type of roller you use.

 

I've used the Hurculiner and was pleased with the result. I actually applied it to the rockerpanels behind the rear wheels. The guy who owned the truck before me had not installed mud flaps and so there were many rock chips. The important thing is to follow the instructions on the can EXACTLY. I hated to take a piece of sandpaper to a good looking truck, but I did some testing on an old body panel and the stuff just peeled right off if I didn't rough up the surface. Also, be sure that you apply the two coats recommended and remove the masking tape as described on the can or else you will have a really poor line. It is not as thick as the sprayed-in bedliner, but for 1/4 the money I can afford to do it agian in a few years if I even still have the truck!!!

 

Thanks all,

My first question is what is the best DIY bedliner?

My second question is what if I decide to become a dealer and do it commercially? I'm thinking about a second income as I like modifying trucks this way.

What do you advise for both options?

Thanks for your advice,

J. R.

 

I think the best DIY liner is Herculiner. I've used it myself, and it's a wonderful product, but you get what you pay for...the spray-in's are much better (Line-X and Rhino).

I don't see using Herculiner as a product for commercial purposes though. The spray-in's run around $400-450 for a short bed around here...you'll spend $90 for the Herculiner, then you have tape, masking paper, and time for sanding/application. To beat out the spray-in guys, you'll be busting you rear for very little profit. Just my $0.02.

 

hi,

i used the herculiner system. i use my truck for hauling LOTs of dirt / mulch / stone, etc. i can get about 2 -3 years before it need to be re-coated. if you shovel directly in the truck, you will scratch down to the paint eventually....

watch the fumes while painting, they can be nasty

 

I did the inside of my ranger with herculiner and it worked very well but after doing it theres no way I would even come close to considering doing the bed of any truck in it!