It looks like linex is the way to go, but has anyone tried any of the roll on or spray on stuff you can do yourself? I have a 150 I will get the linex on, but also an old FJ40 Landcruiser I'm restoring, and wand to put a bedliner on the interior but would rather not pay the price of the linex...... thanks.
I've used Herculiner from Autozone and have had nothing but good results. I've never actually used it as a bedliner, but I have used in on interiors and some exterior (bumpers etc.) If you use it, follow the directions exactly, and like any other paint type product, the better the prep = the better the result. The Herculiner kit I've used comes with a gallon of product (mix well with a stick, there are little rubber pieces that settle when it sits on shelf) two rough foam rollers about 4" wide, a 2" brush, and a scuffing pad.
Well, just make sure the metal is REALLY clean. We typically have to work hard on old metal and most of the time, we apply a special primer to make sure we get good adhesion. These old vehicles usually come in fairly dirty and the metal was not quite as good in earlier days.
We've sprayed a few old Landcruisers, but I can't find the pics. Here's some other old stuff we worked on.
I use a product by dominion sure seal called color your hippo but as has been shared here lately your prep should be really sound . One thing I like to use before I apply is to wax on and off with a good wax and grease remover. I usually get a gallon or two of this stuff from my local jobber and really clean good after blowing off the dust. Also I like to be very aggresive in my grit selection
Depends on application, if its in a place for looks you might get by. If you want durability go with the professional. No way your going to buy do it yourself stuff in the can that will work.
I have to disagree with BSA, sorry man, but I used the duplicolor spray on bedliner (in the cans) and it worked great. Held up in a heavily used bed for many months. I hauled everything from ladders, breaks, tools, lumber everything I needed. After over 6 or 7 months of heavy duty use I decided to buy another can, 8 bucks, and give it another coat. Looked brand new. Can't recommend it enough. I have pictures in my gallery. Also you MUST take the time to prep, sanding and preping took me over 10 hours on my bed. If you have any questions hit me up at finalday7@hotmail.com since I recently traded in the f150 and am not on here to much anymore.
I think it's safe to say that you're going to get a better product and overall better application by going to a reputable pro. You generally DO get what you pay for.
That said, however, you've got to factor into your decision, if cost is an important consideration, the variable of what the application will be subjected to.
For example, we all know that drop-in bedliners can damage a bed over time without frequent removal and waxing. Realizing this, I wanted to get rid of mine, and after having removed the plastic behemoth and viewed the damage underneath I was glad I did. There were bare spots just waiting to start rusting. There was no way I could afford a Line-X liner, but then I don't really haul anything so I concluded that the lower quality DIY option of a Dupli-Color brush-in application would suffice. It did.
It looks good and will hold up fine as long as I don't go into the construction business tomorrow.
If the application will be subjected to real punishment, you'll probably do better springing for a professional job now rather than HAVING to do it later and after having paid for the lower quality stuff.
........and I will caution you that getting a good appearance with the DIY stuff is not as simple as just brushing or rolling the stuff on. We're not talking regular paint here, of course, but you do have to work at it to get an even application and a decent appearance. It ain't that easy and you can bet that a pro job will almost always look a bit better.
Now, if you will have floor mats, a bed mat and the like to absorb some of the punishment, then the DIY product might be the way to go. It can be touched up easily when necessary. It's much cheaper. I spent about $60 to do my bed, but again, my bed generally hauls nothing more than a Walmart bag and only the occasional piece of furniture.
...........and consider this. The prep work, done correctly, is an absolute bitch.
Have I only generated more question than answers here?
I will not dispute that the professional liners are generally better, but some of us that don't have the money to pay for them have had good luck with the DIY products. I rolled in a Herculiner and had good luck.
My best advice - get a bunch of heavy grit sanding pads. It will save lots of time and energy over using the scotch pad they provide. Prep work is key.
Not to say one way or another since I have never done a bedliner. (I have used a bed mat before and like those). But I will say this... There are a LOT of guys out there that slam the DIY stuff as being no good, and professionally installed stuff as being faultless. I have seen trucks with 6 year old DIY bedliners that look as good as the day they rolled them in, and these trucks are contractors trucks. And I have seen pro installed spray in bedliners from names like Rhino and LineX come peeling off in a matter of a Texas summer.
It's all in the prep man. The DIY stuff IS thinner sure. But the Duplicolor stuff is $45.00 a gallon at Wally World. Lay on 3 gallons of that stuff for $135.00 and if you did your prep work and application right, you have a nice, thick, as durable as the big brand name liners, for a quarter of the price...
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Well, I look at it this way. You can go to WallyWorld and paint your entire truck with a few $1.99 cans of Krylon spray paint. And, you know, it just may look better that some professional jobs and it just may last you a few years. If that's what you want and that's the type of person you are, I'd say go for it!
BTW, Duplicolor is manufactured by Sherwin-Williams.
None of the DIY products are even in the same ballpark as LINE-X (or even Rhino) as far as the technical specifications go, that's just a fact. For example, let's look at abrasion resistance using the same Taber test. LINE-X loses .1525 grams per 1,000 revolutions. Herculiner loses 30.5 grams per 1,000 revolutions. You're thinking, Herc and Duplicolor are not the same. Well, yea, they are.
I am NOT saying Herculiner, or Duplicolor are the same as LineX or Rhino Linings. What I AM saying is it is FAR better to have a well installed Herculiner or Duplicolor liner than a poorly installed LineX or Rhino Liner.
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I'd rather push my Ford than drive a Chevy! Most recent mods.Hercules Trail Digger MT 35x12.50/17, lower valance trimming, and rear corner clearance provided by 3LB hammer.
SCT XCalibrator 2 SOON TO COME!
Detroit TruTrac w/ 4.56 front and rear.
I saw my old Tacoma last weekend at a Caseys. I had bought a few cans of the Duplicolor liner and did the bed before I traded it in. I spent about 5 hours prepping and applied it over the rails. I was very impressed with the turn out. The bed was a Disaster before, so was the spot where I bounced it off a guard rail(got filled with Bondo and shot with Duplicolor. Dealer didnt even notice) It has been almost three years since I traded it in and the bedliner still looked good. I doubt he was doing any real hauling with it. But I really figured a couple high pressure washes would have done it in, for what I paid for it. I was very surprised. Nuts and bolts of the story, if you have no use for a $800 spray in bedliner save your money, take your time and do it yourself. Spend what you save on beer and hookers.
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