I have recently purchased a [I]loved[I] 01 supercrew. When I removed the plastic bedliner, I discovered a bit of surface rust. Now I've been told line-x or rhinolining is the way to go, but for somebody on a budget and willing to do the manual labor, I was looking into the herculiner kit. I would appreciate any input I can get on the subject before I buy the kit and find myself in over my head or the product worthless.

 

I have yet to see a DIY liner in any truck that has come through our store that doesn't look like someone just mixed sand in with the paint and laid it on heavy with a roller.

 

I am an advocate of real spray-ons, but on a budget, Herculiner will do if you are not really rough on your bed, i.e. the occassional hauler like 75% of truck drivers.

I have seen good and bad DIY bedliner jobs. The key is prep work and take your time. I have a good friend you spent hours and hours on his because he refused to bay $400 for a spray-on. However, because he spent so much time, it looks tomp notch, and looks really similar to a spray on which impresses me becaus most don't.

He has had his since 03 and it still looks good. However, he takes care of it. But he does haul his Harley to Sturgis evey year, takes it camping and hunting, haulls landscaping stuff regularly and it holds up well.

Be prepared, many here are not fans of DIY jobs and will only trash the idea, and most advice is actually opinions, but you can get good feedback. Go with what you want... it is your truck, and when you trade it off, no one will care what is in the back as long as there is a liner. People say they care, but 99% really don't if it looks nice.

 

I put Herculiner in a 2000 scab I had a couple of trucks ago, it didn't look bad at all, not quite as smoth or as thick as a spray on, but you can make it as thick as you like by using more of it. It doesn't have any sand in it, it has ground up pieces of rubber. For the money it was great. It starts out too glossy but eventually gets pretty dull from UV rays. It reaks for a while too, you can definatley smell the Xylene in it for a few months. If you want to save $300 bucks from a spray-on, I recommend it over a drop in liner. Easy to touch up too by buying it in quart cans.

P.S. I did mine in the garage with the door partially closed and lost 2 to 3 million brain cells in the process. Use good ventilation, trust me.

 

I would like to know if you did the liner yourself and how it came out. I used the dupli-color brand in mine. It looked great for awhile, then it started cracking in some areas. I think I may not have put it on as thick as it needed. I sprayed it in, brushing in the edges was a pain. I would not steer anyone away from a DIY liner because I know of a few that had good results. I would never use the dupli-color again due to the issues I have with my liner.

I am in the process of trying to remove it so I can have a Line-x sprayed in. If you add the prep time with the materials that you use, I don't think you really save that much. When all is said and done I spent around $130 for the material and 3-4 hours applying the liner. I could have had it sprayed for $320 with a warranty.

 

I am on my 5th Ford truck, one of them i used the Duplicolor bedliner on, the other 4 had Herculiner. The Duplicolor cracked and peeled after a few months. The Herculiner holds up great. My 92 F-150 had Herculiner in it for 6 years before i got rid of the truck and it never peeled or cracked. If you take your time prepping the bed and roll it on carefully in several coats it looks just as good as the spray on stuff. Just wear gloves because it takes about 2 weeks to get it off your hands!

-Jon

 

I just put a Herculiner kit in my truck, and I am very happy with the results. The prep work takes a lot of time, but that is the most important part. If it is rushed, I am sure the results won't be very good. It does stink for a while, but fortunately, I did mine outside. Although, I think I did loose some brain cells anyway. I would reccomed it for anyone who is on a budget, but wants a quality liner for their truck.

 

Junk, don't waste your time or money, just save your pennis until you can get a spray on. If you don't want a spray on buy a rubber mat, it's better than a drop in or a DIY

 

Don't listen to this non-sense. Go with what you want and can afford. It's better to go with what you can afford than go in debt for a bedliner. Spneding $400 bucks now or $400 bucks later... it is still spending $400 bucks. I know I can put that to better use than a liner.

IF you do it yourself, take your time, do it right, and take pride in the job. If you get it sprayed, then be sure you pick who you think does a good job. Most everything here is opinion, and not fact. I have seen just as many good liners that were done at home as I have seen crap liners that were sprayed. However, if you rush a DIY liner, it will look like junk.

And yes, I have seen a junk Rhino. But I have also seen a junk Line-x and some other brands. Everyone here will bash anything that is anti-Line-x, but I chose something else over it. Something that was exactly the same thing as Line-X and something that was done much cheaper.

However, with any liner, think about butting a bed mat down as well. Spray-ins and DIY liners protect from scratches, nicks, and chips, but do nothing against dents. (And to the arguers out there - 1/4 of liner can't stop a dent from something heavy. After all, it is a truck and is designed for hauling heavy /bulky items.)

 

The hell you say....

 

You can take all the pride in your workmanship you want, but rolling on a DIY bedliner that's paper then is just a waste of time and money. It won't last, guaranteed, they're just to thin. Spend 70 bucks and buy a nice rubber mat with the tailgate mat as well, you'll be much happier.

 

So if I do the Herculiner, what should I use to prep the bed? I heard they just give you a Scotch Guard brillo pad, would it be better to use sand paper? What works best for this?I may just start sanding now to make sure it is good and I don't have to rush it, then go buy the Herculiner kit and roll it on that day.

Thanks for the help!

 

A one-gallon Herculiner kit costs about $100. LINE-X applies about 4.5 gallons. So, to get the equivalent amount of Herculiner: $100 x 4.5 = $450, which is about the average price of LINE-X for a short bed truck. And for Herculiner, your going to need additional supplies: Scotchbrite, tape, paper or plastic, gloves, acetone, etc.

 

The Herculiner kit has enough to do 2 coats on a short bed truck. The scotch pad is included, but yes you do need to shell out a few dollars for tape, and gloves, if you don't already have each. I also bought more Scotch bright pads, since I was a stickler for making sure every little spot on the truck bed was sanded, and then touched up again. You will also need some Acetone, to wipe the bed down after sanding. Just make sure the prep work is flawless, this is the most important part. Take your time. You should be happy with the end result.