[QUOTE=TruckGasm;4854275] What's a gallon of DIY bedliner cost...$80? $80 x 12 = $960.


I don't know what kind of prices you have where your from but for a gallon of Rustoleum or Herculiner its only $34.99. All I want is something that is black and will cover the bare metal. I'm not doing anything till I pull my plastic bedliner.

 

I'd undercoat the bed and do what you want with the top of the box bed. Underneath is where you loose big time down the road a bit. There is nothing wrong with the spray on pro bed liner, It is hard and durable but it still rust out from underside first.

 

Save up and do the Line-X, that's just my opinion. Then again it depends on what you do with your truck. If you just want some protection and a nice look and move boxes and such a DIY is just fine, I would go with the Rustoleum, I had it on one of my old rangers and it held up well.. If your hauling wood, equipment, etc. save up for the Line-X, IMHO, it will last longer and it has a warranty.

 

[QUOTE=Big_Black05FX4;4854539]
Well, just Google searching, a quart is $30 and a gallon is $80.

 

You can find the gallons on sale for around $45 some times

but TruckGasm is right in regards to LineX being cheaper... when priced by volume. Which would technically be the most accurate way to compare the products.

To get the same thickness with Herculiner you would need a ton of it so it would be very expensive.

(here is an analogy for the slower guys (analogy is a way to compare similar things)... you could paint your house for 100 bucks in paint, or you could put new vinyl siding on for 2000 bucks. Sure, the fresh coat of paint looks nice. It might hold up just fine for awhile. But in the long run, the vinyl siding would have held up much longer and looked much nicer. But some guys prefer a painted house. Its all down to personal preference, and personal wealth.)

 

Long ago, I had a job using a rhino-liner competitor on outdoor decks. Recently the rear end went out on my F150, and I about fell over at the replacement cost. (I don't know how to shim and do all the other stuff.) The mechanic had a Jeep Cherokee that he was pimping out for off roading, so I offered an exchange. I would line the inside of his jeep in exchange.

After realizing that the last thing I wanted to do was to buy a fancy two part spray machine, and that a roll on was not going to cut it, I settled on Al's Liner. It was about $100 a gallon, and it took two gallons to do it.(Really only 1 1/2)

The first mix kicked of pretty quick, and since I hadn't sprayed in ages, it was good that I started under the seats. I shot it out of a harbor freight wall texture gun ,and it laid down pretty nicely. The first batch, I mixed up a full gallon, not a good idea, it was heavy and moved pretty quick, but the second one I mixed only half, and it shot like a dream. A beginner could definitely do this...

After I was done, I was able to clean it up and de-mask pretty easily. It started to harden a little but it was still a touch soft. The leftovers I dumped on a plastic sheet ,and it took 72 hours for it to really harden up. Once it did, I was hard pressed to tear a sheet of it. I am headed out this weekend to shoot an El Camino. It was so easy, I am picking up the occasional job. It is mobile, easy, and affordable. If you are looking to do more volume, you can order 5 gallon batches from Scorpoion, and you hav yourself a business. No franchise fees required.

Is it as tough as rhino, I would say pretty close. Is it as forgiving or conforming as LineX, no, I don't think so, but as far as DIY goes, it worked perfectly for me. I would recommend it as that median level product. More expensive than Herculiner, but it performs much better, and less expensive than LineX and for lite use costs less and gives enough of a run for the money. If I had all the money in the world, I would get a LineX. I also wouldn't
Be trading for truck repairs.

 

JakeD, that sounds pretty good. Glad I came across this thread, and your post. Thanks!

 

I've posted the following before on F150online, I'll post it again:

I sent off for info about Al’s and received a package from them that contained written info and three samples. After reviewing the information and doing a little research on the web, I have the following comments.

Al’s is retail packaged Scorpian Liner.

Some of the information they give is in the wrong context. For example, the TDS states, "...Al's Liner is acrylic-reinforced aliphatic aromatic polyurethane....(aliphatic aromatic blend polyurethane has incredible strength)..." Well, there is NOTHING special about an aromatic/aliphatic blend as far as strength goes. Aromatic and aliphatic have to do with UV stability, not strength. Also, most polyurethane products boast that they are EITHER aromatic or aliphatic, but not both. So, while aliphatic is good, it has nothing to do with the context of their statement.

Polyurethanes are also either acrylic or polyester. Polyester is the best but acrylic is less expensive. Al’s is acrylic.

Their website states, “Al’s Liner is vastly superior to all DIY Kits in critical areas such as tensile strength, UV stability, and tear strength. It is not cheap epoxy or polyurethane with filler and solvents added to reduce cost." That's absolutely not true. Their MSDS for the resin component states, "Stoddard Solvent 14-18% weight by volume." Stoddard solvent is a common organic solvent.

Their website also states, “Al’s Liner is more UV stable and tougher than Rhino, Line X and blows the doors off the liners like Reflex, Armor thane, etc." Well, this could be seller's huff, I don't know what they mean by "tougher" or "blows the doors off". If I were to have a discussion with Al’s or Scorpian, I would ask if their products are applied to U.S. Pentagon, U.S. nuclear subs, military Humvees, etc. like LINE-X. I think you see my point. In addition, Al’s is certainly not more UV stable than LINE-X Xtra or LINE-X Premium.

Here are the samples I received. They are rubbery and tear easily. They do not have the strength of LINE-X or even Rhino. For a DIY, it's about average for strength, softer than most, and scores points because it's aliphatic. Another product similar to Al's is Monsta Liner (also DIY). The red sample has glitter in it, the kind you used in kindergarten.

 

oh man, next time I roll a liner, its getting glitter. my girls 4 and 6 would love that.

in other news, my new Herc liner looks nice, covers dents and scratches, and is super-non-slip... but not super-durable. I was able to scratch thru it with a shovel easily (in 100F weather). oh well, it suits my purposes for now on my retired work truck.

 

Ive decided to go with the UPOL Raptor Spray in bedliner.

 

I've personally seen Herculiner and Raptor liners hold up pretty well and cost a lot less than LineX and Rhino Liners. Worst thing I've seen them do is fade some. Probably not 100% as durable as the professional ones, but really good for the average truck guy.

 

That's actually incorrect. Herculiner and Raptor costs MORE than LINE-X and Rhino; more than double the price. DIY products are not good buys.

 

I put on a DIY Hurculiner on my old 95 F150 several years ago, after about a year it was faded terribly and scratched up, peeling off and basically looked like shiz and needed another coat from top to bottom. I bought a 2012 SCREW a few weeks ago and just got a Line-X Premium. I agree 100% with TruckGasm, the DYI liners are essentially a non-skid surface, Line-X is a Bed Liner!

 

2008XL, really pro looking job.
I have the slide-in liner, which is durable and functional, but like you said, slippery. I'm wondering if I'd be able to coat the bottom of my liner, to reduce slip. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Sure, why not, just scuff it up some with a bag of mortor mix n a shop broom, wash it and paint it on with a 4" brush. I would take out the liner first and use 1/2 the gallon on the original floor of the bed first N when it dries set the full liner back on it.