I'm looking to put a bed liner in my truck but dont want to pay the prices of a spray on bed liner. I've heard good things about both Rustoleum and Herculiner. Can anyone give me their opinions?

 

Hard to believe, but a DIY bedliner is MORE expensive than a spray-on professional bedliner. You won't save money, you'll just get less product. Maybe you're OK with that?

 

... not that a Line-X dealer would be biased or anything... right?


If you don't have the money, you can do a DIY liner. It is not as good as a professional spray-in like Line-X.

I did a Herculiner in 2007. I could not afford a Line-X at the time, and my truck bed was so scratched up that it was starting to rust.

If you do a very thorough prep job then it will turn out nice. Expect to spend 4-6 hours prepping the truck.
Then put down at least 2 coats.

Even with this, you can still scratch through the DIY liners fairly easy if you are putting heavy metal items in your truck, or unloading dirt/mulch with a shovel.

Here is my write-up for Herculiner
https://www.f150online.com/forums/be...iner-tips.html

I eventually added a rubber mat to help protect the bottom of my truck bed.


Again, the professional spray-ins are better.
But if you want to stop a rusting truck bed then the DIYs will do that.

FWIW - now that I am older (and have more money) I will put a Line-X in my next truck.
... but I was in a much different position 5 years ago...

 

Thanks mkosu04. I am strapped for cash and wont be doing any metal or using a shovel. Mostly to get rid of the plastic bed liner that is in the bed of my truck. I really want to put in the Line-x but for 500 I cant afford it. But now my question is do I get the roll on or the aerosol can. The most that it would be used for is my fire gear or fire tools or maybe a motorcycle.

 

I am using the Bed Armor currently. I have done the tailgate lock piece then went camping for a week where it was subject to fire wood, bikes, etc and it held up perfectly. I don't think brand matters as much as prep- but I cant comment on other brands. This was the roll on stuff.

I have used the aerosol Bed Armor on my spare tire- I has been high power pressure washed 5 times now and still looks like the day I put it on- I even messed up the first coat.(click on link in sig)

The aerosol gives better texture and appearance but IMO (so far) the roll on is more durable.

I am doing the rest of my bed this week- will try to post up pics tmrw.

Others are right- Line x is better but with any rust no warranty. It definitely wasn't worth it to me.

DIY is fine IMO, easy to touch up if you chip it or it peels. I have heard both great success and horror stories with DIY stuff. Its all prep, prep, prep, then MORE PREP.

Good luck.

 

I've had the spray in liner and also did a diy in the last 20 years. Went back to a plastic liner on my last 2 trucks. I have yet to see a rusted out truck bed using a plastic liner. The problem I had with spray liner was the fact the bed still dented (sorry I use my truck )

 

I've seen rusted out beds from plastic liners on truck that are...say prior to the year 2000. Back then, I don't think the metal had a galvanized layer like today. In today's trucks, it takes a lot longer for the plastic bedliner to work through the galvanized layer.

 

I've seen rusted out wheel wells ect... on 10 year old trucks. So if you are going to keep your truck for 10+ years get a spray in liner

 

I rolled a Herculiner in my SuperCrew today. It was only $75 at Ace Hardware for the 1 gallon kit. Removed all hardware and bed bolts, hammered out all the dents I could get access too, scuffed the paint with a wire wheel, cleaned with mineral spirits, and rolled. 4 hour project so far. First coat is still tacky after 2 hours. Second coat tomorrow since its starting to rain. First coat barely used 1/3 of a gallon.

Line-X quoted $470 for my 5'-6" bed. Just too much coin for a 10-year old truck with a really beat up bed.

I had a Ford OEM drop-in liner for a few years but was never happy with it - things slid around too much, it rattled, the fit changed when it was hot or cold, and it was downright dangerous to stand on when wet. The drop-in was good for hauling stuff like steel or bricks, as it protected the bed from dents. There wasn't any rust under it but some of the paint was scuffed - Colorado is very dry so the rust issue probably depends on your climate.

The Herculiner is obviously not as good as a top-shelf spray-in, but its a great value - plus these DIY projects are VERY satisfying when they turn out well.

 

I brushed on the Rustoleum bedliner about a year ago. It's held up well. I don't put any metal objects or rocks in the back so I didn't have to worry. Mainly boxes and I've moved some furniture a few times. I also have a tonneau cover, so liner is protected a bit more.

 

Looks really nice 2008 XL.

Seems like the Rustolem has a finer, harder texture than the Herculiner. Rustolem is super-easy to touch up as they have it in spray cans now.

Herc seems to be more 'rubbery' with a rougher texture. I used Herc on my current truck because the bed was so ridiculously beat up, hoping it would hide dents and scratches better.

 

That is utter BS..........

 

Go with Herculiner. I got the kit and a quart. Throw away the Scotchbrite pad they give you and sand it with 60 grit and a palm sander. Mine is rock solid and it takes a real jolt to make something slide back there. Just read the directions and you are good to go. After sanding, wipe down real good with Acetone and apply. I think I spent 160.00 all together...........Don't forget to mask where you don't want it, I used the green mask.

 

The Pro spray in liner is up to .100" thick so it is hard, tough, and long lasting. You can't break it away from its job, staying there. But you can roll or spray on a good coat of bed liner after cleaning up the truck bed, then put a thick bed mat over it to take the shock of heavy boulders being tossed in thar. It will work, just buy a can or two a year to touch up, underneath and on the bottom of the truck where the salt is. The Pro bed liner won't protect your bed underneath where the salt works at it destroying the metal, as with the inside of the fenders, this is where the moisture/salt cuts into the metal and pops up the paint. /// That is where your real costs are. 15 years down the road from new.

 

I can tell from that brilliant comment that you're not that familiar with bedliner products.

Store bought bedliner products contain solvents. If you look at the MSDS or technical data sheets, you will find that they are around 30% solvents by volume. So, for every one gallon you buy, you only get about 70% of a gallon of actual bedliner material ("solids"). Professional bedliner companies spray about 8 gallons in a short bed truck, solvent free, at a price of around....$450. The bedliner will be around 125 mils on the bed and around 90 mils on the side. So, if you want the same of a DIY product, you will have to buy about 12 gallons. What's a gallon of DIY bedliner cost...$80? $80 x 12 = $960. That $960 does not include supplies, your time, or a warranty.

If you buy a gallon of Herc and put it in your truck, you do not have truck bedliner, you have a slip resistant surface. But, maybe that's all you need.