Has anyone tried the do-it-yourself "spray on" bedliners?

[Tribefan]

I've always liked the idea of the spray-on bedliners for several reasons. Now that I have a truck once again, I've been calling around getting quotes on them. They're all $400+ so far and that's a little more than I would like to pay. The place in the link below is right across the street from my work, so I went in there on my lunch break today and asked what they had. They said they only have a do-it-yourself liner that you basically use a paint roller to apply. I know you get what you pay for, but for 1/4th the cost, I'm considering it. Have any of you, or anyone you know, tried one of these? If so, what's your opinion?

Here's the link to the company and product I'm referring to:

http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts.a...canned_results_trigger=&selected_prod_ids=258

 

[BlackBII]

I have used Herculiner with great results, it's like 20 bones a can at wal-mart.
I did my entire floor in my BII, looks great, and is very durable, My friend has it in his bed, I recomend it.

 

[Tribefan]

Is it pretty skid resistant? Also, is there anything tricky or anything to applying it?

 

[projectnitemare]

I did the duplicolor liner. It ran me about $150 start to finish and it looked fantastic once I was finished. Once I started using the bed the coating couldn't take it. A good bit of it peeled and I went way beyond the recommended prep. The professional liners are definitely tougher. You get what you pay for and with their product you usually get a warranty.

Matt

 

[BlackBII]

I haven't had any peeling of mine, but it is just the floor of my BII
It is true that you get what you pay for and professional ones could have a warranty.
My buddies truck hasn't seen any peeling, but it hasn't had too rough of a time.....
Perhaps someone with more experience could give you a better answer

 

[Tribefan]

How rough were you with the bed when it started peeling? Was it a lot of heavy/sharp stuff quite often, or nothing to major and only once in a while? I only ask because I'd only use the bed for big things occasionally. More often than not, it would be things like dirt, mulch, my dogs, etc. I don't have an ATV or bike or anything like that that I'll be regularly loading and unloading.

 

[ZMan]

At my last job we used the U-POL bedliner kit on the floor of my bosses 28ft aluminum boat he built. Held up pretty good after a season of fishing. Just be sure you prep the surface really well, thats what makes or breaks these DIY kits.

 

[dude772]

The one you pay to have done are WAY thicker than you would do yourself. I've had some trucks come in tha had them done.

Specifically one pita customer who didn't like the way the drop in liner sat when it was freezing cold out(when the drop in liners installed in winter it doesn't get to "mould" itself to the shape of the bed). They went threw 3 warrenty liners before she went and got the spray in one.

Anyway... heres a trick i found comletely by accent when i was painting this stuff on my firewall. When you reduce the spray on liner with acetone(i would guesstimate about %70(liner) %30(acetone)) it becomes rubbery, much like the profesional spray on liners. Not only does this give you what i believe to be a more durable finish because its able to flex. It seems to be quit brittle when you spray it without reducing it, expecially if you spray it on thin.

I found this when i was washin my equipement and leaving the combanation of acetone and liner in the container i used to clean. The next day it was a rubbery slab formed to the bottom of the container.

I did this when i srayed it on the inside of my ranger and it worked fantastic. Makes it a million times easier to spray, expecially considering its winter, and you can spray just a little more area.

Thats just my 2 cents worth, and my experience.

Edit: My spray liner brand i believe was pro-form(local parts store)

 

[KENWIL138]

Just don't get any on your hootus.

 

[Jspafford]

Just don't get any on your hootus.

You beat me to it!

 

[jgrnot]

I wouldn't recommend the cheapo DIY bed liner. It's garbage.

I have a spray in liner, done by a local shop in Reno, which is very hard and very durable, about a 1/4" thick, but it doesn't keep things from sliding. I wish I would have spent the extra $150 for the Rhino Liner. Also, a lot of companies that install the product will warranty the liner. If I get a chip in mine, I can take it in for repair. Not sure if larger companies such as Rhino Liner does that.

Just don't get any on your hootus.

WTF?

 

[projectnitemare]

I did the acetone trick as well, it doesn't spray well mixed as per the directions. I did two coats and that total thickness is maybe 1/16th an inch or so. I haul stuff in my truck. If you toss a cinder block, engine or any other decent size object in the bed you'll peel it up. A 4 wheeler or something like that probably wouldn't do anything to it or if you don't haul anything the stuff might be worth it. It's cheap and looks good as long as you don't beat it up.

Matt

 

[MAKG]

WTF?

OK, grab a six pack of Coke and a lot of time, and read this:


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=18595&pagenumber=1

 

[mdmarble]

How much would a spray in cost for a 6ft bed approx?

If you dont go over the rails, its probably real close to 400 bucks. Going over the rails would probably run you up aroud 450-475. I was thinking of gettting one for my truck, but I've already got a drop in bedliner that came wit the truck, plus it has the ford logo. I dont think I'm going to replace it anytime soon unless it starts to form some rust underneath.

 

[Maverick]

I've sprayed ALOT of the do it yourself stuff. Beds, rocker panels, Bronco tubs and seven complete exterior jobs. You truly get what you pay for. While the do it yourself stuff is OK, it doesnt hold a candle to professionally applied stuff like Line-X. All my trucks (that I care about) get Line-X, even though I could do it my self for much cheaper. It just holds up way better. Heres a couple pics of two completes I did, so you know I'm not talking out my ass.