Does anyone have any experience with the do it your selve bed liners? Like Herculliner roll on or spray?

 

I know some people who have done it with mixed results. From the research I did before I bought mine you would want to go with a "hot" application, meaning the stuff is heated before it is sprayed on. If you have a "cold" application the liner will have that chalky residue come off on everything, the liner may even flake. A professional should also remove all of your hardware and sand the bed before the application. Unless money is a real issue I would spring for a professional job and check to be sure it is a "hot" application. The "cheap" places probably don't do this.

 

Pretty much everyone (including the folks that really like it) have the same complaint about Herculiner. After exposure to the sun it gets chalky and the black liner gets grey looking.
A couple of other drawbacks are that the kit is for 2 coats in a six foot bed. Even the guys at Herculiner agree that you should use three coats for a really good finish. (over the phone...not in print)Those two things almost double the amount needed for an eight foot bed. If you want red or gray the price is $202 per kit. And last....If anything happens to the finish ....there is nobody to go after. If you get Line-x or Rhino you take it back to them.
On the other hand if you have a black short bed and do not think you are going to keep it for a decade or more it is a deal. If you get gouges or any delam you head to the nearest hardware or auto parts store for a pint to recoat the area. Still $300 in pocket. Unless you take your time into account.Also the texture of the Line-X or rhino is a little more aggressive in my eye.
My father in-law tried doing it without scuffing the bed and it peeled off in large patches within 6 months. I helped him redo it properly a couple of years ago and he has not had any proplems except chalky surface and it is even covered by a tonneau half the time.
If you use your truck as a truck most of the time and not as a yuppie shopping cart and protection is your main goal with its importance way over looks than it is a winner. Stay away from the DupliColor spray on stuff. There is a reason it is so cheap.

 

Thanks for the feed back, I use my truck bed quite frequently, sounds like LineX or Rhino is worth the extra money

 

A spray on liner being heated is news to me....I believe Rhinolining is best served at 75-85 degrees. Could be different for Line-X.

 

It is different with LINE-X. LINE-X is heated to about 130 degrees and uses high pressure (about 1,500 psi). Rhino uses low pressure. That's why Rhino has that "gouped" on look and LINE-X does not.

 

The first thing I did after leaving the Ford dealership, was to head to my local Line-X dealership. This is my first F150, had a 1977 F-250 years ago and loved it, but never did anything with the bed, and it was one of the first things that I had to repair, (rust-thru) after many, many great years of service.
I love the looks of the Line-X and everyone I spoke to prior to installing said warranty and performance is tops.

Another advangtage is the sound-proofing it provides. Really quiets the back end when you have some metal object rollin' around back there.

I couldn't recommend anything else. Very happy.

 

Other than preference, biggest diff in Rhino and LineX is warranty. With Rhino you HAVE to go back to original installer. LineX you can go to ANY LineX dealer in USA

 

I have a Ford bedliner in mine as my wife talked the dealer into giving me one at cost when I perchased the truck. I have had good luck with getting a regular bedliner from Leer Truck Accessories in the past.

Spray on bedliner (do it yourself) I don't know about as far as the bed goes. Would it hold up to dragging stuff in and out? I have ripped out the old carpeting from a 95 Jeep Wrangler, pulled the seats and used the Duplicolor roll-on to cover the complete floor. It worked pretty well for that. I also used the spray on duplicolor on the step portion of my Carr steps. If you don't give it the full 24 hours to dry it comes off pretty easy. After that it holds up well and helps with traction on the step.

 

I have a gator lining in my truck. They don't seem to be as widespread, I got it while living in FL, but no one here in OK has heard of it. I can't say enough about it. No residue, no flaking. It has a very nice thick coat and is very durable. I would recommend Gator if you are shopping around and have them in your area....They were also cheaper than Rhino & Line-x. (not that cheap is always the way to go but it is a quality product)