Brush On Bedliner (With Pros & Cons)

I found this here: http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/bedliners/a/HerculinerDIY.htm



http://www.herculiner.com/

Herculiner Pros and Cons
Tips For Installing A Herculiner Bed Liner Yourself
From Jim Walczak, for About.com

Herculiner Brush-on Bedliner: Do-it-Yourself Kit

Whether you use your truck for work or play, your truck bed leads a rough life and gets very little respect for a job well done. But you can protect your pickup truck bed or Jeep/Bronco tub from scratches and rust with an affordable do-it-yourself brush-on bedliner kit from Herculiner -- for years of heavy duty use.

The kit includes everything you'll need to do the job yourself:
one gallon of Herculiner textured polyurethane coating (covers one 6-ft. truck bed with two coats)

one application brush
two rollers
one roller handle
one abrasive cleaning pad
one can opener
detailed instructions for priming your truck bed and applying the liner

NOTES: Before you start the project, it is strongly advised that you purchase one Quart of Xylene, Acetone or MEK (to finish the prep work by deglazing the surface of the truck bed before coating), an extra quart of Herculiner (just in case), some chemical-resistant rubber gloves, a stir stick (or use a drill with a paint mixing attachment), a paint tray and some rags, 2" wide blue painters tape for masking off areas.

Xylene can also be used to remove the Herculiner product if it spills or gets on your skin.

For faster results from roughing up the surface before you apply Herculiner, consider using the sanding attachment on your drill.

Best Reasons To Use Herculiner

A**** the many options for applying a bed liner to your pickup truck, Jeep, or other off-road vehicle, the Herculiner Brush-on Bedliner Kitranks a**** the best for a number of reasons...

An affordable alternative to plastic drop-in and messy spray-on liners. You can complete the project for $100-$150 in a day or a weekend.

Adds a skid-resistant surface to your truck bed and a tough, textured finish from a proprietary polyurethane and rubber formula.

Bonds and seals all surfaces to prevent rust.

Waterproof, non-flammable (when dry), and resistant to damage from oil, gasoline, solvents and chemicals.

Flexible—won't chip, flake or peel.

Can withstand years of heavy-duty use.

Helps to dampen some of the road noise.

Used in vehicles like Jeeps and Broncos, it eliminates the ongoing worry about damaging your carpet.

Makes cleaning up after hauling or four-wheeling much easier, since you can simply rinse out the entire area with water.

Available in black, gray, red and white.

Easy enough to do it yourself.

The first coat forms a good base. After allowing 1 to 1½ hours to dry, apply a second coat that will cover any open pores. Then after 90 minutes of drying time, your truck bed is ready for light use.

Within 24 hours the bed liner is fully cured and able to handle whatever you might throw its way. (Curing begins when the Herculiner is exposed to atmospheric moisture. Therefore, with higher humidity, curing time is shorter.)

Can be applied between 32°F and 95°F... the colder the temperature and the lower the humidity, the longer the curing process will take.

It's repairable. Just touch it up with more Herculiner... it bonds to itself.

Other bedliner coatings would have to be removed to repair gouges.

Can also be used as an automotive undercoating, for protecting trailers, hitch receivers, grill and trim around headlights, bumpers, door jams, flares, roof racks, mirrors, nerf bars, roll bars, wheel wells, skid plates, ramps, 4x4 tubs, marine decks, walkways, steps and more.

Bonds to most clean/dry surfaces, including painted or primed steel and adheres quickly to metal, aluminum, concrete, wood, asphalt, plastic, rubber and fibergl***.

Can be applied with a brush/roller or with a spray compressor.

Has a long shelf-life... If unopened, a can of Herculiner can be stored for several years.

Is so professional in appearance, that most people think it's a spray-on bedliner, and that you paid several hundred dollars more than you did.
Preparation is the key to the entire process and will ultimately determine how long your Herculiner "lasts".

The satisfaction rate a**** those who've applied the Herculiner themselves is extremely high.

No risk of overspray -- a common problem with spray-ons (such as Speedliner or Line-X).

Prevents things from sliding around in the back due to its slightly bumpy texture.

After applying the Herculiner and letting it cure a couple days, you could also go over the entire area with black Rustoleum paint for a more shiny finished look.

Things To Consider Before Applying Herculiner

While the Herculiner Brush-on Bedliner Kit ranks a**** the best when it comes to do-it-yourself bediners, there are a few things to keep in mind before you begin...

Must be applied in a well ventilated area.

The Herculiner smell lingers for up to a week later.

Nearly impossible to remove from skin. If you get some on you, clean it off immediately with Xylene, then wash the area with soap and water.

Red, gray and white kits cost more than black.

It is critical that you do NOT rush the prep phase. The more time you take scuffing the paint, the better the Herculiner will adhere to your truck bed.

When you think you've scuffed the surface enough... you haven't. It takes several p***es to get the appropriate "roughness" which causes the Herculiner to adhere properly. The places you did not rough up enough are the places the Herculiner will begin to wear away first.

The instructions state "preparation & application takes about 4 hours". More typically, the prep work is done over the course of a few days -- a little bit at a time. On average, it takes about 4 hours to "rough up" the entire surface which you intend to coat with the Herculiner -- that is AFTER you've spent a considerable amount of time cleaning out the vehicle to the bare bones first. Of course, this process takes longer when applying Herculiner to the interior of Jeeps, Broncos, and such.

It takes about an hour to apply each coat... plus allow for 2 hours of drying time in between coats.

The can of Herculiner itself is made of a soft, pliable metal which makes opening the can quite a procedure -- without damaging the lid, that is.
Has a tendency to fade to grey with prolonged exposure to sunlight (causes UV damage to the Herculiner). To restore the luster to Herculiner, simply clean it with ****'n Span and rinse throughly. Then you can apply Armor All (surface will become slippery).

Eventually all liners made from polyurethane materials (like Herculiner, Rhino Lining, etc.) will begin to turn a chalky white/gray color. This is a form of fading that can be cured with a special conditioner that brings the black gloss back out.

After the first coat alone, you might question the results, however, you just need the full 2 coats to get the real look and durability of the Herculiner.
The finished product, after the recommended 2 coats isn't quite as thick as that of a sprayed-in liner.

May tend to get tacky (gooey) in the summer's heat.

You cannot let the liquid pool up too much in any spot, as that will lead to cracking in those places.

Most of the "negative" comments tend to revolve around applying Herculiner to fenders. In many cases, it tends to flake off; though that could be due to poor prep work.

It cannot be removed. While you use Xylene while the Herculiner is still wet, if it dries, it's permanent (...which is also a GOOD thing).
For repeated heavy-duty use of the truck bed, an additional coat or two would be recommended.

The ultimate thickness of the Herculiner coating on your truck bed depends on the number of coats you apply. Most are happiest when they go a step farther and apply a 3rd or even 4th coat to the bed of the truck for even greater durability and longevity. At the very least, you might consider applying an extra coat on the tailgate because that is where most things are placed (or dropped) first. If desired, you could go a bit thinner on the sides, since most items don't hit or rest there.

 

This is all the stuff they DON'T tell you. I'm wanting to do this on the floorboards of my truck... and after reading this, I'm actually thinking of taking it to the Rhino Lining place down the way and letting THEM deal with it. I also like their warranty better, and the fact that they can do ANY color!

~Jason

 

this seems like a big problem. Same with it turning chalky. Has anyone experienced these problems? Is there a better DIY product out there?

 

In my business I come across alot of "do-it-yourself" bedliner kits. They never have the quality of the professional ones. I am a firm believer in doing everything yourself when possible. This is an exception. The spray-on DIY kits are bad, just not as good/durable as the pro's. Another thing to remember, if you are going for a colored liner, make sure you think about it. A friend wanted to do a red liner in his truck. the inside of the bed was originally brown (I warned him, but he didn't listen), and when he sprayed the red over it.......He got a nice PINK bedliner. This stuff does work great for doing the bottom of cars, great protection.

 

GO to your local automotive paint supply and get a 2 part catalyzed set up SEM AND UPOL should cost about $100 with a gun, prep is the key must be clean and use a adhesion promoter like bulldog. will work geat on floors done it many times. oh yeah you can tint it but it gets a little tricky. but by all means DONT USE ANYTHING LIKE HERCULINER

 

I tried a product called Hippo Liner, the roller was garbage and you have to work really fast to get it on before it dries on you. Got through one coat and it looked like ****.
Sprayed the rest on with a Shutz gun and it went on ok. I had to spend a lot of time masking before spraying, and had to do the clean up immediatly after spraying before it hardened up totally. Not a tough as I thought it would be either. I would not use it again.
HemiDeuce.

 

go ryno..or be bummed...ask me how i know..Via..Pm

 

I have used the Hurculiner brand before on the inside of some 39 Chevy fenders. It looked pretty good and would prevent rock dings from the inside but it added so much weight to the fenders it was ridiculous, and I just didnt like that. I dont think I would use it on my stuff.

 

I used it on the floor of one of my coupes in the past. Looked terrible. Was thin and not a hard shell finish either. The Rhyno liner guy in Salina wanted $300 to do the inside of my coupe. Same guy who charged me $65 to sandblast ONE steel rim that was not heavily rusted or coated in paint. I won't be giving him another chance to screw me.

 

I used herculiner in my truck and am totally happy with it. Read the directions carefully. It takes 2 coats and it is messy.

 

Thanks for the info, thats a good read. Got me thinking, what can a person use on the floor of a car/truck/hotrod for a little sound/heat barrier with out the use of carpet over the top, any ideas? I really need to cover my floors in the wag, all 10 feet of them.

Brad

 

I used it on my inner bedsides, the top of the rails, the bed front, the wheel well humps & the tailgate. I caulked the seams with some sort of industrial caulk. I'm very happy with it, but keep in mind that I didn't do the bed floor ('cause it's wood). It did fade, but I really don't care. I really haven't noticed it becoming soft in the summer. It's very tough. It was easy to apply, but you do have to follow the instructions & have patience.

 

Check out a product called Lizard Skin. I haven't used it personally, but I have heard some good stuff.
http://www.lizardskin.com/

 

I did find a Rhino Liner guy that would do it under the table, and at a DEEP discount, for cash.

Wouldn't you know it... The one thing I don't have!

~Jason

 

I Have used Lizzard Skin and it works Awesome. Im going to do my 54 floors and undercarrige in it.

 

I used herculiner on my truck bed also and i had great results, along with putting on the underside of my wheel tubs in the rear of the truck too. So far it's held up great and it's been on there for 2 years. I've also heard good things about a do it yourself kit called durabak, here's the website i found that on http://www.nonslipcoating.com/

 

Ive used to UPOL, its not bad till you get something really heavy and sharp in it...say a rear end for a 96 dodge ram...that may or may not have destroyed mine. Id say use that stuff if your not doing anything crazy. But it does work AWESOME for undercoating or like back of fenders or back of fibergl*** parts. But you can shoot it with a normal undercoating gun..takes a while tho. After a few bedliners i bought a bedliner gun. But yea, we rolled one and it ****ing blew, the bed looks terrible and every one ive seen with that **** looks like hell. Herculiner=bad

 

Well Ive used herculiner and its GREAT. I know what the others are talking about when they say its not as good a the professionals spray liners but damn I like it alot. Its all in the prep work and the evenness of the coats. I have done a complete jeep from door handles down and its been on there for around 2 years without fading and its a complete trail rig. Its pretty strong stuff but when in the heat it does get softer but not GOOEY like a liquid. Ive used it on everyone of my trucks and hotrods and I think for the price it cant be beat. Just my .02

 

I did a truck bed liner with the stuff and was very dissapointed with the quality, very thin and discolored in just a few months. Started peeling and getting chalky too. If its $100 for the DIY or $300 for someone else to put the real stuff in your money is better spent there.

 

I've used bedliner in truck beds, and as a sub for undercoating, as well. Always use a catalyzed bedliner, it comes in 2 parts. I've used SEM, Southern polyurethanes, and the one Eastwood sells. all work well. Stay away from a single component one, though, they are the ones that don't dry hard or completely.

 

I used some brand (can't remember which one) on the floor and underside of the '36. Rolled on two coats (used my own roller, the little one with the "kit" was below horrible), and I am VERY pleased with the results. Sounds like the above "bad" experiences were problems with application, not following directions, etc.

I used it on the entire interior floor, underneath and inside, and inside the body as well. Where I couldn't get the roller, I used spray bombs of the same brand, looked the same to my eye. It seems to be very tough, as I'm still in the construction phase, and it deadened the "tinnyness" of the body very well.

Not sure if I'd be happy with it as a "finish" coat inside a box, I've never seen any type, either pro done home rolled, that I thought looked good. For a regular pickup (as in popular newer one) I much prefer the plastic drop in style, they are far better than any painted on liner. As an undercoating/sound deadner in a hot rod, I'm sold!

 

Be very careful with that stuff! This could happen to you:

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

It's an old thread that's probably been posted here before, regarding a non-HAMB vehicle, but it does have some safety-related information regarding what NOT to do with this stuff. The ***le of the thread is: "How Do I Get HercuLiner Off of My Hootus?"

 

I've used it on several pickup boxes, rear step bumpers on a couple fire trucks, and the floors in my model A. All the jobs I've used it on are holding up for several years from over 100 degrees above to 40 below zero and still look like I put it on yesterday..

2 coats is a must, and let it dry for 1-3 hours between coats. For a single stage coating it is pretty good. It's one of the few coatings that is not slippery when wet--that's why I used it on the Fire truck bumpers and some construction companies use it on heavy equipment for stepping areas.


overspray

 

I shot the duplicolor version out of a shutz gun and was really, really happy with it. not to mention it's 60 bucks a GALLON. works real nice.

 

As soon as I started reading this thread, I thought to myself 'I need to google the old hootus episode'. That story has been running around the 4x4 boards for a long time and is just as funny every time I read it.

 

I used Herculiner to do the interior of my 84 Bronco from the tailgate to the windshield including the ceiling. Worked GREAT where I took the time to prep. I reccomend a grinder with a sanding disc, a DA wasn't quite enought for the floor where I always step to get in and out. Took me a week to apply, but the rig was my daily driver and I could only get small parts done after work. Does not come off of hands for a few days (i slipped and put my hand in my paint tray).

I reccomend it. Use three or even four coats. MAKE SURE TO PREP ALOT!! I imagine a sandblasted surface would be ideal for the application. Also heard POR15 works great as a base.

The only big drawback is the lack of hardener in Herculiner. It feels more like a very very durable rubber layer than the hard plastic that linex leaves but for 1/5th the cost I won't complain too bad.

 

http://www.nonslipcoating.com/ anyone ever use this durabak bed liner coating stuff ? its sounds like good stuff i thought of doing the under side of my jeep body with some

 

I used Herculiner years ago, was not happy! Did it per the directions, notice some fading but didn't keep the truck all that long. Mostly I didn't like that it would lift with little to no effort! Touched it up at least once before I parted with the truck.

Fast forward and I am now an authorized Armorthane installer. NO you haven't heard of it but its the ligit good stuff! Look up Armorthane.com. If you are a Hamber I will give you the best deal I can but this stuff is not cheap, takes alot of prep, and is dangerous to apply without the right equipment. BTW I am just south of KC if you wanna bring somehthing out!

 

I used Durabake in the tub of my old Jeep about 9 years ago. It did fade after a year or so. It would look nice with a little WD or tire black. It has lasted very well. It does NOTHING for heat and noise reduction. I rolled it on over fresh epoxy primer. It has held down the rust. The Jeep never is garaged so it a good product.

 

that guy on the 4x4 forum needs to be reminded not to jack off when he's installing this product...lol..never laughed so hard in my life..."Hootus"...lol..
what a douchebag