akennedyusmc
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2016
- Posts
- 512
- Reaction score
- 298
- Ram Year
- 2008
- Engine
- Hemi 5.7
Bedliner diy roll on
I had seen videos of this being applied and thought I'd give it a shot to help do some preventative maintenance. In the bed o had dents and major and minor scratches. I understand it's a truck but I wanted it to look good still. It's still a long way from a beater truck. It also had some rust spots that I wanted to take care of before it was too late.
Herculiner was the major name that stuck out to me. People at the local parts shop swore by it. Reviews weren't too bad.
The kit contents-
One Gallon of Herculiner Ready-to-use Protective Coating
Application Brush for Tight Spots and Corners
Two Rollers for Easy/Even Application
One Roller Handle
Abrasive Pad to Prepare Truck Bed
Covers (1) 6 Ft. Truck bed (Quart can addition necessary for 8ft truck bed liner)
Instructions were really good and explained every step. And with some help from forum members here, everything went smooth. With the kit it included a scruff pad but thankfully I had a sander with 150 grit and that was extremely faster than a scrub pad you would use by hand, especially with a large surface area as a truck bed.
I started out with my tailgate first to see how it would turn out. After the first layer I really liked it so I started preparing my bed.
Started out cleaning the truck bed. I have dirt, twigs, chains and a gas jug and a lot more misc crap in it on the daily. The chains and gas jug had started to take off the first layer of paint. Needed to take care of that before rust started to set in.
Taping off would be the MOST important part of this entire project. I only taped the border for the side rails. I spent an hour just to make sure it was as straight as an arrow. I should of also taped under my side rails where my led strips are so I could have had a clean finish but I'm not too worried about it since no one looks up at that area anyway.
I took the sander to every surface I could get into. Using all sorts of weird angles since the sander didn't fit into the grooves. That'd be too easy if it did haha.
After getting off all the dust, it was finally time to start putting down the first layer. As stated in instructions, I started out covering the corners first. Over globbing them and then evening them out with the roller. I did the sides, rails, and front first. Then did the bed floor.
So this is when I messed up. In the instructions, it states to let it sit for about 1-4 hours before applying second coat. But to apply the second coat within 24 hours of first coat. So I let it sit over night and was going to apply the second coat when I get off work, approximately 18 hours later. So I posted a picture of what I had done so far and a fellow forum member states that it bonds the two layers better if you apply it when it was still sticky and not dried. I got home from work and busted my ass to try and complete in time and I believe if I was an hour later I would have had to start over with sanding the first layer.
Number 9 in the instruction states, 'Apply a second coat of HERCULINER to the taped seam just before the first coat dries. This will enable the tape to be removed without tearing. If tape sticks to HERCULINER, run a razor along the taped edge. 'This is where I messed up again. I didn't take the trim tape until the second layer of paint was dried! Terrible! Don't do this! My liner didn't tear too bad, it could of been way worse. But in the same breath, I really am kicking myself for not paying more attention to detail and taking it off when I was supposed to, after I applied my second coat, making sure it wasn't going to run. Now every time I look at the mini jagged marks....it serves as a reminder.
I let it dry over night and drive it to work the next, after checking it wasn't sticky.
Only thing I would suggest differently would be to get similar rollers but not foam ones. I got about 20% of the way though my second coat when the roller started to fall apart. I can see little pieces of the roller now in my final coat and had to pull them off while it was still wet. Not a big deal but just tedious. I was home alone so I couldn't run into town with my wife's car to get a replacement.
During my application, I had perfect weather. Sunny and 75. I did my tail gate in my garage but there's not nearly enough room for my truck to fit. So I did it during the day and hoped leaves or the neighborhood cats wouldn't get in and walk over the wet bedliner. No problems at all thankfully.
I still have to do the top of my tailgate but that'll be sometime soon.
If you have any questions feel free to ask! This was my first time with this material. I made some mistakes but we'll see if they have long term effects.
So now, after whoever reads this, they know a little more for what to look out for.
For the final product
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had seen videos of this being applied and thought I'd give it a shot to help do some preventative maintenance. In the bed o had dents and major and minor scratches. I understand it's a truck but I wanted it to look good still. It's still a long way from a beater truck. It also had some rust spots that I wanted to take care of before it was too late.
Herculiner was the major name that stuck out to me. People at the local parts shop swore by it. Reviews weren't too bad.
The kit contents-
One Gallon of Herculiner Ready-to-use Protective Coating
Application Brush for Tight Spots and Corners
Two Rollers for Easy/Even Application
One Roller Handle
Abrasive Pad to Prepare Truck Bed
Covers (1) 6 Ft. Truck bed (Quart can addition necessary for 8ft truck bed liner)
Instructions were really good and explained every step. And with some help from forum members here, everything went smooth. With the kit it included a scruff pad but thankfully I had a sander with 150 grit and that was extremely faster than a scrub pad you would use by hand, especially with a large surface area as a truck bed.
I started out with my tailgate first to see how it would turn out. After the first layer I really liked it so I started preparing my bed.
Started out cleaning the truck bed. I have dirt, twigs, chains and a gas jug and a lot more misc crap in it on the daily. The chains and gas jug had started to take off the first layer of paint. Needed to take care of that before rust started to set in.
Taping off would be the MOST important part of this entire project. I only taped the border for the side rails. I spent an hour just to make sure it was as straight as an arrow. I should of also taped under my side rails where my led strips are so I could have had a clean finish but I'm not too worried about it since no one looks up at that area anyway.
I took the sander to every surface I could get into. Using all sorts of weird angles since the sander didn't fit into the grooves. That'd be too easy if it did haha.
After getting off all the dust, it was finally time to start putting down the first layer. As stated in instructions, I started out covering the corners first. Over globbing them and then evening them out with the roller. I did the sides, rails, and front first. Then did the bed floor.
So this is when I messed up. In the instructions, it states to let it sit for about 1-4 hours before applying second coat. But to apply the second coat within 24 hours of first coat. So I let it sit over night and was going to apply the second coat when I get off work, approximately 18 hours later. So I posted a picture of what I had done so far and a fellow forum member states that it bonds the two layers better if you apply it when it was still sticky and not dried. I got home from work and busted my ass to try and complete in time and I believe if I was an hour later I would have had to start over with sanding the first layer.
Number 9 in the instruction states, 'Apply a second coat of HERCULINER to the taped seam just before the first coat dries. This will enable the tape to be removed without tearing. If tape sticks to HERCULINER, run a razor along the taped edge. 'This is where I messed up again. I didn't take the trim tape until the second layer of paint was dried! Terrible! Don't do this! My liner didn't tear too bad, it could of been way worse. But in the same breath, I really am kicking myself for not paying more attention to detail and taking it off when I was supposed to, after I applied my second coat, making sure it wasn't going to run. Now every time I look at the mini jagged marks....it serves as a reminder.
I let it dry over night and drive it to work the next, after checking it wasn't sticky.
Only thing I would suggest differently would be to get similar rollers but not foam ones. I got about 20% of the way though my second coat when the roller started to fall apart. I can see little pieces of the roller now in my final coat and had to pull them off while it was still wet. Not a big deal but just tedious. I was home alone so I couldn't run into town with my wife's car to get a replacement.
During my application, I had perfect weather. Sunny and 75. I did my tail gate in my garage but there's not nearly enough room for my truck to fit. So I did it during the day and hoped leaves or the neighborhood cats wouldn't get in and walk over the wet bedliner. No problems at all thankfully.
I still have to do the top of my tailgate but that'll be sometime soon.
If you have any questions feel free to ask! This was my first time with this material. I made some mistakes but we'll see if they have long term effects.
So now, after whoever reads this, they know a little more for what to look out for.
For the final product
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited: