Do It Yourself Bed Liner Product Review

The other company I work for recently purchased a couple of newer trucks and I decided to add a roll-in bed liner to one of them.  We haul a lot of drums and other items that even when strapped can tend to slide too much, so a bed liner helps.

The product we purchased was Herculiner Truck Bed Liner.  The kit claims it comes with everything you need to do a short box pickup truck bed.  The truck we applied it to is a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT.

Upon opening the box there was a gallon of their bed liner, a very cheap and short roller handle, a small paint brush, two very coarse rollers, and the equivalent of a green Scotch Brite pad.  The kit claims it includes everything but after reading the directions I found it does not contain rubbing alcohol or acetone which is a required step.  It also does not include any painters tape for sectioning off areas that you don't want bed lined.

Following the instructions, I first removed hardware and some screws that I didn't want lined.  Then I cleaned the not very dirty bed with a dawn dish soap solution to cut away any grease.  After that dried, I used the Scotch Brite type pad and roughed up the entire painted bed surface, this part was easier than I thought it would be.  Then using a clean rag I applied acetone to it and wiped the bed clear of any of the green pad grit that came off.

Next I started by using the supplied brush to dab in the bed corners and seams that looked like they would be hard to reach with the roller.  The Ford bed has plenty of ridges and indents that made the first roll coat not the easiest.  You are supposed to just lightly apply the material for the first coat.  I will say, if you are sensitive to vapors at all, this product really off gasses, so heed the package advice and do this in a well ventilated area.  I would even suggest a half face respirator with an organic vapor cartridge if available.  Also, make sure you wear nitriles gloves or any kind of gloves you don't care about, you will get this product on your hands otherwise.  I also suggest not having arm skin exposed, as this product may irritate your skin if you get it on it.

The next day, I went to apply the second coat and the first was still a little tacky.  The second coat did go faster than the first and applied decently.  The kit was $75.00, and for my time invested I don't know that it was worth doing it myself.  If I were to do it again, I would tape off more areas.  The prep time for this took longer than applying it.  I don't know what a company charges to do it, I've heard in the $500-$700 range.  Also, I can't say how well this will hold up compared to a professional job.  If you have the down time because of social distancing, it may be worth looking into if you've been considering doing it yourself.  Have you used this or a similar product?