Nice! Thank you! I will check it out and add it to my research (looking at Herculiner, Raptor, Al's, etc).dodgerammit wrote:I know herculiner is a big name, but these guys have had my attention for a while: https://www.durabakcompany.com/ Lots of colors, smooth and textured finishes, and UV protection available if desired.
I did my cab floor with Herculiner. It peeled off like paper. Maybe i didnt prep it good enough but im not happy with it. After a few years the Herculiner is partially worn off in the bed as well. A friend of mine did his entire vehicle with durabak about 4 years ago and it still looks good to this day. That stuff is like iron. Just my 2 centsdodgerammit wrote:I know herculiner is a big name, but these guys have had my attention for a while: https://www.durabakcompany.com/ Lots of colors, smooth and textured finishes, and UV protection available if desired.
Thank you for the information and tips! Much obliged!SJTD wrote:Yep, it needs to be treated the same as paint if you want it to stick.
I would use some nasty water based cleaner like TSP first then do the roughing up. Then clean it again.
Then do the final wipe with a paint prep and wipes designed for the job. Any other solvent and rags may have minute amounts of contaminants that won't help adhesion.
Proper use is to spray it on, let it sit a bit and wipe it off. Then do another area a new wipe. Don't keep rubbing until it's dry. The idea is the cleaner floats the contaminants off and the rag removes them.
I used Grizzly Grip, I think, on my CJ about fifteen years ago. Hasn't peeled.
I got the stuff with the rubber granules which makes it too rough for my liking. I used smooth Durabak in my Wag. It hasn't been out of the garage since so I can't say anything about its longevity but I prefer its texture.
Thank you for the experiential notes and tips! I am a bit surprised and a little concerned to learn that the Durabak has already chipped even before use. Not a good sign, in my opinion. I would be happier, then, with a slight mismatch in color for the Raptor and have a usable liner. However, if the Raptor is not durable then that sort of defeats the purpose. Do you have any experience with the Herculiner?SJTD wrote:I used raptor on my rockers, door jambs and interior pillars. I don't like it. Looks fine but as far as I can tell it's thick paint. Not resilient or rubbery at all. I'd bet money it's urethane paint with a filler like chalk.
I'm not saying it's bad, just not what I expected or wanted.
I used the stuff meant to be tinted. Had a paint shop mix up the same tint as my body color. Didn't look right because the Raptor was kinda milky-transluscent. Then tried white tint also and it looked ok. I think the tint he mixed for me was meant to be used with white paint. I don't know if this has anything to do with the cured hardness.
As with the Durabak, no use yet other than sitting in the garage. Does have a few chips.
I tried spraying the Durabak. It ran badly. I can't remember for sure if I thinned it before spraying but I don't think so. When rolling it on it liked to get air bubbles that didn't always pop. Don't know if I was moving too fast or what. I was using sponge rollers.
The Raptor sprayed fine with the undercoating gun.
You probably are aware of this but the Raptor uses the same hardener as urethane paints an should be treated with the same caution. A full body suit and least a good, new carbon mask and goggles if not supplied air. Read up on cyanoacrylates.
Hmmm. If the LineX is just going to be on the interior of the SJ Cherokee, and I plan on carpeting the passenger area thus only leaving the cargo floor and door exposed with the liner, the loss of traction should not be such an issue. Yet if Durabak and Herculiner are more-or-less benign I might consider it if I really am just lightly sanding the interior and cleaning before applying the liner, which should not be too bad for a newbie to try.SJTD wrote:Yeah, I'd read the raves about Raptor and was surprised with the results. I'm not saying the Durabak wouldn't have been damaged by the hits the Raptor took. I used it on the floor so it really isn't exposed to the hits the Raptor gets on the exposed edges. I think it would do better but I can't say for sure.
I have professionally applied Rino in my '98 Dodge. Had it done right after I bought the truck. I like it because it's thick and pretty resilient. It chalked/faded pretty quick and I think I payed for the UV protection. It peeled where it got dinged by a bike peg on the wheel well but it didn't look like they scuffed the paint properly, maybe not at all. So as with anything it comes down to proper prep and paying for a job doesn't guarantee it's done right. Some day I'll take it and see if they'll honor the warranty. Maybe I'll grab that bit with pliers and start peeling in front of the guy.
Bunch of trucks where I worked had Line-X. It's tough but not very rubbery. More like plastic so you don't get the slip resistance of Rino.
Never seen Herculiner.
If you aren't in a hurry most of these companies will send you samples.
The moisture cured urethanes like Durabak and Herculiner are pretty benign. Just the solvent fumes to deal with; prolly no worse than spray paint. The one thing that'a kinda misleading in their ads is they say you save money with them. Yes and no. I think I paid $400 for my Dodge short bed. It's pretty thick especially on the floor. I think any of the others would have cost just as much for the same thickness.
Yep, I am definitely leaning towards Line X and just have to decide if I am brave enough to noobie it myself. Ahhh!SJTD wrote:In the back of a Wag the less grippiness of Line-X wouldn't bother me like it might in a truck. It does seem to hold up better but I'm was comparing recent Line-X to 15 year old Rhino at the time and maybe the Rhino has improved. But I think I would go with Line-X if I was paying for it today.
From what I've see Line-X looks better but that might be due to the skill of the installer.
Thickness is just a matter of cost. They'll put it on as thick as you want to pay for or you can buy as many cans of the other stuff as you can afford.
That link had interesting comments by the Line-X Rep. If what he says is true about Line-X paying for warranty work as opposed to it being on the shop's dime with Rhino I don't have much hope of getting mine fixed.
Good advice about going and checking out the shop's work in person.
I lumped it in with the Rhino and Herculiner, but if it is not do-it-yourserlf then that solves whether or not to take the Jeep to a company!SJTD wrote:Line-X has do-it-yourself stuff?
I've seen Rhino stuff on Amazon, never see Line-X.
tgreese wrote:One thing about the bed liner is it's uncomfortably abrasive for bare feet... or so I've been told. It's no fun to kick the floorboard and bloody the side of your foot. I would also expect not much in the way of sound deadening/heat insulation from bed liner. One thing I really liked about my first two CJs was the indoor-outdoor carpet kit. I put two layers of jute padding under where I could, and it made a tremendous difference in comfort and noise. And it felt really nice on bare feet or with sandals. Bed liner is very abrasion and impact resistant, but that's typically not a problem inside the cabin. And the stuff is nearly impossible to remove, if you decide you don't like it. I can understand bed liner on the outside of the body (either on the whole outside - ugh - or on the underside of the floors), but IMO it's not going to be any more water or weather resistant on the inside than one of the many MCU coatings like POR-15, Hirsch, Aluthane (my favorite), Rust Bullet, etc. Look at the water resistance of Aluthane - http://www.epoxyproducts.com/aluthane.html - This stuff is great. I've gone through maybe a half-dozen quarts of it using it for everything. MCU or 2K epoxy are both super-tough, easy to apply, and thin and smooth, like paint. Another issue - sorry for piling on - the texture of bed liner is hard to keep clean. The texture tends to look dirty, even when you scrub it.