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Carpet to Bedliner

3K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  GUT 
#1 ·
My 20 year old carpet in my '85 RC is getting worn. I am thinking of removing it and using bedliner. What has anyone used? Spray in, roll on? Brands to use or stay away from? Any reason not to?
Only downside I can imagine would be increased road noise.
 
#2 ·
I was advised to use Duplicolor Bed Coating (not their Bed Armor). I used the spray but they also have a "kit" that includes both the spray and roller. The spray lays out really nice and even which is why I was told to go with this one. I used it on my inner fenders and core support. One downside I do not like about the bedliner spray is once it dries it seems to be a magnet for dust and dirt and since it's not smooth makes for more difficult cleaning.
I've seen some negative reviews on it regarding peeling but mine has not at all. I used 2-3 coats and had my parts media blasted so my prep work was good.
 

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#3 ·
Look up. Raptor liner.  Professional  done line x is awesome. What ever thickness you like. Prep is the key to not peeling . Bedliner should deaden the sound. I used tough coat which, is water base,on a boat floor sprayed w/ a hopper gun about 9 plus years ago still there no peeling.the rubber granules are white, i used gray color so the gray paint  part does get a little scuffed  to expose the white rubber granules,so i would not recomend tough coat for vehicle. The bumpyness of  the ridges in the bedliner do trap dirt and grime.i would rather shoot w/air compressor not aerosol can (Youtube raptorliner). Remember prep is key 😎
 
#4 ·
This is something I am considering as well. I'm either going to use Raptor Liner or Monstaliner. The downside I see isn't road noise, it's radiated heat. Bedliner will absorb vibrations that travel thru the metal, very much like Mass Vinyl soundproofing, but I don't think bed liner will insulate from radiated heat like carpet can. Theres a lot of heat that comes thru the floors, from your exhaust and from the transmission, and it's really bad during the summer months. I've removed carpet before and it gets so hot in the cab, that the typical A/C can't keep up.

I know theres another paint-like or bed liner-like products thats said to insulate from heat….such as Eastwood's Heat & Sound barrier, and others, but I'm not exactly sold on it's ability to absorb enough radiated heat to make it comfortable. However I've been thinking about lining the underside of the cab with a radiant barrier, like that thin aluminum foil thats used in attic spaces (If it comes with a very durable adhesive) Then I can remove the carpet and apply the bed liner stuff

Ed
 
#5 ·
Yeah lizard skin,or east wood.and yeah it does get hot without the carpet. I'm contemplating on doing the same thing🤔 w/the bedliner that is.but may just go w/ the MIP floor mat that LMC truck sells that replaces the carpet.
 
#6 ·
Oh I also forgot when they first came out with that do it yourself bedliner ,I forgot what it was ,but my friend was doing the bed of his Dodge truck and I used the extra on a rail on a aluminum boat it was black. in the sun it was not hot to the touch like you would think it
Would be being black. weird
 
#7 ·
Wow, too many choices. Would love to do lizard skin since that would help with heat, but that is $$. May go to the local paint store, as they are a Raptor liner dealer.
 
#9 ·
Lizard Skin, Raptoliner, Most "A" Liner - all these marketing names that try to steer people to buying their product don't mean shit. Just because it sounds tough doesn't mean it will last. However, if someone has luck with one of these that's good-stick with it. No matter which product you use, it mostly boils down to prep work to determine if you are successful or not-unless their product sucks. I'll tell you this-I can beat the duplicolor I painted with a hammer and it will not chip BUT if I didn't do a solid job of prep work it probably would. Unless you are taking chances of following some manufacturer claim of "spray over anything and it will last forever" I'd rather put the effort into prep to ensure durability no matter which product what I'm using.
On another note: Lots of folks are against using bed liner all together due to rust that can pop up under the paint coat and they will say never to use it - again - prep. If you have proof a product works go with it, but for goodness sakes don't just pick a name because it sounds good (not accusing anyone here of that). If I'm honest with myself-I've fallen for these "catchy" product names for other stuff. It's like the casinos pumping the scent of money into the air while gambling...it's that little extra push to pull the handle or throw the dice one more time. 
 
#10 ·
Like i said prep is key!
 
#11 ·
flyfish said:
Lizard Skin, Raptoliner, Most "A" Liner - all these marketing names that try to steer people to buying their product don't mean shit. Just because it sounds tough doesn't mean it will last. However, if someone has luck with one of these that's good-stick with it. No matter which product you use, it mostly boils down to prep work to determine if you are successful or not-unless their product sucks. I'll tell you this-I can beat the duplicolor I painted with a hammer and it will not chip BUT if I didn't do a solid job of prep work it probably would. Unless you are taking chances of following some manufacturer claim of "spray over anything and it will last forever" I'd rather put the effort into prep to ensure durability no matter which product what I'm using.
On another note: Lots of folks are against using bed liner all together due to rust that can pop up under the paint coat and they will say never to use it - again - prep. If you have proof a product works go with it, but for goodness sakes don't just pick a name because it sounds good (not accusing anyone here of that). If I'm honest with myself-I've fallen for these "catchy" product names for other stuff. It's like the casinos pumping the scent of money into the air while gambling...it's that little extra push to pull the handle or throw the dice one more time.
I understand what you are saying…Thats whats known as marketing hype. I know why I pick certain brands over others. If I share my reasons, understand that you take it with a grain of salt, because what works for me, may not work for you.

I have a pretty good grasp of what paints are designed to do and how well they hold up. No paint will last forever, but we do know that some will outlast others. For me, I want a bed liner material in place of the carpet. In my environment, I do a lot of mud bogging, and do a lot of water crossing. My interiors usually get wet or muddy just tracking in stuff on my boots, and normal carpets don't do well. After awhile they become permanently stained, or get moldy, and begin to stink. They can also promote rusting. I actually like rubber mats, but they are worse than carpet, in that if water gets under them rusting can occur. Paints are Ok, but they need to be extremely durable to survive constant abrasion that floors tend to experience. This leaves bed liner material. That material is designed to handle abrasion better than paints which is why I would use it.

As for corrosion protection, Most paints work pretty much the same. Basically a paint is supposed to be an inert material which seals the raw steel from the oxygen in the air. (The combination of both is rust) The thing about paints, is, they wear out over time. They can break down from UV radiation, wear off or develop microscopic cracks. That allows the oxygen to reach the steel and start the process of rusting. Once rust begins to form, it consumes everything in it's path, like fire consumes wood. And rust can travel under painted surfaces. This is why it's critical in rust repairs to remove all signs of rust from the repair area.

Bedliner material, like any paint will not stop rust once it forms. I've seen rust form under bed liner protected floors in trucks rented by Scuba divers in Caribbean countries and rotted beds on pool service trucks that carry pool salt, muriatic acid and chlorine. There is really no difference in rust prevention between bed liner material and paints. The only substance known to stop rust is oil.

The one thing about bed liner material is it's not designed to insulate the heat coming up thru the floor. From that perspective, carpet is hard to beat. Having looked up Eastwood's heat & sound insulating paint and Lizard Skin, I'm not sold on their ability to keep out as much heat as the carpet. According to Lizard Skin, and I quote "With LizardSkin's spray-on ceramic thermal auto insulation, heat entering the interior is reduced by 30°F or more, making for a cooler, more comfortable ride."

30* maybe significant, but if my transmission is generating say 180* of heat, the "Skin" is only going to knock it down to 150*… I would be cooler if I was locked in my car, in a parking lot, with the windows up, on a hot summer day.

So as far as heat, I'm probably looking at other alternatives to insulate or block the heat. I've seen some stuff that looks like dynamat that is laid on the floors, but its intended to go under carpet and it's not what I'm looking for. It would end up becoming a moisture barrier, preventing the floors from drying out when they get wet. So I'm looking at some sort of heat shielding under the cab. Probably a radiant heat barrier that can be placed between the hottest components under the cab to reflect heat away from the cab. Then I can roll on the bed liner material inside the cab, so it can easily be hosed out.

Personally I'm sold on Monstaliner. However I do like the Raptor liner a bit better and it's cheaper, but I want to pick my own color and Raptor liner has me confused on their tint-able stuff. I don't want to end up buying the wrong or an incompatible tint and ruin the paint. Monstaliner already has a color I like and they claim to be very UV stable, which for me, here in UV rich Florida, is very desirable.

I'm not sold on Duplicolor Bed armor stuff, simply because it only comes in black and as far as I know it can't be tinted to another color. I don't want another black interior. I'm also not sold on the rubberized stuff thats in the paint. Years ago I tried the Hurcurliner stuff that had big chunks of rubber in it and I wasn't all that impressed with it's performance. It also looked terrible and felt like 5 grit sand paper.

Ed
 
#12 ·
Line-x professional done,you don't need to prep they do.they screw up prep, it's on them,it fails it's on them. Lifetime warranty. And any thickness you like.$$ but well worth it in my opinion.even though i like doing things myself 😎
 
#13 ·
Jeffy45 said:
Line-x professional done,you don't need to prep they do.they screw up prep, it's on them,it fails it's on them. Lifetime warranty. And any thickness you like.$$ but well worth it in my opinion.even though i like doing things myself 😎
Yeah, I forgot to mention Line-x and Rhinoliner in my sermon ::)

Great products (I love the stuff thats supposed to be blast proof) but cost is prohibitively expensive. I like the idea of paying a few hundred rather than a few thousand, even if it is on them to make it right. It can certainly be well worth it if your willing to pay for it and not have to mess with it, but unfortunately my money tree isn't blooming much these days, so I have to find cheaper alternatives, even when I have to do it myself. Now if only if I can find a good fertilizer for the tree….

Ed
 
#14 ·
One other thing is I am an hour away from the closest line x shop. Kinda far to drive sitting on a milk crate with gutted interior. How long till I could drive it home? Overnight?
 
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