Best Do It Yourself Bed Liner – Expert Review and Guide

Why do you need a bed liner? The answer to that is pretty simple. A liner saves your truck’s cargo area from unwanted scratches and eventual wear due to use, corrosion, etc. In addition to that, its slip-free surface will keep a grip on the cargo better. Plus, we think that a cargo space with a bed liner looks so much better. Let’s take a look at some of the popular DIY bed liners for you so that you can choose the best do it yourself bed liner for your truck.

The 5 Best Do It Yourself Bed Liners:

1. U-Pol Raptor Spray-On Truck Liner – the best do it yourself bed liner
2. Herculiner Brush-On Bed Liner kit
3. Custom Coat Black Spray-On Truck Bed Liner
4. Rust-Oleum Truck Bed Coating
5. U-Pol Tintable Truck Bed Liner

Our Recommendations

Table could not be displayed.

REVIEWS YOU CAN TRUST 

All the information and opinions you find on Mechanicguides.com come from a team of automotive journalists and an independent mechanic, Steve “Whip” Whipple with 11 years of auto industry experience. We look at the latest market research, talk to experts, and draw from our own practical experience to bring you reviews and guides that reflect what you’ll encounter in your garage. For more information about the team, see here.

The Safe Choice: U-Pol Raptor Spray-On Truck Liner – the best DIY bedliner

No products found.

The U-Pol Raptor Spray-On bed liner promises ease of use, plenty of coating to spray on a large truck bed, and has a ton of other great qualities like waterproofing, abrasion and stain resistance, protection against corrosion, and even improved sound and vibration deadening. The kit includes a spray gun, four liters (slightly more than a gallon) of material, and 1 liter of hardener.

According to U-Pol, the material is enough to cover 125 square feet. As mentioned, the kit also includes a spray gun, which makes the application of the liner easier — and further improves the kit’s value-for-money proposition. Having said that, if you’d rather use a roller and brush, you can do that as well.

The suggested mixing ratio is 3:1 of liner and hardener (both included in the kit). And the use is fairly simple as well: you mix the liner base with hardener, shake, and spray. U-Pol mentions that the surface on which the liner has to be applied needs to be lightly scuffed, treated with etch primer, and should be free from dirt and rust. It’s also mentioned that there’s no need to wax after application.

Abrasion and corrosion resistant

The main benefits of the resulting liner include excellent adhesion, abrasion and strain-resistance, protection against rust, corrosion salt, damp and extreme temperatures, etc. The liner is also waterproof and flexible, which should further help in deadening both sound and vibration.

What do we think of it?

If you’re looking for a good-quality liner that’s not too difficult to apply, the U-Pol Raptor has our vote. Users have commended both the quality and quantity, but some have mentioned that you might need more for a decent thickness. Check with the seller about the ideal quantity required for your truck, and the warranty.

---

Inexpensive but good: Herculiner Brush-On Bed Liner kit

No products found.

Making its solid presence on the list is Herculiner Brush-On Bed Liner kit. As the name suggests, the liner comes with a brush and not a spray gun like some other products. This keeps the price in check but without compromising on the overall quality of the liner itself. You can choose between Gray kit, Standard kit (intermediate pricing; this model), and Standard – Quart.

Claimed to be five times thicker than the competition

The polyurethane protective coating is tough, has a texture to it, and adds shine to the surface. It can be applied to a variety of surfaces, with the truck bed being a popular example. It’s said to be five times thicker than other competing products. That will ideally take care of repeated use over the years. And its skid-resistant surface is bound to appeal to those who are interested in the practical aspects of their trucks.

The Herculiner kit includes an application brush, two rollers, and 1 gallon of ready-to-use, do-it-yourself black protective coating (1 US gallon). The resultant skid-resistant surface won’t chip, flake, or peel mentions the brand. In addition to that, it’s said to be resistant to rust and will bond and seal the surfaces. Another solid reason to use this is that the liner doesn’t react to gasoline, oil, solvents or chemicals.

What do we think of it?

As a no-nonsense solution, the Herculiner product deserves a look. You might not need the ease of use of other more-expensive kits and this one manages to do what it’s supposed to do. The liner itself is of good quality — something a lot of users have mentioned. Depending on what your use will be, check with the seller if the liner is resistant to that. Users have mentioned that prepping the truck bed for the liner is very important, and you must follow the instructions closely for that. Also, drop a message to the seller about the warranty since the Amazon listing lacks that information.

---

Ease of use: Custom Coat Black Spray-On Truck Bed Liner

No products found.

The Custom Coat bed liner kits come with liner material, hardener, and a spray gun with a regulator. The product mentioned here has 0.875 gallons of liner material, but depending on your use, you can choose between 0.21 gallons to 1.75 gallons. Other options include kits without an applicator, kits with a gun, or kits with a roller. And if you’re looking for a specific color to paint your truck’s bed with, Custom Coat offers a fair few options there as well. The product we’re talking about here is black.

The kit includes a total of 0.875 gallons of liner material (four bottles of 621 ml each) and one hardener (828 ml). With this, the estimated coverage is about 125 square feet, says the brand — the listing has a discrepancy, so we’d suggest you check with the seller to be sure.

UV and water-resistant

Apart from the truck beds, it can also be used on chassis, bumpers, equipment, trailers, and even on house/garage floors, among other areas. The major benefit of the Custom Coat bed liner is the resistance to UV, water, heat, and rust. The coating will also help dampen sounds and vibrations. And it’ll also make the surface ready for the extreme climate as well.

Other benefits include added resistance to chipping and improved protection against impacts and abrasions. The mixing ratio is 3:1, and it can also be rolled or brushed on if you don’t want to use the spray gun. There’s also no need to wax after application.

What do we think of it?

It’s easy to apply, and with a compressor, the spray gun will help you achieve a uniform coat of the liner material. The reviews are mixed, with some users complaining that the liner quality could be better. Check with the seller about the warranty and requirement for your particular model. Also, like every liner, preparation is very important, so follow the instructions closely.

---

Cost-effective, practical choice: Rust-Oleum Truck Bed Coating

No products found.

Since it’s available only in 32-ounce cans, you can pretty much decide exactly how much Rust-Oleum Truck Bed Coating you’d need without having to pay for extra. Since it doesn’t come with an applicator, you aren’t spending on something you might not use. Instead, you can choose the desired applicator (roller, brush, or spray gun) and buy that instead — and not depend on the one sold as a part of other bed liner kits.

The liner is said to be durable, resistant to abrasion, has a textured finish, takes the shape of the existing contours in the bed, and offers protection from rust as well. Like most of the other bed liner materials/kits, this one can be applied using the applicator of choice: brush, roller, or spray gun. It dries quickly as well.

Recommended to lay 3-4 coats

Rust-Oleum mentions that to apply, you need to first clean and sand the surface. The process is to be followed by masking the areas which don’t need to be covered with the liner and eventually applying the liner material. It’s recommended to lay 3-4 coats, and then let it dry for about 24 hours.

What do we think of it?

As a DIY bed liner, the Rust-Oleum product’s biggest advantage is that it doesn’t force you to buy the entire kit. The individual cans aren’t very big, so you’re unlikely to waste liner material if you do your calculations well. It also works for existing bed liners for a recoat. Drop a message to the seller regarding warranty (if any) and the ideal amount for your truck. Users appreciate that it’s easy to put on and looks great as well.

---

Colorful choice: U-Pol Tintable Truck Bed Liner

No products found.

You want your truck’s bed liner in a particular color but the Amazon listing offers only limited choices, right? With a tintable bed liner, like this one by U-Pol, you can mix the paint of choice to the liner material to get the desired color or effect. It’s great for those looking at a more unique-looking bed. It can be of the same color as the rest of the truck or even contrasting if you’re after that sort of a thing.

Spray gun included

The U-Pol Tintable Truck Bed Liner Kit comes with the Raptor liner material, U-Pol hardener, and even a spray gun. It’s a 1-gallon kit, which means it has slightly less than 4 liters of liner material. According to U-Pol, that should be enough to cover 125 square feet. The process of applying is the same as in the case of any other spray-gun liner. You fill the bottle with a mixture of liner material and hardener, shake it, and spray it. Like in the case of other bed liners, the bed/surface needs to be prepped beforehand for best results.

It offers protection against scratches, stains, rust, etc. And that’s not all; the liner prepares a water-resistant finish. It also acts as a barrier to chemicals like oils, saltwater, animal urine, etc. In addition to all that, the liner surface has a high level of fade resistance, mentions U-Pol. It’s easy to apply, and once in place, it’s easy to clean. It is fire and slip-resistant as well.

What do we think of it?

The U-Pol Tintable Bed Liner not only protects your truck’s bed but also makes it look cooler. There’s no doubt that the Raptor liner’s quality is top-notch. A handful of users have mentioned that they wish it was easier to match the colors to their truck. But otherwise, users are happy with the quality.

What is the best do it yourself bed liner?

Applying a bed liner by yourself means you save a lot of labor costs and also have the freedom to experiment. You’ll need to follow the instructions closely, prepare the truck bed before applying the bed liner, and use a respirator as you spray (if you’re spraying). It’s best to check with fellow truck enthusiasts about the ideal thickness of the bed and how many coats it would require so that the resultant liner doesn’t chip or peel off.

The Herculiner brush-on liner is a great inexpensive choice. You can also opt for the smaller quantity Rust-Oleum liner as it’s more practical. The Custom Coat bed liner is a decent overall choice. But if you’re looking for the best, the U-Pol Raptor liner gets our vote. And if you’re looking for a specific color, it’s also available as a tintable application.

When you’re done with your DIY bed liner, you should also consider making a DIY truck divider your next project.