Roll on bed liners are the do-it-yourself way to a better looking truck bed and improved bed protection too. We have lived with a do-it-yourself bed liner for about three years now and here's what it took to get the liner on.
The Tools and Materials For A Bedliner
The easiest way to get going is to just get a kit. Herculiner is the leading brand with a kit, but now other liner paint companies offer the one stop material solution.
Consider the paint for starters. Plan on at least 5 quarts for a full-size truck bed. The more the better. That makes sense when you realize that professional liners consist of about 5 gallons of paint. That's 5 gallons, not just 5 quarts. So, don't be satisfied with just a gallon of bed liner paint.
You will need an applicator, preferably a roller and some cheap brushes. Don't worry. As the paint dries, it settles and the roller or brush marks just fade away.
Cleaner is a must, but a simple solution is to just get regular automotive grease and wax remover. That's really the cleaning problem, getting rid of wax and grease.
Then you'll need masking tape, quite a lot really. You do not want bed liner paint anywhere except where it should be. It is so sticky, it's hard to clean it off once you get it where it shouldn't be.
Finally, don't forget the sanding material. That can be sanding paper or it can be abrasive pads. In any case, get plenty to get the job done.
Getting Started Right
Clean surfaces are key to paint that sticks. Getting rid of the old wax and grease is a must to get a coat that sticks. Don't even think about sanding before cleaning. If you do, you drive the wax or grease into the paint. The sanding doesn't get rid of it. That's a sure road to peeling paint. So clean first or else.
Acetone is the right solvent, but it's easy to get as a automotive wax and grease remover.
Sanding For Success
Applying bed liner paint is not the place for fine sanding. It is the place for very aggressive abrasives. See, what you want is a really rough scratched up surface. That's what helps the paint stick, a really rough surface prep. No fine sanding is required or desired.
Application
After the truck bed is clean and sanded, the hard part is done. Actually putting on paint couldn't be easier. Partly because the liner paint is so sticky and so thick. It just levels out and sticks almost like a gel coat. You just roll it on and stand back. The paint levels out as it dries and all the roller and brush marks just fade away. It's easy as pie.
Good And Bad
Applying bed liner paint yourself is a fast way to get a spray-on bed liner look-alike for just a fraction of the cost of a professional model. It really looks almost just like a professional liner but at just a fraction of the cost.
The liner we put on as stood up to hard use for about three years. The bed looks good still, though before lining it was rusty and in sad shape. It is scratched and scarred from use but looks good especially from a few feet away. Here's what to watch for if you choose this route.
There's more to this than just rolling on paint. The preparation is the tough part. Do it right or waste your time.
A coating you put on yourself isn't nearly as durable as a professional spray on liner. That's mostly because it just isn't as thick. The professional liner just consists of much more material.
Especially for older pickups with existing bed paint damage, a roll on bed liner makes perfect sense. After living with a roll on coating for three years, I say it's worth the trouble if you want a cheap bed coating.
Laminating is one of the easiest and most cost effective methods of preserving and protecting important documents. From menus and price lists to posters and children's artwork, laminating has applications in a wide array of businesses and industries. When it comes to laminating film, roll laminating film is the least expensive and most versatile option, but selecting the right rolls for your machine and your specific needs can seem a bit overwhelming. In this post, we'll take a closer look at roll lamination film and learn about the various styles available on the market today.
The Basics
Most roll laminating film is thermal (requiring heat to achieve a proper seal) and made from polyester, though there are specialty films that utilize other application processes, such as pressure sensitive film, or materials, such as nylon film. When purchasing roll laminating film, there are four important factors to consider: core size, film grade, roll width, and film thickness. There are other variables to keep in mind, such as film finish (including clear and matte varieties) and roll length, however these are less critical than the other factors.
Key Factors
Being aware of the key variables (core size, film grade, roll width, and film thickness) between different roll laminating films will help you avoid purchasing film that is incompatible with your roll laminating machine. The core size corresponds directly to the size of the mandrel that holds the film on the laminator. There are three standard core sizes: 1", 2-1/4", and 3". The size of the core often correlates to the length of the roll, since a longer roll requires a thicker mandrel to support it.
The film grade indicates the quality of the adhesive that is used to affix the laminate to the document. Standard film (also called "school film") is a low-cost material that 우리카지노 is ideal for laminating standard 20lb paper with light ink coverage. Pro-grade film is designed for professional use, with a lower melting temperature and more aggressive adhesive that makes it a good choice for digital or offset printing. Additional film grades are also available on the market, including low melt (which has a reduced melting temperature), SuperStick (which has an increased adhesion strength), pressure sensitive (which uses non-thermal adhesives), and nylon (which is designed for single-sided applications), however they are significantly more expensive and are not compatible with all roll laminators.
The roll width represents the width of the laminating film, and is dictated by the size of the machine itself. Rolls are available in standard sizes as narrow as 9" and as wide as 60". Roll laminators cannot use films that are wider than their specified maximum widths, however they can use rolls that are narrower, which means that you can minimize waste when running smaller documents by purchasing appropriately-sized film rolls.
Like laminating pouches, roll laminating film is sold in a range of thicknesses, as thin as 1.5 mils and as thick as 10 mils. This metric represents the combined thickness of the film and adhesive that makes up a single layer of laminating film. Similar to pouch laminating machines, roll laminators are designed to accommodate specific film thicknesses, so it is important to use only the film that your machine can handle. Attempting to laminate with film that is either too thin or too thick will result in improper adhesion and can potentially damage your machine.
Selecting the Right Film
Roll laminating film is often categorized by film grade and/or core size. Once you've navigated to the section that corresponds to the film you're looking for, you'll see that each film roll is listed with three measurements (such as 25 in. x 500 ft. x 1 in.). The first number represents the roll width, the second number denotes the roll length, and the final measurement indicates the core size. In the case of the example, the roll width is 25", the length is 500', and it has a 1" core size.
In Review
Because of all of the variables involved, there are literally thousands of roll laminating films on the market today. As a result, locating the rolls that work with your machine and are appropriate for the type of laminating that you are doing can seem confusing. Knowing a few key details, namely the core size, film grade, roll width, and film thickness, will make selecting the proper film much easier. Most of this information is listed in the owner's manual for your machine, or can be located by doing an internet search using the model number of your laminator. Spending the time to learn about your machine will not only save you time in selecting the right film, but will also help you avoid the costly mistake of purchasing film that is not compatible with your laminator.