Bed prep if getting spray in liner???

[brooksman9]

How much effort needs to go into the bed for paint etc. if you are going to get a spray in liner? Do I need to paint or just prime the bed? I don't want to strip the while thing to bare metal like I plan to do with the rest of the truck before painting. I'm thinking rough it up and get any loose stuff out would be good enough. Sound right?

 

[waterpirate]

Are you doing the bedliner? If so follow the directions on the can plus some. If getting a shop like linex to do it, call them and ask.
Eric

 

[brooksman9]

Haven’t decided yet. Did read that even if painted it needed to be scuffed up before adding the liner so I figured why wast a lot of time and money getting perfect and painting.

 

[Randy and Easton]

we primed ours, scuffed it up after sealing seams and did Rhino liner. Came out great and still beautiful a year and a half later.

Randy and Easton

 

[Camar068]

I use my truck bed mainly for just hauling the average stuff and hauling deer.

With that said, I wanted the bed floor to be easy to slide stuff across it. Sliding a deer across gritty bed liner is just more labor at my age. So I decided to paint it with Rustoleum 2x Painters Touch gloss black. If I see bare metal or want to touch it up, I'm done in about 10 minutes....45 if I want to coat the whole thing again with 3-4 cans.

{edit}To scuff it up I used the purple scotch brite pads. Took me about an hour to scuff it to accept paint.

Just a thought

 

[Camar068]

just thought about it, but if you wanted to strip it you could use Citristrip from walmart. Spread it on a little thick, then put saran wrap on top of it (will keep the citristrip from drying). let it sit overnight and come back with a scraper or brush. Depending on how much paint is on it you'll be surprised at how easy it "wipes" off.

Citristrip is the bomb with that technique. Try a small section in a corner to see what your getting into.

 

[CalSgt]

Hows about a picture of your bed before I weigh in... The condition of the existing paint and steel makes a big difference in what prep should be done.

Are there dents?
Big scratches and gouges down to bare steel?
Is the seam sealer dried up and breaking loose?
Is the paint flaking up?

most importantly, what are your expectations for the final product? Show truck, general use, or just not ugly and scraped up?

 

[brooksman9]

Thanks for the replies. Give a few days to get some pics. I am painting the inside of the cab at the moment and everything is stored in the bed.

 

[TotalyHucked]

We just went through this with mine. I thought I scuffed the bed really well but the guys that did the spraying spent another couple hours sanding before they cleaned and sprayed it. Whatever you think is enough, keep going lol. Keep in mind, this is a brand new floor and tubs with just EDP on them. And still had to sand that much. Below is what I did with various 80-120 grit paper and sanding blocks

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[TotalyHucked]

And this is them working with more 80-grit. It did get down to bare metal in several places, we spray etching primer on those prior to spraying

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[brooksman9]

That looks good. That's why I'm thinking the etching primer is good enough and no need for paint beforehand.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Nah, you don't need to paint the whole thing. Just no bare metal. That's still out of the box EDP on the floor and tubs and 35yr old original paint everywhere else. Obviously make sure it's wiped down real good afterward so it all sticks

 

[CalSgt]

And this is them working with more 80-grit. It did get down to bare metal in several places, we spray etching primer on those prior to spraying

I've watched a few videos of bed liner pro's using course nylon bristle cups on an angle grinder to scuff truck beds before spraying. Seems like they're all newer beds with real nice shiny paint though.

 

[custodian]

I'm looking at spraying my bed, short bed, with a liner. Approximately how much, quart wise, should I buy? I know you need a certain gun to spray it, will buy that too.

 

[CalSgt]

I'm looking at spraying my bed, short bed, with a liner. Approximately how much, quart wise, should I buy? I know you need a certain gun to spray it, will buy that too.

I've only used Raptor liner (U-Pol brand) I bought from Amazon, some of the kits come with a schutz gun.

U-Pol says a gallon kit is enough for a truck bed.