Roll-On Bedliner
Kits & Coverage
vs Spray-In

It depends on the job. Rust-Oleum's Truck Bed Coating is the cheapest at $79.99 a gallon. Herculiner's $109.99 kit includes the tools and cures fully in 24 hours. For a truck parked in the sun, an aliphatic kit such as Monstaliner is the safer pick, and Al's Liner builds the thickest DIY film. No independent test we found ranks them all.

About one gallon for a 5.5–6 ft bed in two coats, according to Herculiner, Dupli-Color and Monstaliner. For an 8 ft bed, Herculiner and Dupli-Color say to add a quart; Monstaliner says 1.5–2 gallons. Add about a quart to coat the rails. High-build kits such as Al's Liner, at 44 sq ft per gallon, need more.

Claims vary. Tractor Supply's Rust-Oleum listing says up to 4 years per application, Monstaliner guarantees 5 years against fading, and Durabak claims 10 to 15 years. Herculiner owners report anywhere from about one year to eight, with careful prep and a UV topcoat at the long end. Professional liners from LINE-X and Rhino carry lifetime warranties.

Spray-in is thicker: professional floors are typically 125 mils or more, against about 10–40 mils for most roll-on kits. Roll-on is cheaper and something you can do yourself. For light use or a truck you won't keep long, a well-prepped kit is a fair choice. For daily work, heavy loads or constant sun, spray-in is usually worth the extra cost.

U-POL says its 4 liter kit covers about 125 sq ft, which it calls enough for a full-size pickup bed, in two medium coats. If you roll instead of spraying, the film builds lower and U-POL says additional coats will be needed, so a 1 liter kit, about 30 sq ft, is a sensible backup for an 8 ft bed.

Yes, you can roll it with an open textured roller, but rolling builds less film, so plan on extra coats. To spray, U-POL calls for 40–60 psi with a Schutz-style undercoating gun, about 45 psi with its Raptor gun or about 29 psi with an HVLP gun. Allow 60 minutes between coats at 68°F and 7 days before regular use.

Clean off heavy dirt, scuff every painted surface and wipe the bed with xylene, acetone or MEK. Brush the corners and seams, roll the rest, then apply the second coat 1–4 hours after the first. Herculiner is dry to the touch in 2 hours and fully cured in 24. Apply it between 32°F and 95°F.

Yes, with limits. Herculiner's FAQ says to use a polyurethane-based paint within 24 hours of the liner becoming dry to the touch, and never to use lacquer. If you've missed that window or simply want a color, a tintable liner such as Raptor or Monstaliner, or a colored professional liner, avoids painting over the texture.

Herculiner doesn't publish a waterproof rating. It's a polyurethane truck bed coating, and like any coating it keeps water off the metal only where it's well bonded and unbroken; owners report peeling within a few years when prep was poor. For anything that holds water, choose a product whose maker rates it for that use.

You can, but it takes a lot of cans. Dupli-Color's 16.5 oz Bed Armor aerosol covers about 25 sq ft, so a 60 sq ft short bed needs two to three cans per coat by our arithmetic. Dupli-Color positions the aerosol for corners, seams and touch-ups alongside its gallon kit, the more practical way to do a full bed.