Let me start by stating that I bought and applied the Raptor Spray-On Bedliner approximately 3 months before this review was written and I am 100% completely satisfied and happy with the results. A little more background info...I have painted 3 or 4 other bedliners in the past using different brands, including Rustoleum and Rhino. Raptor is by far the best so far. I am also nothing more than a guy who likes to do things for himself. I'm not a mechanic or professional "car guy" in any way. In fact, aside from changing out my own head light bulbs, I won't touch anything else on my truck. I'm also not a contractor- my truck gets used for hauling things frequently, but not on a daily basis, so I probably but it through a moderate amount of abuse, but not intense, daily abuse.
Ok, to start, I chose this Raptor kit after reading many reviews and watching several online "how-to" videos. In the past I used brushes and rollers to do the job, but I was never fully satisfied with the results- look and durability. I wanted to try the spray-on method to see of it would turn out better. I'm glad I did! Also, I applied this liner to a 2013 Chevy Silverado short bed that was new to me and in great condition, not a beater truck by any means.
VERY IMPORTANT- prep is the most important part of the job so DO NOT get lazy and cut corners!!!
I started the job in the morning by removing the already installed drop-in plastic liner and sanding down the bed and bed walls. I did not apply to the tailgate as it had the plastic portion installed already and removing it to spray in the Raptor meant having to mess with the wiring for the backup camera and I wasn't interested in doing that.
I used a Ryobi cordless sander and a Black and Decker corded electric hand-sander to remove the paint. I probably went a little too far down in some areas and exposed the bare metal, but not a problem because I also sprayed in a couple coats of U-Pol Acid Etch Primer #8. But before that, I washed out the bed with TSP and water followed by a wipe down with Acetone and then taped off all parts I did not want getting painted. Blue painter's tape worked just fine. I also wrapped most of the rest of the truck with plastic painter's tarps so that no mist or paint got on any part of the truck I did not want it on. Once the bed was sanded down, cleaned, taped off and primed, it was on to the bedliner.
I chose the Raptor brand because of the spray-in feature, but I did not have an air compressor. I had planned on renting one for a few bucks, but my neighbor had one I borrowed. Nothing heavy duty, but enough to reach the recommended PSI (60??? double check the directions). I also had to buy an adapter (3 or 4 bucks from Advance Auto) because the supplied gun was not compatible with the compressor hose. Not a big deal and easily addressed. Spraying in the liner was easy, but it took me a little bit to get the hang of it. Definitely watch a few videos online to see how others did it. My kit came with 4 bottles of liner and 1 bottle of activator. Make sure you wear gloves- I did not and I paid for it with black hands for a week or so. Follow the directions that come with the kit for mixing and then paint. Its a simple process...make slow, smooth passes with a slight overlap. The first coat should be light and you can go heavier as you do more coats. I think this kit gave me 3 or 4 coats. When I painted in the liner, I actually ran out of daylight as I finished the 3rd bottle. As a result of rushing and trying to finish the job before the sun went down, that last coat was not sprayed evenly and when it dried, there were light and dark splotches that looked like I used 2 different shades of black. Not a problem. The next day I sprayed on a final top coat with the 4th bottle. I took my time, moved slowly and smoothly and in the end everything looked great.
I did not use haul anything in the bed for about 2 weeks after spraying in the Raptor liner. I don't remember what the directions recommended, but whatever time frame was, I gave it a couple more days to be extra careful. In the end, I am extremely happy with the results and definitely recommend this product to anyone thinking of doing their own bedliner. It was very easy and in the end mine came out looking almost professional grade., All told, including buying the primer, tape, adapter, tarps, etc. I paid less than $200 for a bedliner that would have cost me hundreds more to be professionally sprayed in. It took me just over a day to do and 3 months later, it looks as good at it did the minute I finished and I haven't noticed any wear whatsoever. I hope this review helps and good luck!
| Manufacturer | U-POL |
|---|---|
| Brand | U-POL |
| Item Weight | 5.9 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 10 x 10 x 10 inches |
| Item model number | UP0820 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 820_BOX_WGUN_FBA1 |
