Duplicolor bedliner application - Thought i would do a DIY on my Dupli-color Bed Armor Kit. You will need.... 1- Dupli-Color kit 1-HD scotch bright package with 2 pads 1- ...

Thought i would do a DIY on my Dupli-color Bed Armor Kit.
You will need....
1- Dupli-Color kit
1-HD scotch bright package with 2 pads
1- small can of Denatured Alcohol or Acetone
1- roll of 1" Blue painters tape
A bucket of water
A few rags
And some rubber gloves
And 1 full day of nice weather to complete along with some beer of choice.
Total cost for me was $125.
I will say the directions in the kit are pretty good with color pictures supplied as well.

First thing first. The kit is put together very well except for the supplied scotch bright pad. There is no way that it can scuff the whole bed, It barely touches the paint to begin with. Trust me the HD pads will be much easier on you in the end.

The first step i did was to wash the bed out with some car wash soap to remove any oils so when scuffing it does not spread all over the bed. However you wash your truck normally will be fine.
The next step that I did was to pull the tailgate off and removed the 9 plastic covers in the bed. I pulled the 3-13mm bolts out of the tailgate. I did not remove the Tgate protector only because i masked it off.

Here's were things start to get fun. Masking off can be done how you choose. I wanted my bed rails to be done so up front by the cab, I used a tape measure to determine how much of the rails i wanted to be covered. I went 3 3/4" from the inside edge of the bed out.

Once you have everything masked off you can start sanding. It does not take to much effort with the HD pads to get the job done. Here's a couple comparison pictures to show just how well these pads work. Good prep work goes a long way in making the liner stick.


NOTE: the little pad in this pic is the one from the kit. Once you see the HD pads you will see why they work better. I forgot to get a pic of the HD pads before i used them.

After all the sanding was complete. I washed the bed out again with car wash soap and a rag. I then let it dry in the sun ( this is a good time for a beer break) before wiping everything down with the Denatured Alcohol.
I did the tailgate first. Don't worry about getting everything covered the first time. I was a little worried about the look of the first coat, but the next 2 coats will even out really nice. Just be patient. And keep a bucket of water and a rag close to clean up any messes you make

Here's a pic of the first coat.

And the second coat. You can see the texture is more even in this pic.
I did the first coat in the garage to help me see the coverage only because my truck color is so dark to begin with. But i pulled it outside and let it dry in the sun for an hour to an hour and a half . Good time for lunch and another beer or 2.
Coat 2 went on much more even and thicker. I also did it outside to help me see all the spots i missed on round one. The stuff dry's pretty quick in the sun so work fast.
I only did 2 coats on everything but i still have a 1/4 gal left. Which is more then enough to do another coat plus touch ups in the future.
Here's my finally product pictures.



I pulled the tape off the next morning just as a precaution to make sure it had time to dry well enough not to peal off my finished hard work.
Hopefully this helps you out in making a decision on DIY or having it done somewhere. I couldn't justify spending $600 on a Line-X. Any questions are welcome, and local guys are more then welcome to come by and take a look at it.

Looks good. Looks a little thinner than one that's sprayed in by a dealer on the bed rails. Any more pics of that?

Good write up.

Great article! I will definitely need this soon, that's the next mod I need done ASAP.

Where did you find that particular Armor Kit? Did you have to buy extra material in addition to the kit itself?

Thanks guys. I'll try and get a closer pic of the rails. But yes it is thinner then the spray on stuff. Of course I'm sure that could be made up with a few more applications.

Looks good. You Will have to let us know how the durability is.

Post back in six months to a year. See if you're still satisfied.

Sorry it's taken so long. But here is a better pic to show how thin it is compared to the spray on stuff.

Looks great.Good job,I've been thinking of doing mine by myself.I would be spraying it however just because I already have the compressor and I can buy the gun for $30.00. Material would be around $150.00.So thats a long way from the $650.00 plus they want around here.Just have to wait for some warmer weather.

allterrainjoe wrote:Looks great.Good job,I've been thinking of doing mine by myself.I would be spraying it however just because I already have the compressor and I can buy the gun for $30.00. Material would be around $150.00.So thats a long way from the $650.00 plus they want around here.Just have to wait for some warmer weather.

I sprayed mine a year ago and it's been great. Every bit as good as the one I paid $500 to have sprayed on my last truck.

Just a couple of helpful hints: The prep is everything. Spend the time to do it right and it will be easy. Have everything totally ready before you start. Once you add the catalyst, it doesn't take long for it to start thickening. You might even consider only mixing half at a time. Also, get a good respirator. That stuff is nasty.