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Herculine
Your Jeep's Interior |
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If
you've ever been wheeling, then
you've gotten your Jeep's interior
dirty a time or seven hundred.
And whether it's Moab sand or Arkansas
mud, it's never easy to clean.
That's why I decided to coat my Jeep's interior with a pickup truck-style
bed liner. I got a quote from the local Rhino Liner shop…about
$500 for the whole job. Somewhat steep, but worth it in the long run I thought.
Then, by chance, I came across a product called Herculiner.
It's a do-it-yourself bedliner solution that is brushed and
rolled on rather than sprayed. Of course I was skeptical about quality, durability,
etc., but after doing some research on the web, I couldn't find a single negative
comment from people that had used the product. And at approximately $90 for the
whole kit, I had to try it.
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The Herculiner
kit comes with a gallon of Herculiner textured
polyurethane coating (enough to cover a 6 1/2-foot
truck bed), a paint can opener, a 2” application
brush, two rollers, a roller handle, an abrasive cleaning
pad and complete installation instructions.
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The first step is to prep the surface.
I had a head start on this part since I had already stripped
the interior when I repainted the entire rig. However, there
was still a bunch of glue and Velcro on the floor from the
old carpet and the beginnings of some rust spots on a couple
of the body seams. A simple way to get rid of both was an
abrasive wheel that goes on the end of a drill. It took about
45 minutes to sand away all the crap and surface rust.
After that, you'll need to do a quick once over with the
included ScotchBrite pad to scuff the entire surface and
ensure good adhesion between the liner and the surface you're
coating. |
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Next you'll
want to mask off the areas you don't want to cover. I used
blue painter's tape and it worked great. It's also a good
idea to jam a wad of tape into any open bolt holes to prevent
the herculiner from coating the threads and making it impossible
to reinsert the bolt.
At this point your interior should be sanded, taped and free of gunk. Take a
minute here to clean the surface with Acetone or Xylene. Now you're ready to
start applying the liner. A quick bit of advice I learned the hard way: wear
rubber gloves. This stuff is thick and doesn't come off easily…good for
your Jeep, not good for your skin.
Pop open the can with the included opener and mix the Herculiner thoroughly.
The rubber particles sink to the bottom during storage and need to be stirred
up to create a consistent mixture.
Pour a generous amount of Herculiner into a standard paint tray
and begin brushing the material into the corners of the vehicle. I would advise
starting at the firewall and working backward toward the tailgate. Rather than
brushing the material on like paint dab the liner into the corners, this will
give the liner a textured finish.
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When the seams have been coated, begin
rolling the liner onto the flat areas. As you roll, apply
a generous amount of material to the surface, but don't expect
full coverage on the first coat. It's normal to see a few
bare areas initially.
Once the first coat is tacky (approximately 2 hours) it's
time to apply the second coat. This coat should be quite
a bit easier than the first coat. Again, start by coating
the seams, then move to the flat areas. This time, make sure
the entire surface is coated well.
Let the second coat dry (again for approximately 2 hours) and check for any spots
you may have missed, then carefully remove the tape peeling slowly at a 45-degree
angle to cut a crisp line.
If you haven't missed anything you're pretty much done with the application.
Step back, pat yourself on the back and feel good about getting a $500 liner
for just under $90. Not bad for an afternoon's work.
Get
your Herculiner Kit here. |
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