My Durabak bed liner coating arrived today, I ordered the tan color off Ebay about a week ago. So I thought I'd post a few notes on it in case anyone else is thinking of using it.
DURABAK is a polyurethane coating with rubber granules mixed in. I was surprised at the texture as it was quite liquid and the granules were smaller than I thought they would be. It mixed up nicely at the consistency in the can with no thinning. I figured it would be thick and hard to stir but not so. The rubber granules in the tan color are white. In the darker colors they use recycled tires.
The use instructions come with directions for applying to bare metal, wood, conrete, and all kind of surfaces so it has many uses and a protective coating or non-slip coating.
It was $119 for the "kit" , all the kit consisted of was 2 rollers and the gallon of Durabak. For that price goggles, gloves, and a paper suit would've been a welcome courtesy
I wasn't sure if I just wanted it on the floor on on the fender wells and sides as well so I taped up and did just the floor to see how it looks.
The first coat is supposed to go on thin and over fully cured paint. My tub is painted with polyurethane so I knew it would be compatible. The instructions say to do a test area. I sanded down and then cleaned up with XYLENE just before painting. You have to use XYLENE for this not paint thinner or another substitute if you don't want to cause problems.
After about an hour it was somewhat sticky despite it being a hot humid night here in Florida and I applied the second coat. In the pics it is not long after being applied so it may dry to a little different color and not be so shiny.
After 2 coats I have more than half left but I only did the floor
in the corners where I couldn't reach I used a foam brush and dabbed the durabak in. That worked pretty good and gave a similar look as the roller if you work at it.
I found that after rolling it out going over it with no pressure on the roller in one direction smoothed it out nicely, I also put the first coat on in one direction then put the second on at a 90 degree angle to the first--side to side and front to back.
I'm pretty pleased with how it went on --it looks good and doesn't have the feel of a "cheapo" solution. I was a little worried after all the work I put into the tub going to bare metal, por 15, chassis coat, then top coat primer, then polyurethane, and now the DURABAK!
After all that I want a good result! But in the long run I think the protection and ease of cleaning will make it worthwhile plus the durabak helps to deaden sound.
Use gloves if you want clean hands for the week following use-its a bit like POR15 in that respect but not quite so hard to clean off afterwards
So now I have 2 coats on it is nearly full coverage I can just make out the paint underneath in a few spots so 1 or 2 more coats tomorrow.
A word of warning with the xylene (XYLOL). Dont get it on any plastic (or rubber?) because it will eat plastic. I had a rag damp with xylene and had set down my handheld police scanner on it somehow and it melted the battery door and case pretty severely!
I'll post the final pics after it's all de-taped and finished
DURABAK is a polyurethane coating with rubber granules mixed in. I was surprised at the texture as it was quite liquid and the granules were smaller than I thought they would be. It mixed up nicely at the consistency in the can with no thinning. I figured it would be thick and hard to stir but not so. The rubber granules in the tan color are white. In the darker colors they use recycled tires.
The use instructions come with directions for applying to bare metal, wood, conrete, and all kind of surfaces so it has many uses and a protective coating or non-slip coating.
It was $119 for the "kit" , all the kit consisted of was 2 rollers and the gallon of Durabak. For that price goggles, gloves, and a paper suit would've been a welcome courtesy
I wasn't sure if I just wanted it on the floor on on the fender wells and sides as well so I taped up and did just the floor to see how it looks.
The first coat is supposed to go on thin and over fully cured paint. My tub is painted with polyurethane so I knew it would be compatible. The instructions say to do a test area. I sanded down and then cleaned up with XYLENE just before painting. You have to use XYLENE for this not paint thinner or another substitute if you don't want to cause problems.
After about an hour it was somewhat sticky despite it being a hot humid night here in Florida and I applied the second coat. In the pics it is not long after being applied so it may dry to a little different color and not be so shiny.
After 2 coats I have more than half left but I only did the floor
in the corners where I couldn't reach I used a foam brush and dabbed the durabak in. That worked pretty good and gave a similar look as the roller if you work at it.
I found that after rolling it out going over it with no pressure on the roller in one direction smoothed it out nicely, I also put the first coat on in one direction then put the second on at a 90 degree angle to the first--side to side and front to back.
I'm pretty pleased with how it went on --it looks good and doesn't have the feel of a "cheapo" solution. I was a little worried after all the work I put into the tub going to bare metal, por 15, chassis coat, then top coat primer, then polyurethane, and now the DURABAK!
After all that I want a good result! But in the long run I think the protection and ease of cleaning will make it worthwhile plus the durabak helps to deaden sound.
Use gloves if you want clean hands for the week following use-its a bit like POR15 in that respect but not quite so hard to clean off afterwards
So now I have 2 coats on it is nearly full coverage I can just make out the paint underneath in a few spots so 1 or 2 more coats tomorrow.
A word of warning with the xylene (XYLOL). Dont get it on any plastic (or rubber?) because it will eat plastic. I had a rag damp with xylene and had set down my handheld police scanner on it somehow and it melted the battery door and case pretty severely!
I'll post the final pics after it's all de-taped and finished
