Spray can bedliner on aluminum toolbox ?

Are there any success stories on painting an aluminum treadplate toolbox mounted on truck bed ?
I have looked on youtube and there are several that do it but I have seen ZERO follow up stories as to if it worked worth a hoot .

I just like the look of the bedliner finish but when I was shopping for one for the new Tacoma none were to be found . And since I have carpeted the inside and its a pretty decent toolbox I don't want to sell it for a loss and start over .

Surely this isn't rocket science rite ?

Skuff it good , maybe use self etching primer ? , and paint the darn thing with whatever spray bedliner Walmart has . ? Rite ?

I know some of you fellas have been down this trail so would you mide helping an old dude out here .

My truck is white so black its gotta be .

I just don't wanna be the guy who has a sheet of the bedliner fly off going down the road only to land on someones windshield and cause the mother of all pileups !


MM

 

I tried spray can bedliner only once, so I am not an expert. My results were unsatisfactory--the liner was much softer than the professional stuff.

 

the spray can stuff is junk, people will try to tell you to clear coat it but it is still soft junk and turns to total crap out in the sun. The only durable DIY bed liner is the real stuff like Monstaliner.

 

the canned spray on bedliner is not worth it. I am in the process of stripping off all of the spray can bedliner from my bumpers and re doing it in herculiner, which is a roll on bedliner, just did my rear bumper in it and did the suggested 2 coats. It is thick and feels just like the professional spray on stuff. I can't tell you about the longevity, but I can tell you from the start it is 100X better than that spray on stuff I used in terms of the quality of coverage and feel, IHMO

 

I have had decent luck with duplicolor bed armor on bumpers before. Held up fine, but did fade, and was tough to clean after a trip through mud. Best bet though is a 2 part bedline like upol raptor liner (or similar). For aluminum, the key is that it needs to all be sanded clean first. Aluminum forms a protective oxidized layer, and paint doesn't like sticking to that layer... so either need to sand it off, or chemically treat with something like an acid prep and alodine.

 

You know I wondered about dirt staining it or just hard to clean . I have a set of mudflaps I made on my 4 wheerler trailer from aluminum tread plate and sprayed with the Rustoleum bedliner . Its staying there ok but always looks dirty now that I think about it . Think I will pass on the project .

Thanks guys .

MM

 

the Rustoleum brand undercoating stuff is rated pretty horrible on AMAZON it remains wet and tacky, this is unusual for rustoleum products ive had luck with the paints.

 

Spray can bed liners suck. They look and feel nothing like a professional coating like Rhino Liner or Line-X. Obviously it's hard to get krylon chunks to come out of an aerosol can.

I would take it to a Line-X installer and ask how much they'll charge. I bet it won't be much. Probably worth it for it to last and look good. My honest guess would be around $200 for a tool box.

 

I have had good success with this combo with a catch.


I have this on my sliders and aluminum roof rack for over a year and have not had any chipping or pealing. I also have it on my winch bumper and front skid plate.

There is no problem with the self etching primer at all there is though with the bed liner. You have to have all your stuff prepped and ready to use. I would call it use once and done. Even if you only use a little bit the tip and beyond will be clogged. I have many almost full cans that will just spurt out the liner and make more of a mess than help out.

When spraying the liner you have to shake it about 10x more than regular spray paint and when you start spraying it helps if you make exadurated up and down movements. This helps keep the flow going, otherwise it will still clog up. knowing this and using this method it will work and will be rock hard once it dries. My sliders get used and I do have to touch them up when the bottom gets scratched up on rocks. Once touched up it looks good as new. It's kind of a waste but so far I have not been able to use a can more than once.

 

You can buy a DIY kit called raptor liner that comes with a spray gun,my best friend uses it on flatbeds and bumpers he builds as his business so I know it works,think a lot is like 130 from a auto paint store

 

I took mine to a local place that did mine with armadillo bedliner. They only did the outside and charged me $100. It was worth every penny. Thought I had a picture of it but now I cant find it.

 

Thread revive here. Just gonna give future searchers some advise. Most toolbox's are top coated with a polyurethane powdercoat. If you want to paint it and make it stick, you have to buff it with a fiberglass finger wheel, then wipe it with medium-dry thinner. This softens the urithane to the point that paint will stick to it.

 

Forget the spray can and roll on stuff, unless you want it flaking off and looking like crap. Spend the extra and have it professionally done at your Line-x or Bullet liner dealer. Had mine sprayed today and it looks nice. Will post pics tomorrow.

 

Here a photo of my tool box after spraying with Line-X.