Question:

The weather is getting cooler now. Most days are below 70 degrees, and I don’t have a heated garage. Can I still apply your bedliner products and have them cure properly?

Answer:

Many of the coatings supplied by Diamondback Linings are temperature activated. Your specific coating may (or may not) be affected by ambient temperature, but it all depends on what product you have. For most of our SL&C brand DIY applied coatings which are 2:1 mix, you can anticipate a longer cure time in general at temperatures below 75° F. You may also need to wait much longer between coats in addition to putting your vehicle into service.

Some individuals build a warming grid with several heat lamps to both warm the truck bed surface before and after spraying truck bed coatings. Radiant heat like this is best to promote overall surface warming and can avoid the need to heat your entire garage. The best time to setup this type of solution is before you spray these coatings since it’s more effective at the time the products are initially mixed than later.

If you are unable to warm the surface, you may find that the coatings take several days to harden. In temps lower than 60° F, it isn’t unusual to find that it takes up to 5 days for the coatings other than polyurea to fully cure. They will eventually cure, but can take a lot longer to do so.

Our pure polyurea, cartridge applied coatings are not affected as much by temperature, and cure in under an hour. These coatings can be sprayed at lower temperatures, but do need to be preconditioned to temperature over 80° F before spraying. You need to store the cartridges themselves in a warm environment at least 4 hours before using.

Certain application rules apply for temperature activated coatings whether applied in hotter or cooler environments

• The vertical surfaces should be “thumbprint tacky” where it is soft and tacky, but does not come off significantly on your finger when touched lightly before additional coats are applied
• At lower temperatures, you may notice it takes more than the typical 2 hours between coats on the vertical surfaces
• As always, horizontal surfaces can be applied as thick as you like in a single coat
• Our DIY products actually cure faster the thicker they are applied, which is opposite of coatings which dry by evaporation

Something of note, is that a slow cure rate, along with high humidity can sometimes create amine blush when product is cured. This is a slightly waxy and/or oily surface residue. This is not a problem, but you should remove it with denatured alcohol or mild detergent and water before the next coat to avoid any possible adhesion issue. This usually just shows up after the product cures, not while still tacky, so if applying additional coats then, it is not an issue.

For any specific product question, please feel free to get in touch directly at 855-545-4900 extension 902 for Sales Support.