Kevlar and Raptor coatings are sprayed-on protective finishes that replace thin factory paint with a thick, textured layer built to resist rock chips, trail rash, scratches and dents. We apply them to Jeeps and trucks in Rowlett — full bodies, fenders, rocker panels, bumpers, bed liners and undercarriages.
Kevlar® coatings use DuPont’s aramid fiber for extra abrasion resistance and go on thicker for maximum impact protection. Raptor is a UV-stable urethane liner with a cleaner texture that tints to a wide range of colors and holds up in Texas heat.
Which one you want depends on how you drive it. For a street-driven truck we usually point people to Raptor. For a trail rig taking real abuse, Kevlar. Tell us how the vehicle gets used and we will walk you through the difference before anything is sprayed.
New to these coatings? Start with what Kevlar coating actually is — the material, what it resists, and whether it suits how you use the vehicle.
Most of what separates a coating that lasts from one that peels happens before any product is sprayed. Below is how we prep: every removable part comes off, nothing gets masked and over-sprayed, and the sanding is done by hand.
How we prep and spray
While it’s common for providers of Kevlar® and Raptor spray-on liners to remove a few items and then tape before spraying, our way is much more comprehensive. We remove every single item that could come into contact with the spray-on liners for trucks and Jeeps before the application.
Why we remove parts instead of masking
Although the industry standard is to drape large areas of your Jeep or truck with plastic and expect over-spray, especially on engine compartments, undercarriages and doorjambs, we stand firm in believing that overspray is not an acceptable practice. That’s why we mask all interior areas of your truck or Jeep, as well as doorjambs and other exposed areas. This way we can provide two levels of protection while giving the engine and wheel wells the same detail.
Hand sanding, not orbital
The industry standard recommends using DA random orbit complete with 80 grit paper for sanding. However, we perform sanding by hand with 50-grit paper. As a result, sanding allows for more attention to detail in hard-to-reach areas and decreases the potential risk of dust blowing into the interior of your truck, Jeep or other vehcile. Adhesion also plays an important role when applying a spray-on liner to a truck or Jeep.
The final wipe-down
It’s best to thoroughly wipe the unit down after sanding with acetone. We also wipe down the unit with MEK after sanding. By using MEK, our team applies a stronger cleaner than acetone that is worth the added cost.
Kevlar Coating for Jeeps
If you actually use your Jeep, the factory paint is the first thing to suffer — trail brush down the sides, rock chips thrown off the tires, and North Texas sun on the hood and roof. A sprayed-on Kevlar® or Raptor coating replaces that thin factory finish with a thick, textured layer built to resist chipping and scratching.
Common Jeep applications:
- Full body — a complete color change in a finish made to take abuse
- Fenders and rocker panels — the first panels to catch rocks and trail rash
- Bumpers — where chips and scuffs usually start
- Undercarriage — undercoating that seals the metal against moisture and road grit
Two of our most-photographed builds are Kevlar-coated Jeeps, one black and one green. If you can picture the color, we can usually tint it. Pricing for a full Jeep starts in the range set out on our Kevlar paint job cost guide.
Kevlar and Raptor Truck Coatings
The same products make a bed liner that is sprayed straight onto the metal, so it cannot shift, crack, or trap water the way a drop-in plastic liner can. We also apply exterior coatings and undercoating for trucks that tow, haul, or spend their time on gravel.
Kevlar or Raptor — which one?
Both are tough, textured protective coatings, and the right choice comes down to the finish you want and how the vehicle gets used. Raptor is a urethane spray-on liner that tints to a wide range of colors. Kevlar® coatings use DuPont’s aramid fiber for extra abrasion resistance. Tell us how you drive the vehicle and we will walk you through the difference before anything is sprayed.
Does it only come in black?
No. Both products are available in a variety of colors, and we can match to your preference rather than limiting you to a stock catalog shade.
What is Kevlar coating?
Kevlar coating is a sprayed-on protective finish that uses DuPont aramid fiber, the same material family used in protective gear, to add abrasion resistance to a vehicle’s exterior. It is applied over prepared bodywork and goes on thicker than automotive paint, which is where the impact and scratch resistance comes from. It is not a wrap and it is not a clear coat. It replaces the finish rather than covering it.
How much does Kevlar coating cost?
Done properly, bids start around $8,000. The spread comes from vehicle size, how much has to come off the vehicle before anything is sprayed, and color work. We break the pricing down on our Kevlar paint job cost guide. A quote far below that range usually means the panels were masked rather than removed, and that shows up at the edges within a year.
How long does Kevlar paint last?
Longer than factory paint in the places that normally get chewed up, and how long depends almost entirely on the prep underneath it. We do not publish a year figure, because an honest one does not exist. A coating sprayed over sound, properly sanded bodywork with the parts removed behaves very differently from the same product sprayed over masked trim and old filler. Rocker panels, lower doors and bumpers are where you will see the difference first, and those are the areas the coating is really there to protect.
Is Kevlar coating worth it?
It is worth it if the vehicle gets used the way the coating is designed for. It is not worth it on a garage-kept vehicle you want to look showroom-new.
Worth it: trail use, job sites, gravel roads, a truck bed that carries tools, anything where the paint is going to take hits and you would rather not care. Also worth it if you want a color and a texture the factory never offered.
Not worth it: if a mirror-smooth finish matters more to you than toughness. Kevlar and Raptor both have texture. That is the point of them, and it is not something to be talked out of disliking. If that is you, a conventional refinish is the better spend, and we will tell you so.
Does Kevlar coating only come in black?
No. Raptor tints to a wide range of colors and is the usual choice when color matters, because it is UV-stable and holds its tone in Texas sun. Black is simply the most requested.
