How to Buy a Spray-On Truck Bedliner

Here's the situation:  You're shopping around for a spray-on truck bedliner and you're trying to figure out what brands are good and bad, what do they cost, why do some cost more than others, etc.  Please allow me to tell you what I think is important when buying a spray-on truck bedliner.  I highly recommend that you read the following information before you make your final decision.  Here are some pointers regarding how to buy a spray-on truck bedliner.

1.  Application Process:  High Heat/High Pressure vs. Low Heat/Low Pressure

A high heat/high pressure application is superior to a low heat/low pressure application.  The high heat (about 140 degrees) lowers the viscosity of the product which enables it to better penetrate the surface which renders superior adhesion.  The high pressure (about 2,000 psi) does two things:  It forces the product into the surface for better adhesion and the final texture of the bedliner looks MUCH better than a low pressure product.  The high pressure texture is more fine (as opposed to chunky) and appears to be much more uniform throughout the entire bedliner.  The low pressure texture is not uniform and looks "gooped on" or "chunky", some say it looks like cottage cheese.  Low pressure is old school, but some dealers still offer it.  Why, you say?  Well first, low pressure products are less expensive and second, it's possible that the dealer can't afford the high pressure equipment, it's pretty expensive.  The LINE-X application is (and always has been) a heat/high pressure application.

WINNER:  High Heat/High Pressure Application Process

2.  Bedliner Base Components

All tires are made of rubber, but tires can have very different physical properties because there are different rubber compounds.  Some tires are soft (performance) and some tires are hard (truck/off road).  Bedliners sort of work the same way, they may have similar base components, but their physical properties can vary.  Most spray-on bedliners are either:  100% polyurethane, 100% polyurea, or a hybrid of both polyurethane and polyurea.  The best product for spray-on truck bedliners is a hybrid.  Now, a hybrid may not be the best product for all applications, but for truck bedliners, a hybrid is what you should buy, here's why:  Both polyurethane and polyurea give the bedliner desirable properties.  Polyurethane has two to three times the abrasion resistance of polyurea.  Polyurea gives the bedliner a higher tear strength and higher temperature tolerance.  The LINE-X bedliner product, XS-100, is a polyurethane/polyurea hybrid.  Now, I don't want to confuse the matter, but keep in mind that all hybrids are not the same, some are stronger than others.  How about a real life example:  Rhino TuffGrip is polyurethane.  LINE-X has a 31% higher tear strength and a 53% higher tensile strength than Rhino TuffGrip.  That's a HUGE difference, LINE-X is WAY stronger!  (Data per Rhino TuffGrip Data Sheet from Rhino Linings USA.)

WINNER:  Polyurethane/Polyurea Hybrid

3.  Fading

Most standard spray-on bedliner products are "aromatic".  Basically, that means that they are sensitive to UV light from the sun which causes the bedliner to lose its gloss and fade over time.  The opposite of "aromatic" is "aliphatic" which means it's not sensitive to UV light and thus is more color stable.  There are aliphatic urethanes available, but high quality aliphatic urethanes are more expensive than aromatic urethanes.  So, if you care about how the bedliner will look over time and you don't plan on putting a tonneau cover on the truck (which would shield it from the sun), then you might want to consider some sort of aliphatic product.  LINE-X offers an optional upgrade called "Xtra" which is an aliphatic product.  It's fade resistant, more chemical resistant, won't lose its gloss, is fortified with DuPont Kevlar, and is available in black or any other color.  If you want to read more about Xtra, click HERE which will take you to my LINE-X Xtra page.  UPDATE:  LINE-X now has a second UV resistant coating called Aspart-X for use with black bedliners.  Aspart-X has the same benefits as Xtra but costs less!

WINNER:  Aliphatic Is Better, (although it's optional).

4.  Warranty

The warranty is very important and often overlooked.  If you develop a problem with your bedliner, I bet you would like to be able to have it conveniently repaired.  Most spray-on bedliner brands will offer you a "lifetime" warranty.  However, the warranty is typically only valid with the dealer that applied the bedliner.  So, if that dealer closes or sells out, you have no warranty!  LINE-X was the first to offer a limited lifetime warranty that's valid at ANY LINE-X dealer across the nation.

WINNER:  Lifetime Warranty Valid Nationwide. 

5.  Chemical Quality

I decided to include chemical quality although you're probably not going to be able to research this.  I want you to be aware that there are high quality and low quality bedliner chemicals out there.  Low quality bedliner chemicals won't cross-link well (causes the bedliner to be weak), won't adhere to the surface well, and will fade a lot faster.  The old cliché "you buy cheap, you get cheap" certainly applies here.  LINE-X uses only "top shelf" chemicals.  You cannot buy higher quality chemicals than what you get with LINE-X.

WINNER:  High Quality Chemicals.

6.  The Bedliner Dealer

Well, I've mentioned five aspects regarding the bedliner product, but you should also consider the bedliner dealer's experience, training, and talent.  Most licensed professionals are required to have annual continuing education.  LINE-X dealers are offered ongoing training on an annual basis also.  We are taught the latest techniques and advised of the latest products at our annual "Global Dealer's Conference".  Do all bedliner brands offer continuing education for their dealers?  Absolutely not!  Applying a bedliner product is more or less an art.  It takes practice and a bit of talent to do a good job.  We've been in business for about seven years and most of our current employees have been with us for at least five years!  They have plenty of experience, training, and talent.  I also suggest that you call around or maybe visit some bedliner shops.  Ask questions and see how they respond to you.  Chances are, you will or will not become comfortable with them.

WINNER:  Dealer Experience, Training, and Talent.

Well, I hope that helps!  Use the information above to choose which spray-on bedliner product and dealer is right for you.  If you have any question, feel free to call us for help.