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How to Buy a Spray-On Truck Bedliner
It's difficult to find useful information regarding spray-on truck bedliners, so I've put together the following information that will help you....a LOT. I highly recommend that you at least read the following information before you purchase a spray-on truck bedliner.
1. The Application Process
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 nicer 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 bedliner dealer can't afford the high pressure equipment, it's pretty expensive.
There is one type of low heat/low pressure application system that you should definitely stay away from. It uses small cartridges that are filled with chemicals. The problem with cartridge based spray-on bedliners is that once the operator pulls the trigger on the cartridge gun, he can't stop spraying until the cartridge is empty. Thus, the operator has very little control over the spraying process. So, the cartridge based bedliner has the low pressure chunky look, has inferior adhesion, and the operator has very little control over the spraying process. By all means, stay away from cartridge based spray-on bedliners such as Qwikliner, Velox, RhinoPro CS, Indy Blast, and SprayMaxLiner. By the way, LINE-X has cartridge products also, but we use them to fill cracks in concrete, NOT to apply a truck bedliner!
The LINE-X application is (and always has been) a heat/high pressure application which is the absolute best application process available.
WINNER: High Heat/High Pressure Application Process.
2. The Bedliner's 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 greatly 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. How about a real life example: Rhino TuffGrip is polyurethane. LINE-X has a 31% higher tear strength, a 53% higher tensile strength, and a 45 degree higher temperature tolerance 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 Premium for use with black bedliners only. Premium has the same benefits as Xtra but costs less! For more information regarding Premium, click HERE.
WINNER: Aliphatic Is Better, (although it's optional).
4. Thickness
One way some of our competitors like to compete is to just lower their price below ours and then spray less bedliner product in your truck. A thin bedliner gives you a slip resistant surface, but it does not give you any impact protection. Also, a thin bedliner is easier to gouge. We don't use such tactics. We ALWAYS apply a thick bedliner that provides the performance that you expect from a spray-on bedliner. (Also, our bedliner thickness must comply with our LINE-X franchise agreement!)
WINNER: Proper Bedliner Thickness.
5. 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 That's Valid Nationwide.
6. 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.
7. Tarrant County Auto Dealerships and Other Bedliner Stores
Unfortunately, many Tarrant County auto dealerships will buy the cheapest spray-on bedliner in order to maximize their profit when they re-sell it to you (not such a surprise, is it?). Don't put money in their pockets by allowing the dealer to install an inferior spray-on bedliner in your expensive truck. You can either tell the dealership that you absolutely want LINE-X or pass on their offer and come directly to our shop.
Beware of what some auto dealerships and some of the other bedliner stores tell you. We've heard all sorts of lines such as, "...it's just like LINE-X", "...."it's better than LINE-X "...I used to work at a LINE-X store". It's nice to know that everyone WANTS to be like LINE-X! Don't fall for their hype, you can only get LINE-X at a LINE-X franchised dealer. You should know that we are the ONLY franchised LINE-X dealer in the Fort Worth area.
WINNER: Those Who Choose LINE-X.
8. The Bedliner Dealer's Experience and Training
Consider the bedliner dealer's experience and training 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! We're in our eighth year of business, we've accumulated a significant amount of experience through the years, and we've attended ALL of the training that LINE-X has offered. In addition, one of the owners of LINE-X of West Fort Worth has been trained by SSPC (The Society of Protective Coatings). SSPC is an authority and sets industry standards for protective coatings. No other LINE-X dealer in the DFW area is SSPC trained and as far as we know, no other spray-on bedliner dealer in the DFW area is SSPC trained either.
WINNER: Dealer Experience, Ongoing Training, Advanced Training.
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 questions, feel free to call us for help.
