Spray on bed liners

[skeets]

Pros..Cons,,, The old Chevy shit the bed, it reached a point of diminishing returns, putting 2500 in to a 4000 truck. So the new one doesnt have a liner and I was thinking about the spray on liners,,, anybody have them , how do they hold up,, you know all that stuff

 

[85Hokie]

Pros..Cons,,, The old Chevy shit the bed, it reached a point of diminishing returns, putting 2500 in to a 4000 truck. So the new one doesnt have a liner and I was thinking about the spray on liners,,, anybody have them , how do they hold up,, you know all that stuff

Skeets,

I got a plastic liner when a gradjamacated HS back in 79.......it was still working fine long after the truck died - never was a fan of spray on.....

now lets move ahead a couple.....of dozen years! - not sure what they cost to spray, but I have a sprayed in bed liner on my new to me 2009 GMC, and I have to say, it is the cats azz - does it slide stuff around, nope - does it gouge sometimes, yes a little. Does it stay in place, yes, no peel ups!

I would not ever go back to the insert liner, crap moved around like a drunk man on ice! Not sure what the cost to get er done in your end of the world, but it will out last the rest of the truck!

 

[RonBoyBX25D]

I would agree the spray in are better than a plastic insert. Depending on your use I started using the BedRug which is a carpet backed foam and it is the best so far for me. It is also easy on the old knees if you are in and out of it. I just put one in my buddies new truck and he loves it too. Good luck with the decision and looking forward to your review.

 

[Little Orange]

Line X spray on, six years old and still in great shape, and lots of loading.
also under coating in good shape too.

 

[Vraz]

I previously had a 2500HD and looked at a spray-in liner. Really liked the look but was leery of the aftermarket installation. To make the liner bind properly, they need to "prep" the bed which essentially means removing paint and turning the bed into a rough surface the liner will adhere to. For any issue like rust, the dealer wont touch it and that gave me pause. Ultimately went with a plastic drop-in liner. Worked well and presumably protected the bed underneath but I never lifted it up to see if it was scuffing the paint or not. Held up to all kinds of stuff including loads of 6-8" rock. Biggest issue was stuff easily moved around in it and the fit of the plastic to the bed is so-so.

Purchased a new 3500HD this weekend with the factory installed spray-on bed liner. As a factory option, my installation concerns went away. Only have a few hours experience with it, but my initial observations:

The fit/finish is very good-- much better than a drop-in plastic line could ever be.

It has a nice tacky texture and items do not shift around as with the plastic liner. This became evident in the first couple trips with a few 40lb cat litter pails. Previously those slid forward/back under acceleration/braking but stayed firmly put with the spray-on.

The spray-in seems to pick up dust/footprints more than the plastic liner. Just walking around in the bed, dusty footprints are much more evident. Its a work truck so I don't care, but a minor surprise.

 

[coachgeo]

Plastic Drop in is the WORST you can do to a truck. If you have one PULL IT NOW and inspect underneath. LEAVE IT OUT. They are known to create HUGE rust issues. Water traps between the plastic and metal and unknown to you cause it is hidden, destroys the metal

Cheap spray on bed liners are cheap and offer poor coverage. Middle of the road cost spray ons seem to do well and spendy ones.... little better.

Only fault I've heard of on any of them is vehicle fire. Once the bed liner catches on fire... give up... you can NOT save the vehicle.

 

[78Vette]

Well.....i've got both. Every truck i had, had the ford plastic dropin liner, but knowing what it does to the paint underneath because of rubbing and trapping water causing bare metal and therefore rust, i decided to get the Line X AND the dropin liner on top of it when i bought my 2012 F150. I like the plastic because i constantly pull boxes and paint cans towards me with a hook i made up and it slides nicely, which would be impossible with the Line X only. Might be overkill, but since i plan to keep this truck much longer then previous ones, it made sense to me.

 

[Ramos]

Plastic Drop in is the WORST you can do to a truck. If you have one PULL IT NOW and inspect underneath. LEAVE IT OUT. They are known to create HUGE rust issues. Water traps between the plastic and metal and unknown to you cause it is hidden, destroys the metal

Cheap spray on bed liners are cheap and offer poor coverage. Middle of the road cost spray ons seem to do well and spendy ones.... little better.

Only fault I've heard of on any of them is vehicle fire. Once the bed liner catches on fire... give up... you can NOT save the vehicle.

IMHO, the above quote is an excellent summary. In regards to fire, who wants a 'previously burned vehicle', anyways.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Get it professionally done with a warranty!

Had several done and if I gouged it or peeled any of it off they fixed it for free, but only did that twice, they are really tough and make it real nice for hauling materials or objects.

The drop in plastic liners are good for one thing... Recycling them into plastic bags!

 

[olthumpa]

I got a professionally done spray on liner with a warranty!

15 years and still counting

 

[Lil Foot]

I have had Linex in my F350 since new (2003), looks great except for two 3/16" scratches from my neighbor's FEL- he set it in the bed, loaded it with gravel, then backed out without lifting it. Not easy to slide cargo in or out on Linex, but cargo doesn't shift either.
I have had (2) plastic liners in the past. No rust problems because both had shells over them. Black one got too hot to touch, white one was great. Both were great for sliding cargo in or out, both terrible for cargo sliding around at high velocity. Tie downs were a must.

 

[car compulsive]

My son and I have had a number of trucks with Line-X and have been very pleased. (Current Ram came with a factory spray-on.) I parked a Line-X GMC next to a co-worker's Chevy with Rhino once and was really glad I went with Line-X. Her Rhino sprayed bed looked like black cottage cheese. The Line-X was much crisper.

If you're thinking about the DIY route, just remember not to touch... (from back in 2000):

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18595&page=1

 

[Tooljunkie]

My son and I have had a number of trucks with Line-X and have been very pleased. (Current Ram came with a factory spray-on.) I parked a Line-X GMC next to a co-worker's Chevy with Rhino once and was really glad I went with Line-X. Her Rhino sprayed bed looked like black cottage cheese. The Line-X was much crisper.

If you're thinking about the DIY route, just remember not to touch... (from back in 2000):

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18595&page=1

Not a good idea to apply without gloves on. Same goes for spray foam. Theres a story about that somewhere too.

Line-x is the preferred on in our area too
One thing, a few guys went a little thicker than normally applied, seem very happy with it.

 

[Howling]

Rhinoliner 19 years and counting

 

[eddiebob]

I bought the Line-X for my 2005 and it still looks good. Ed B

 

[BadDog]

I put Line-X on my '02 2500HD about 2 days after I bought it new. This is not a hard working truck but has never been a soccer mom grocery getter either. It's hauled 1000+ lb iron old school machine tools, AmSec safes weighing in at about 500 lbs and 900 lbs, engine long and short blocks, full size trans and iron transfer cases, 1 ton GM 4x4 axles, all sort of stuff that can really beat on a bed. I was just hosing it out a few days ago before putting on the camper shell for a fully loaded trip to rainy CO and was noticing it looks basically like the day it was put on (except for the Reese 30k 5'er/goose rails). Hasn't faded noticeably, no damage, and it's thick enough it seems to have even kept the bed from getting dented up at all. It wasn't cheap, but I would do it again without hesitation if I ever decide to buy another truck (probably only if this one is totaled). I also knew I would be running a camper shell part time, so had it done over the bed sides single layer, and extra thick (they asked?) down in the bed.

I bought a truck many years ago that had a plastic liner in it since new, but it was warped and pulling away around the sides, and it rattled. It was about 10 years old at the time, entire life in N AL, and when I took the liner out the bed looked like it had spent years in the iron belt salt. Never...

 

[coachgeo]

After research have leaned toward Durabak myself, but not used it yet. The company has more colors available. Also textures can be varied from almost cottage cheese look to anti slip sand like grip. It's used on boats, sidewalks, trucks, steps, handrails and on and on.

 

[nzzshl]

After research have leaned toward Durabak myself, but not used it yet. The company has more colors available. Also textures can be varied from almost cottage cheese look to anti slip sand like grip. It's used on boats, sidewalks, trucks, steps, handrails and on and on.

I am sold on the Durbak products. The bed liner material requires an surface prep for great adhesion........scuff surface with 80 - 100 grit sandpaper. Don't wory about taking more off of the original paint than scratching through it to parent metal. I used air-file pads and did it by hand. At 60 years old at the time, I didn't and still don't think it was an objectionable job. Buy a gallon of Acetone for wipedown after scuffing. Use nitrile gloves for acetone app. Durabak comes in two types, smooth and semi smooth. They achieve the difference by applying finely ground rubber chips to the compound. I like the 4" wide roller. The roller element is similar to the loop (hook) of Velcro. Conventional rolling pan. Vertical surfaces are easy as horizontal....just apply one coat, dry to no-stick tacky then apply second coat. Self smoothing formula gives nice finish. While you're at it, do your rockers to prevent chipping. Nice true colors available. Frog-tape masking, remove tape before coat fully cures, gives nicely crisp lines.

 

[Mike of Southern IL]

Plastic Drop in is the WORST you can do to a truck. If you have one PULL IT NOW and inspect underneath. LEAVE IT OUT. They are known to create HUGE rust issues. Water traps between the plastic and metal and unknown to you cause it is hidden, destroys the metal

Cheap spray on bed liners are cheap and offer poor coverage. Middle of the road cost spray ons seem to do well and spendy ones.... little better.

Only fault I've heard of on any of them is vehicle fire. Once the bed liner catches on fire... give up... you can NOT save the vehicle.

Yep.. they will trap moisture/water underneath and the rusting begins. I mean those plastic liners are pretty tough but stuff does slide around and the above mentioned issue.
Good quality spray in is the way to go. Go with the top names and you'll be fine.

 

[Little Orange]

Line X since 2010, works great, lots of loading and unloading and still looks almost new.