What is your opinion on a bed liner?
 

I have enjoyed all the different ideas/opinions on many subjects.
How about this one? I will be doing my bed next week. When doing the inside of the bed, what do you like and why? A spray-in liner? paint with rubber mat? plastic liner? I will be hauling things in the back, but only occasionally.

Thanks for the opinions

I hope to line mine some day. Just remember, when loading on a lined bed be careful because they have very good traction and things catch and can potentially cause gouges. But that's why you get it done with a life time warranty!

Check out a truck that has a spray in liner. You may want to go that route.

spray in liners are definitely the way to go. they won't rip like a rubber mat, or sand the paint like a drop in kind. plus since they adhere to the truck, they are not removeable, adding to the resale value, if you decide to get rid of it. they are easy to clean, and since they are of a rubber compound, they have very good skid resistance. when i get my truck done, that is what i'm having put in the bed. the sides are 1/8" thick, and the floor is 1/4" thick. excellent investment, in my opinion

the guy who owned my truck before me(my cousin) used the undercoating stuff in the one gallon cans....it's the same idea as the spray...'cept it's not sprayed in:p

you can put it on with a brush or roller. he did it a couple years ago, and they are still no chunks out of it and it goes as hard as rock. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow, cuz it's dark outside now.

Jason:canada:

i Vote Paint in Liner ... I had 2 trucks so far and 0 prob 1 st wuz 2000 GMCSWB and now 2003 GMC LWB ..this one has a nice Leer Cap on..so now rain or snow .. we have over 120" snow this winter .. i paid $99 at K mart for the 03 .. perfect .. so NO spray on .....

How much does it cost to have a rhino liner sprayed in. A girl I work with just bought a new dodge 4x4 and it came with the rhino liner sprayed in as a dealer option. Looks awesome. I was thinking about getting it done. What sort of prep do they do?

I like spray in for durability and protection but if you show it, I like body color paint. I'm repainting the inside of my bed this spring. I have a rubber mat on the floor now.

I talked to a rhino liner dealer years ago and he told me at the time the prep work was roughly the same as it was to prep a car for paint.

Mike they charge about $400 and all they do is scuff the paint for adhesion.

So the best bet probably would be to have bed blasted first? I'll probably pick up a pressure pot this year for outdoor blasting.

Blasting isn't really necessary. Call your local shop and ask them how they specifically prep it.

Thanks for the replies. I was also thinking spray in liner until one person down the street said it looked cheap. He was building a show truck so I can see why he would go with painted. I will use this truck, so I need some sort of liner. I have been reassured again of the best way for me (Liner). Thanks Again

They can tell me whatever they want but I know that I have two fairly weak substrate layers that I wouldnt trust to not peel away from the underlying metal given time. I'll blast it clean, prime it and then take it down to get sprayed. That way I know the foundation will be solid.

When you say you know you have two fairly weak substrate layers, do you have a rusty floor or some holes in it?

This is a 35 year old truck that was used as a truck during its lifetime. Its got the original paint on the floor of the bed thats spotty in most places and downright gone in others and has been painted over with POR15 chassis paint ( not the UV sensitive stuff you usually see in the stores ). The surface prep was pretty thorough but wasnt fantastic prior to the chassis paint application as it was never intended to be permanent topcoat. It looks good but I wouldnt trust it to hold on for 10 years or more. With a heavy rubberized topcoat I could see it bubbling up especially given the VERY wet winters we have here. Blasting it down to bare metal and using a suitable primer on it will only help . Believe me. Ive done stuff like this before.

A freind of my husband, runs the line-x here in hollister. He did my 71 longbed. It looks really good. We had the bed sand blasted when we did Landon's cab. Don the line-x guy charged us $250.00. All the prep work that he did was tape it off. Then he shot it, I would vote sprayed on.

I'd definitely go with the spray in or brush on liner instead of a plastic form liner or rubber mat. The problem I have with the plastic and rubber type liners is the fact that they trap moisture and dirt under them, ultimately leading to a trucks worst enemy......and I'm not talking about the EPA!!!!

You definetly have to sand blast the bed first,All the spray on bed liner outfits in town folded up because all the liners they did peeled, cause they didn't prep them right, that stuff doen't stick to the paint that great it will peel, and besides it's really only as strong as the paint it sitting on. The only place left thats doing it is one guy who sand blasts the box first, your dead on the money mikep,Myself personaly I tossed the idea around of spray on, the box was sand blasted painted with epoxy primer, and I bailed and went for the paint,It looks nicer more original,and doesn't look like a cover up, paint it and then just put in a painted peice of plywood, if your hauling something, Don't mean to offend any one that has already done it,It's just I seen to many that didn't stand up,cap it and truck outfitters two big names got out of the spray on business for that reason, and don't forget what it would be like to get that out of your box if you wanted to, try to sand blast that stuff out.

Thats right. That lifetime waranty is only god for the lifetime of the business that did the work. I hope to live longer than that.

New here.

I would go with the spray in liner. They look better, more resistant, and just all around are best choice. Also if I am not mistaken you can get them in different colors.

I redid the oak in my floor and when i want to haul stuff had too sheets of plywood cutinto the shape of my box and sprayed with armadillo coating works pretty good and when u go to shows u have a nice oak floor to show off!

Mike,
It would probably be best to blast it first. On the new trucks they just scuff the paint and spray the liner, but mine they took down to bare metal (PO was house painter, the floor was already down to bare metal from ladders and paint cans sliding around).

Welcome Lowered1!

Thanks. I would of started a new thread for my introduction but I will do that when I get my new project, I mean truck. Hopefully today that will happen.