For whatever truck I buy I would like to get a bedliner for it. Spray in looks nice but kind of a process to install. Should I paint the floor of the bed since itll be an older truck and probably have scratches then install a liner? All advice is appreciated.
bedliner types pros cons and best brands
- Thread starter ram_man
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Go with a spray in liner, like Linex. You won't regret it.
My liner (Linex) is 14 years old and still looks great. I've hauled thousands of pounds of crushed concrete, rocks, gravel, mowers, tillers, aerators, etc., and still have no damage to the liner.
My liner (Linex) is 14 years old and still looks great. I've hauled thousands of pounds of crushed concrete, rocks, gravel, mowers, tillers, aerators, etc., and still have no damage to the liner.
LineX seems to be a really popular one up here.
JHZR2
Staff member
Even if I did a drop in, or a bed mat, Id still do a spray-on first. Junk truck or not, pay for quality or you may regret it.
Spray on is the best. My truck has had it for 15+ years and has seen many camping trips, firewood, hauling engines, scrap and everything else you can think of and it still looks good. Its faded from black to grey but it is still not tore up. Plus cargo does not move around like on the plastic liners.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Even if I did a drop in, or a bed mat, Id still do a spray-on first. Junk truck or not, pay for quality or you may regret it.
ive never done it so I am a little worried about doing it myself. Im looking a truck tomorrow im hoping it works out because I really like it. I just want to protect the bed from tearing and such.
Even if I did a drop in, or a bed mat, Id still do a spray-on first. Junk truck or not, pay for quality or you may regret it.
ive never done it so I am a little worried about doing it myself. Im looking a truck tomorrow im hoping it works out because I really like it. I just want to protect the bed from tearing and such.
Spray in is the way to go. If that's a bit to involved just throw down a rubber bed mat, who cares if the bed gets scratched up its a truck.
i had a plastic slide in liner. did not like it a spreader bar would NOT hold. now i have none. i think a spray in would be good.
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Even if I did a drop in, or a bed mat, Id still do a spray-on first. Junk truck or not, pay for quality or you may regret it.
ive never done it so I am a little worried about doing it myself. Im looking a truck tomorrow im hoping it works out because I really like it. I just want to protect the bed from tearing and such.
Im all for DIY, but IMO you should pay a pro who knows how to best do the prep and get the spraying right. Otherwise it could be a real mess. And any bubbles or inconsistencies will become rust spots.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Even if I did a drop in, or a bed mat, Id still do a spray-on first. Junk truck or not, pay for quality or you may regret it.
ive never done it so I am a little worried about doing it myself. Im looking a truck tomorrow im hoping it works out because I really like it. I just want to protect the bed from tearing and such.
Im all for DIY, but IMO you should pay a pro who knows how to best do the prep and get the spraying right. Otherwise it could be a real mess. And any bubbles or inconsistencies will become rust spots.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2026
I have Line X in my current truck and love it. Wears very well.
On an older work truck, especially one you plan to keep working, a professional spray in is not worth it. You're looking at $500 for a name brand. It will protect the bed, but it's just a waste of money on a truck that isn't in pristine shape.
You can get used drop ins for next to nothing for any common truck on Craigslist all day. If the bed is scratched up already, I would repaint before installing a drop in as it may aggravate the situation and grind stuff into the existing scratches.
If you do proper prep, follow directions, and take your time, Herculiner and Duplicolor Bed Armor DIY kits can come out really, really good. I doubt they will last as long as a Line-X or Rhino, but you can probably get 5+ years.
The spray can stuff is a waste of money. If you DIY, roll it on. The spray cans are for Jeep guys to paint little odds and ends...they do not hold up to truck bed use at all.
I have had two Line-Xs. First one held up really well on a truck that didn't do a ton of hauling. I did have a couple spots fixed under warranty that a junk Ford 9" diff took out, but it looked really good when I sold the truck.
My current truck has one too, sprayed on around 2004, so it's about 10 years old now. Looks like a bomb went off back there. Would probably take a respray to fix everything, BUT this truck has seen some pretty rough use. There are numerous tears and rips, it has faded some, and it does have some chemical stains. Overall though, I would say it has protected the bed. I like the texture of the material as well. It still looks good from a few feet away...
If you do go for a pro spray in, check them out before deciding. Line-X is flexible, but harder than Rhino. Rhino has a more rubbery feel. Neither is better or worse, it's a matter of personal preference and what you will be hauling.
Drop ins do a better job of preventing dents than any spray in, but they can do nasty things to the paint on the bed, especially up north where salt may find its way in.
You can get used drop ins for next to nothing for any common truck on Craigslist all day. If the bed is scratched up already, I would repaint before installing a drop in as it may aggravate the situation and grind stuff into the existing scratches.
If you do proper prep, follow directions, and take your time, Herculiner and Duplicolor Bed Armor DIY kits can come out really, really good. I doubt they will last as long as a Line-X or Rhino, but you can probably get 5+ years.
The spray can stuff is a waste of money. If you DIY, roll it on. The spray cans are for Jeep guys to paint little odds and ends...they do not hold up to truck bed use at all.
I have had two Line-Xs. First one held up really well on a truck that didn't do a ton of hauling. I did have a couple spots fixed under warranty that a junk Ford 9" diff took out, but it looked really good when I sold the truck.
My current truck has one too, sprayed on around 2004, so it's about 10 years old now. Looks like a bomb went off back there. Would probably take a respray to fix everything, BUT this truck has seen some pretty rough use. There are numerous tears and rips, it has faded some, and it does have some chemical stains. Overall though, I would say it has protected the bed. I like the texture of the material as well. It still looks good from a few feet away...
If you do go for a pro spray in, check them out before deciding. Line-X is flexible, but harder than Rhino. Rhino has a more rubbery feel. Neither is better or worse, it's a matter of personal preference and what you will be hauling.
Drop ins do a better job of preventing dents than any spray in, but they can do nasty things to the paint on the bed, especially up north where salt may find its way in.
So what maint. should be done for my pickup with a plastic slide-in liner? Don't want to get rust between the bed and liner.
Originally Posted By: Donald
So what maint. should be done for my pickup with a plastic slide-in liner? Don't want to get rust between the bed and liner.
Up north I would suggest periodic removal, cleaning, and painting of scratched up areas if necessary. That's something you could probably do once every 2-5 years depending on how heavily they salt your area and how much dirt the truck is exposed to.
I think WeatherTech makes a rubber mat type product that's designed to be sandwiched between the bed and the drop in to prevent scratches and movement.
So what maint. should be done for my pickup with a plastic slide-in liner? Don't want to get rust between the bed and liner.
Up north I would suggest periodic removal, cleaning, and painting of scratched up areas if necessary. That's something you could probably do once every 2-5 years depending on how heavily they salt your area and how much dirt the truck is exposed to.
I think WeatherTech makes a rubber mat type product that's designed to be sandwiched between the bed and the drop in to prevent scratches and movement.
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My plan is to go withiut a bed liner until I'm about to sell...then spray one in.
Originally Posted By: suspiciousmind
My plan is to go withiut a bed liner until I'm about to sell...then spray one in.
Thats what my boss does with his personal trucks. Uses the bed as he sees fit without worrying about scratches and the like. Before he sells them he has a spray in done. I dont know if it has helped any but I know it didnt hurt anything.
My plan is to go withiut a bed liner until I'm about to sell...then spray one in.
Thats what my boss does with his personal trucks. Uses the bed as he sees fit without worrying about scratches and the like. Before he sells them he has a spray in done. I dont know if it has helped any but I know it didnt hurt anything.
I'll muddy the waters here a little. I used the Herculiner roll on bedliner product. Have had excellent results from it. Have slid in a lot of pallets, drums of oil, etc on the stuff and it still looks good. Key to using anything like that is prep, prep, prep. You prep it right, and it will take longer to do that than actually put the product on. Total outlay for the product was around $100 for two coats. Nice rough texture that prevent stuff from sliding around. May not be the greatest thing on the planet, but it sure does a good job. One thing nice, is that if it does discolor over time or gets a lot of scuffs, just wash off the bed and apply another coat for about $50.
I bought a used 2001 Ford Ranger in 2011 that had a bedliner in it. I think the person never took the liner out. When I pulled the bed liner this is what I found:
Line-X spray in liner (over the rail) + rubber bed mat. Have had this combination for over 15 years and love it!!
IMO there is no contest between the plastic drop in style and the spray on liners like Line-X( best IMO ). The spray on kind win hands down. At least for a decent truck. You are going to buy a real beater as I recall( $1500 )so a drop in may make more sense financially.
Drop in liners let dirt, water, debris, etc... under them where it gets trapped and they vibrate which eats away at the paint and leads to rust. They are very slippery as well. Just don't like them. Used to run them before spray on became available then swapped to Line-X and it is a million times better. I always ran a rubber bed mat on top though as the spray on liner is rough and can scratch stuff( I used to make cabinets and do finish carpentry and it was [censored] on the wood - brutal on duck decoys as well ).
Again though, for you, a drop in probably makes the most sense as you talked of buying a real turd on wheels that you won't care anything about.
Now, if this was even a halfway decent truck and you would have a cap or tonneau I might suggest a BedRug. That is what I ran on my last 3 trucks and I love them. Not only do they look good, are easy on cargo, but they are tough as heck( you can haul construction material, wood, dirt, stone, etc... and it even holds up to chemical spills ). They clean up very easy too. If I ever get a truck again I will run a BR.
Drop in liners let dirt, water, debris, etc... under them where it gets trapped and they vibrate which eats away at the paint and leads to rust. They are very slippery as well. Just don't like them. Used to run them before spray on became available then swapped to Line-X and it is a million times better. I always ran a rubber bed mat on top though as the spray on liner is rough and can scratch stuff( I used to make cabinets and do finish carpentry and it was [censored] on the wood - brutal on duck decoys as well ).
Again though, for you, a drop in probably makes the most sense as you talked of buying a real turd on wheels that you won't care anything about.
Now, if this was even a halfway decent truck and you would have a cap or tonneau I might suggest a BedRug. That is what I ran on my last 3 trucks and I love them. Not only do they look good, are easy on cargo, but they are tough as heck( you can haul construction material, wood, dirt, stone, etc... and it even holds up to chemical spills ). They clean up very easy too. If I ever get a truck again I will run a BR.
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