Truck liners perform the necessary function of stopping damage to pickup beds. Really use a pickup truck and you must have some type of protection or you suffer the consequences.

Truck liners stop damage that is a normal result of just using a truck for light hauling. Several options exist for truck protection. Here are some of the options and how each best fits in certain circumstances. From custom spray coatings to simple bed mats, each works best in certain ways.

Spray On Coatings For Permanent Solutions

The premium bed costing solution that comes to mind first may usually be a spray on bed liner. If premium means expensive this choice will lead the list most of the time. But with a spray on coating, you certainly get a custom, finished appearance and of course every liner is a custom fit.

These liners are after all a paint coating but the paint has special characteristics. The material contains texture that gives it some thickness and cushion as well as rugged good looks. What the coating gets you is a two part paint that goes on with a spray gun and then dries almost instantly. That is an advantage mostly to the applicator. It means your truck only has to be at the coating shop for a day or two and then is ready for normal use very quickly.

Prominent as an advantage is that life-time warranty. That’s possible partly because the coating is thick. It can be damaged but it takes serious effort to scratch through the paint and make it to the bed itself. That’s because the coating may be as much as 5 gallons of volume and that’s the reason for the thickness.

Then There’s The Plastic Bed Liner

Plastic drop in bed liners are all but impossible to damage. That makes for a liner that really is suited for hard use. Certainly it is excellent protection for scratch prevention. But it also makes for almost a perfect stop for dents too.

These tend to be much less cost than spray coatings but every bit as tough and easy to change as well if you need a fresh liner or just get tired of looking at the one you have.

Padded Carpet Bed Liners

Under truck bed caps or tonneau covers, carpet liners work especially well. Need cushion for cargo? Carpet works perfectly. It also stops sliding loads as well. Then again, if the way you use a truck requires knees on the bed, carpet also makes for great knee protection at the same time it saves cargo and the pickup bed.

On the other hand, carpet is clearly not the best option for hauling greasy, grimy loads or chemical loaded messes. It cleans up well, but who needs a grease soaked carpet that may stay that way for a long time?

Cheap Roll On

Get a coating much like a spray on liner for a lot less money by doing it yourself. Truck bed paint can really fix up the appearance of an older damaged pickup. Not as durable as a professional coating, a roll on bed liner may be plenty good enough for many uses. It’s easy to put on, but don’t skip proper surface preparation or the liner may turn loose.

Roll on liners offer a coating that looks like spray on but cost far less.

Truck Bed Mats?

Here’s a thought…

Simple bed mats, whether carpet or rubber, protect just about as well as any other option. But the cost is nearly nothing. Even over expensive spray on liners, mats offer added protection that excels especially at stopping dents tot the floor of a pickup bed.

No matter what you want to spend, bed liners can be just the answer to stopping damage to a pickup box or an expensive liner as well. Truck liners let you use a truck for hauling and still keep it looking as it should.

Author Bio: Check out the article about truck bed mats for your pickup. Bed mats protect more expensive liners too for very little money. See the pickup bed mats article for tips to get the best bed mats for pickup protection.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: truck liners