Bed Liners -- Spray On Or Not?

I just wanted a simple rubber truck bed mat. Spray on bed liners are all the rage, so even warehouses for the auto parts store no longer carry much in the way of simple liners. Spray liners work, but there may be better. It partly depends on how you use a pickup truck as well as how much you want to spend.

If looks matter, it's hard to beat spray coatings. Firstly, there's the custom fit. It has to be since it's painted on. That really matters especially for older trucks or low sales volume trucks. In many case a drop in plastic liner or a carpet BedRug or other types of liners may well not be available for your truck at all. Secondly, there's the color since it's now either a match or at least a blend and not just basic black. There's more...

There's the guarantee for another. It's often for a life-time. How could this be? How could a truck bed liner be guaranteed for life? There must be some trick. Easy...

It's paint after all. Scratch it; gouge it; tear it. It really doesn't matter. Just simple surface prep and a quick recoat and you're back in business. See, it's not that it cannot be damaged, the installer will just respray it. That's the fix. Problem is, until you make it back to the installers, you drive a damaged liner around. Then you wait while it's in the shop.

That's why not everybody goes for the "top" choice in linings.

Some opt for plastic liners. Some prefer the look. Others prefer the thick, tough plastic that's almost impossible to harm. Then there's the dent protection that's better than most any other liner choice.

Of course for the really frugal, there's the lowly rubber bed mat. No impressing anyone with the looks of these. It's just a cheap mat after all. Funny thing is, these show up over many a professional spray on liner. Why?

It's simply as tough a coating as can be put in a truck bed. Able to absorb hits, fight scratches and scrapes and do it for next to nothing. It's a sensible option for really rough work.

Bed liners are for looks but there's the hauling too. Especially for really nasty messes, spray on liners take a second to cheaper, tougher options. Plastic bed liners as well as simple truck bed mats are certainly worth a closer look.