Truck Bed Liners: 3 Tips to Make a Smart Choice
Truck bed liners will protect the paint on your truck bed. Who cares? The real problem with hauling anything in your truck is the risk of denting the bed or scratching the paint. Scrape paint off a truck bed and you have the starting point for rust and corrosion. Without a liner, you have to be very careful when transporting anything, even groceries, or you will damage the truck. How can you really use a truck if you always have to be so careful? you can’t. So how do you choose the best bed liner?
cost
You can pay around a hundred dollars for a rubber mat that will do an admirable job of protecting the floor of a truck. She can also spend close to a thousand dollars on a bedliner spray. Each coating will have advantages and disadvantages. For example, the rubber mat is more appropriate for carrying really rough and messy loads, like concrete blocks. But the spray on the liner looks much better. So first consider your budget.
What type of transportation?
For casual carry, a tonneau liner sprayer is just what you need for good looks and durability. But the spray on the liner is permanent, so actually hitting the liner and puncturing it with rough loads leaves permanent damage or requires repairs. For really heavy hauling, a drop in heavy plastic liner stands up to terrible abuse just like a rubber bed mat. The liner or mat is easily replaced and the price is much less than a professional spray liner. A mat is ideal for covered applications such as under a caravan shell or tonneau cover.
Maintenance
Look at the guarantee in a spray on the lining. It’s often a lifetime warranty, but that gives you lifetime repairs, not the guarantee of no damage. Carpet mats are usually waterproof, but the wet mat can rust the underside. If you install drop liner, make sure the bed is draining properly or water can remain unseen under the liner and cause it to rust.
Consider your budget first, and then look at how you’ll use your truck for transportation. Finally, think about the maintenance of your truck bed and then you will be able to choose the right bed liner for your truck.