No More Rusty Beds: Why a Spray-In Bedliner Is Important to the Life of Your Truck

There’s nothing quite like a rugged pickup that completes every tough job, and lasts for years. From hauling tools to the job site, to helping your friends and family on moving day, a good pickup truck can serve bigger purposes than most other vehicles. But to keep our trucks in tip-top shape for the life of the automobile, a bedliner is necessary. Here’s why.

Never Skip Bedlining

 Consider what happens to cargo when you haul it in the bed of your truck. If there’s no liner, just factory finishing, every item won’t be secure. Hit a bump in the road, take a swift turn, and your cargo can shift and slide, damaging it or causing load imbalance.

A bedliner provides more grip, helping to keep cargo in place.

And all of that says nothing about what happens to the bed of your truck. As that cargo slides around in the back, it can cause dents and scratches to the factory finish. What looked shiny and brand new can look worn and poorly cared for in a matter of months, if you get good use from your bed.

And then there’s moisture. Assuming you don’t place a bed cover over your truck every time you park it (most people really don’t) there’s the potential for rust to develop in the bed.

That’s the key takeaway: bedliners prevent all manner of damage and corrosion from decreasing the value of your vehicle.

 Spray On Versus Drop In

Spray on bedliners are polyurethane coatings that are, naturally, sprayed directly on the truck bed. Drop ins are shells that fit on top of your bed.

A drop in can be a good option for some, but there are caveats. One is that if your truck is an older or atypical model, you won’t get a good fit. This increases the possibility that water will get trapped between the liner and the bed, causing that rust you sought out to prevent.

The other problem with a less than perfect fit, even on common models, is that the drop in liner can shift minutely over time and cause damage, just as sliding cargo can. It’s not unusual to remove a drop in bedliner, only to reveal scratches and dents beneath. In short, it doesn’t totally prevent damage – it just conceals it.

DIY bedliner paint, on the other hand, is nothing if not completely custom. It fills every contour of your truck bed. It’s longer lasting than plastic or composite drop ins, and works well to reduce noise and vibration caused by beds. Drivers can even choose their color and finish – options are much more limited with pre-fab bedliners.

And rust? It just won’t happen with a spray liner. Unlike the drop in, there’s no way for the moisture to work its way underneath.

Best of all, spray bedliners don’t reduce your chances of getting a good price if you choose to sell your truck. In fact, a good bedliner can help you demand a higher price. For less damage, a quieter ride, and maximum value, a spray on bedliner is well worth the effort.