spray in bedliner advice
5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 42
Likes: 17
From: SE Mich
I guess it all depends on what you use the bed for. If ultimate durability is a concern, then by all means, Line-X is great, and I hear Rhino is just as good (but I have no experience with it). For me, I don't worry about fading since I keep a tonneau cover over it all the time anyway.
On my last truck, I went with the Line-X, and it held up great, and looked as good as it did one day one when I sold it. However, the installers didn't do a very clean job of installing it. I had overspray in a couple spots and inside open holes in the tailgate which got liner sprayed on parts of the tailgate step. This time, I went with factory spray liner, and it is 100% perfect looking. No overspray, nice clean lines at the edge of the bed. It's only been a few months, so no telling how well it will last.
On both trucks, the small gaps in the front of the bed still let small slivers of light through after the liners were installed. I assumed this was for drainage, and it drains well when I wash out the bed.
On my last truck, I went with the Line-X, and it held up great, and looked as good as it did one day one when I sold it. However, the installers didn't do a very clean job of installing it. I had overspray in a couple spots and inside open holes in the tailgate which got liner sprayed on parts of the tailgate step. This time, I went with factory spray liner, and it is 100% perfect looking. No overspray, nice clean lines at the edge of the bed. It's only been a few months, so no telling how well it will last.
On both trucks, the small gaps in the front of the bed still let small slivers of light through after the liners were installed. I assumed this was for drainage, and it drains well when I wash out the bed.
Cross-Country
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 72
Likes: 36
My 2021 f250 had the spray in bedliner from factory. It held up pretty well. After months of sliding steel pallets (about 3500 lbs) in and out with forklifts, it did chip in some spots. But still held up better than i thought it would.
If you’re going to be loading stuff in and out or doing any type of “truck stuff” with it, do the spray in liner. Drop in liners are fine if you’re not going to put in any weight and rubber mats absolutely suck if you’re loading real heavy as stuff doesn’t like to slide.. which sounds like a good thing , but it’s not.
as an added benefit, in my experience the spray-in liners provide more grippage & seem safer to walk on when rainy compared to bare metal.
If you’re going to be loading stuff in and out or doing any type of “truck stuff” with it, do the spray in liner. Drop in liners are fine if you’re not going to put in any weight and rubber mats absolutely suck if you’re loading real heavy as stuff doesn’t like to slide.. which sounds like a good thing , but it’s not.
as an added benefit, in my experience the spray-in liners provide more grippage & seem safer to walk on when rainy compared to bare metal.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 292
Likes: 25
I have a Rhino in my 2003 F150 that I installed back in 2003 and a Line X in my 2004 Dodge 2500 that my father in law installed back in 2004. Rhino was a softer material and has held up better than the Line X. I don't abuse my trucks but I do use them to haul mulch, lumber, lawn mowers, etc. I'd probably go with Rhino again but would also consider the cost if there was a big difference between the two. I still have both trucks 20+ years later.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 856
Likes: 270
From: SoCal
I've always used Line-X or had the factory spray-in liner and added some kind of bed rug for my knees. Always thought it would be cool to have an "older" truck with a perfectly painted bed. So this time I did the full bedrug bedliner over the painted bed, no liner. If I have the truck in 5 or 10 years I'll pull it out and bam, just like new. We'll see!
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 779
Likes: 427
That is one of my issues with spray in. You have to ruin the perfect bed in your new truck by sanding it down, in order to spray gooey spray paint that doesn't provide dent protection, and you've ruined the item that you are trying to protect. A plastic liner, at least the ones that I've had, still looks nice when you remove it.
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8th Gear
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 8
Likes: 2
After I posted, I watched a video of the prep for the liners. When I saw the sanding step, I thought that's pretty much what I'm trying to prevent, so decided against it. I wound up hauling some fencing, so now the bed is already slightly scratched up, and I think I'm going to get a bed mat to hopefully minimize damage going forward.
On that note, going from one of the above posts, I was looking at Rough Country and one of the "things you might also be interested in" items was floormats. I've always had waterproof floormats with a lip on my other vehicles. Here, it's mostly for snow/ salt that comes in on your boots when getting in, so it needs to be sort of cupped to contain the salt water that melts off as you're driving. I can't tell from looking at their pictures, so does anyone have any experience with them, especially snow/ salt? Mud is more viscous and won't really move much from where it falls on the mat, but the saltwater sloshes after it melts, so needs a decent lip on the sides and back.
On that note, going from one of the above posts, I was looking at Rough Country and one of the "things you might also be interested in" items was floormats. I've always had waterproof floormats with a lip on my other vehicles. Here, it's mostly for snow/ salt that comes in on your boots when getting in, so it needs to be sort of cupped to contain the salt water that melts off as you're driving. I can't tell from looking at their pictures, so does anyone have any experience with them, especially snow/ salt? Mud is more viscous and won't really move much from where it falls on the mat, but the saltwater sloshes after it melts, so needs a decent lip on the sides and back.
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