One of the biggest problems off-roaders face is how to protect their truck's bed from daily abuse. The inevitable scrapes and scratches can definitely be the start of long-term problems such as rust and corrosion.
The first method of bed protection lies in carpet kits and drop-in bedliners. For a few hundred dollars, your truck bed could be protected. However, this quick and easy solution to the bed protection problem has its drawbacks -- rubbing and condensation, either of which could lead to rust and corrosion. Because of this, the fit is not custom and allows the kit or liner to vibrate when the truck is driven. Over time, the vibration points will wear through the paint and expose the bare metal to the elements, eventually causing rust.
In the early '90s, spray-on bedliners came onto the market. These liners offered the first true, custom fit in the bedliner industry. They spray into the truck bed, bonding instantly. The key to this new technology is the airtight and watertight seal. This means no more rub spots, rust, or corrosion in your truck bed. Spray-on bedliners are also maintenance free, and with the growing improvements in the industry, the liners are now offered in a variety of colors and can even be color-matched. The color coats contain or have added UV stabilizers that eliminate fading, including the regular black material for liners.The use of this technology is not just limited to truck beds. The polyurethane material can be used on bumpers, rollbars, rocker panels, trailers, and entire truck bodies. Since the material creates a watertight/airtight seal, it is the perfect finish for boat trailers and boat decks.
Not only are the spray-on liners the best choice in bed protection, they also increase the value of the truck. With all this to offer, the best all-around choice is a spray-on liner. We will showcase three different spray-on bedliners that are available. While all have slightly different attributes, they all end with the same result: saving and protecting your off-roader's body parts.
Line-X
With the price of a good paintjob costing several thousand dollars, why not cover your truck in Line-X protectant? In this application, we decided to protect an entire Bronco, giving it an unusual, custom look. This makes sense if you do a lot of 'wheeling, but hate the damage that it does to the paint.
The Line-X material creates an airtight/watertight shell on the body, making it ten times stronger than paint alone. The durable material can also handle being scratched, unlike paint. If a mishap should occur, any authorized Line-X dealer can fix it good as new.
Another benefit of the Line-X protectant is its ability to damp noise. This old Bronco definitely makes its fair share of noises out on the road, but with this thick coat of material, most of the road noise is blocked out. The material molds precisely to every curve on the Bronco, leaving the shape exactly the same. To top off the Line-X material, a coat of blue ultra shield is sprayed on. The ultra shield prevents the blue pigment from fading or changing colors after prolonged exposure to UV rays.
The skills of Patrick Johnson at Line-X's corporate office in Santa Ana, California, were called upon to handle this labor-intensive, custom job. In a few days, the old Bronco had a fresh new look and was ready to roll.
 1. The first step in prepping...  1. The first step in prepping the Bronco for spray was to remove any bolts... |  2. ...important seat brac...  2. ...important seat brackets... |  3. ...and rubber grommets...  3. ...and rubber grommets that could not be sprayed over. |
 4. After that, the bolts holding...  4. After that, the bolts holding the shell onto the Bronco were removed. |  5. Then, the shell was lifted...  5. Then, the shell was lifted off and set aside. |  6. Next, the front seat was...  6. Next, the front seat was removed after it was unbolted from the floorboard. |
 7. With the Bronco completely...  7. With the Bronco completely stripped, the surface of the inside was scuffed up with a wire wheel. |  8. After the inside was scuffed,...  8. After the inside was scuffed, it was blown out with air to remove the bigger pieces of debris. |  9. Here is a close-up of the...  9. Here is a close-up of the scratched surface. This was done so the material would have something to grab onto, creating a watertight/airtight seal. Since the outside of the Bronco had a fresh coat of primer, it didn't need to be brushed. |
 10. To make sure that the...  10. To make sure that the surface was absolutely clean, it was rubbed down with acetone. |  11. The outside of the entire...  11. The outside of the entire Bronco was cleaned. |  12. To prep the shell, it...  12. To prep the shell, it was lightly sanded. |
 13. After the sanding was...  13. After the sanding was finished and the shell was wiped down with acetone, the windows were masked off to prevent over-spray. |  14. After the shell was finished,...  14. After the shell was finished, the inside of the Bronco was masked off. |  15. Next, the wheels were...  15. Next, the wheels were masked off. |
 16. Since the shell is made...  16. Since the shell is made of fiberglass, it needed to be covered in a coat of primer in order for the material to adhere properly. |  17. Before the Bronco was...  17. Before the Bronco was sprayed, one last check was performed to make sure the inside was masked off completely. |  18. A chemical mold was applied...  18. A chemical mold was applied to the windshield to protect it from over-spray. This mold is easier to clean up than regular masking. |
 19. To protect the belts from...  19. To protect the belts from spray, they were wrapped in plastic. |  20. Wire tape was laid around...  20. Wire tape was laid around the edges where the door panel snaps on. The wire tape made a clean cut after it was sprayed. |  21. Here is the gun we used...  21. Here is the gun we used for shooting the Line-X protectant. It has two hoses, one with material, the other with air to atomize the material as it is applied to metal. |
 22. The Line-X was sprayed...  22. The Line-X was sprayed onto the inside and outside of the Bronco. The material was dry to the touch in 3 to 5 seconds. |  23. The Line-X was sprayed...  23. The Line-X was sprayed onto the outside of the Bronco, bonding instantly to the primered metal. |  24. After the entire Bronco...  24. After the entire Bronco was sprayed, the masking was pulled off immediately. If we hadn't, it would have become very difficult to remove later on as the Line-X cured. |
 25. To remove the over-spray...  25. To remove the over-spray on the windshield, the edges were cut. |  26. Then the mold was pulled...  26. Then the mold was pulled off, leaving the windshield free of over-spray. |  27. The wire in the wire tape...  27. The wire in the wire tape was pulled out, leaving a clean cut for the door panel to be put back into place. |
 28. To prevent over-spray...  28. To prevent over-spray into the interior of the Bronco, the camper shell was reinstalled onto the Bronco. |  29. The Bronco was masked...  29. The Bronco was masked once again to protect against the blue over-spray. |  30. Before the Bronco was...  30. Before the Bronco was sprayed blue, the Line-X protectant had a slightly bumpy texture. |
 31. With everything masked...  31. With everything masked off, the exterior of the Bronco was painted with blue ultra shield. The ultra shield helps prevent fading and discoloring of the paint. |  32. Once the spraying was...  32. Once the spraying was complete, the masking could be removed for good. |  33. The camper shell was removed...  33. The camper shell was removed from the Bronco for one last time and was painted black for a unique look. |
 34. While the paint was drying,...  34. While the paint was drying, the seat and the rest of the hardware was reinstalled. The Line-X was thin enough to allow all the bolts to attach in their original holes with ease. |  35. The camper shell was popped...  35. The camper shell was popped back onto the Bronco, finishing the application. | |
Perma-Tech
If you're looking for liner that can protect in a variety of conditions, then Perma-Tech is the liner for you. It is the perfect combination of impact resistance and cargo stability.
The spray-on liner bonds instantly to the truck bed for a custom fit that won't vibrate. The 1/4-inch-thick coating resists the extreme conditions of the planet so there's no need to worry about it cracking or warping.
The Perma-Tech liner has a droplet-textured surface that helps keep cargo in place. Its super-pliable properties allow the liner to absorb impacts and remain bonded to the bed when dents occur. If it should be damaged, any authorized dealer such as Perma-Tech of Santa Ana can repair it in no time.
All Perma-Tech liners include a UV stabilizer that prevents the color from fading. The liners also come with a limited lifetime warranty that will cover any damages to the liner over time.
 1. In this application, the...  1. In this application, the Perma-Tech liner is going to replace an old drop-in liner. |  2.Once the plastic liner was...  2.Once the plastic liner was removed, the scratches and the rust on the exposed metal could be seen. This was caused from the drop-in liner vibrating while the truck was being driven. |  3.The bed was sanded to remove...  3.The bed was sanded to remove the rust on the surface of the bed. |
 4. After the sanding was complete,...  4. After the sanding was complete, the tailgate was removed so it could be sprayed separately. |  5. Next, the bed was cleaned...  5. Next, the bed was cleaned with acetone. The acetone removed any grease or oil that might have been on the bed. |  6. Once the bed was cleaned,...  6. Once the bed was cleaned, the lines for the liner were set. A wire tape was used along the edges for a clean cut after the liner was sprayed. |
 7. The bed fenders were covered...  7. The bed fenders were covered with paper to protect against overspray. |  8. The rear of the truck was...  8. The rear of the truck was placed into the spray booth and was sprayed with the Perma-Tech material. |  9.After the bed was sprayed,...  9.After the bed was sprayed, the wire tape was pulled, leaving a clean edge on the liner. |
 10.The edges were wiped with...  10.The edges were wiped with acetone to remove any tape residue along the edges. |  11.The drop-in liner has a...  11.The drop-in liner has a smooth surface that allows the cargo to slide around the truck bed when it is not tied down. |  12.The Perma-Tech liner has...  12.The Perma-Tech liner has a bumpy texture that helps hold cargo in place. |
 13. The finished Perma-Tech...  13. The finished Perma-Tech liner seals the bed from air and water, eliminating the formation of any rust in the bed. | | |
Rhino Liner
Rhino Linings' Tuff Stuff polyurethane coating provides a permanent layer of protection that withstands the most rugged conditions around.
The Rhino Liner is sprayed onto the bed, as much as 1/4-inch thick, instantly forming a permanent airtight and watertight seal. The flexible, textured surface reduces cargo slippage and will not crack, warp, or peel under extreme temperatures such as drop-in liners have a tendency to do.
The Rhino Lining is environmentally safe and solvent-free. The maintenance-free Rhino Lining also resists petroleum products, fertilizers, and most chemicals, should they come in contact with it. If an accident should occur and the Rhino Liner is damaged, it can be easily fixed.
When looking to purchase one of these liners, look for authorized dealers such as Rhino Linings of Corona & Norco. They are factory-trained installers who know how to do the job right in as little as three hours.
 1. The first step in the process...  1. The first step in the process of spraying the Rhino Lining was to use wire tape to set the lines for masking. The wire tape created a clean cut when finished. |  2. After the lines were set,...  2. After the lines were set, the sides of the bed were masked off to protect against overspray. |  3. To help the material bond...  3. To help the material bond to the bed surface, a wire wheel was used to lightly scuff it up. |
 4. Here is a closer look at...  4. Here is a closer look at the scuffed surface. |  5. After the bed was scuffed,...  5. After the bed was scuffed, acetone was wiped over the bed to remove all the loose paint chips. |  6. The entire back portion...  6. The entire back portion of the truck was masked off. The front of the truck would be fitted with a reuseable cover once it was inside the spraying booth. |
 7. The truck was sprayed with...  7. The truck was sprayed with a special application gun that controls the amount and the pressure of the material. |  8. Once the bed was sprayed,...  8. Once the bed was sprayed, the material was dry to the touch, and the edges could be cut by pulling the wire tape that was laid down earlier. |  9. After the wire had been...  9. After the wire had been pulled, the masking paper was removed. |
 10. After the masking was...  10. After the masking was removed, a quick wipe down was performed along the edges of the bed to clean up any leftover tape. In this shot, the textured surface that covers the entire bed can be seen. |  11. Here's the finished bed....  11. Here's the finished bed. The material was dry, but it is recommended that the bed not be used for at least 24 hours. This extra day will allow the material to fully cure. | |