Truck bed liners

The bed of your truck is where all the action happens– whether you’re hauling, working, or even just hanging out in the sun, your truck bed is where you keep all of your tools of the trade out on the road. It only makes good sense to protect your truck bed with a quality truck bed liner.

Your truck cost you thousands of dollars, and it’s made for heavy-duty use. Why would it need a truck bed liner? Isn’t the truck bed already strong and durable? You might be surprised at just how susceptible your truck bed is to wear and tear without some sort of protective lining. Let’s cover everything you need to know about truck bed liners for your personal or commercial truck.

What are Truck Bed Liners For?

As you can imagine, a truck bed liner is meant to protect your truck bed from scratches, dents, dings, and surface wear as a result of heavy-duty equipment being hauled in the bed. A good truck bed liner can take the abuse of your gear sliding and smashing around as you drive down the highway so your truck itself doesn’t have to.

If your truck bed liner becomes worn out over time, it’s far more economical to replace your bed liner than it is to get expensive repairs performed on your truck bed itself. And, if you’re able and willing to pay for a high-quality truck bed liner, you’ll protect the bed of your truck for years to come without having to replace anything at all. Truck bed liners are essential to the longevity of your pickup truck bed.

Should I Get a Bed Liner?

Why wouldn’t you?

Seriously, your truck is an expensive piece of heavy machinery, and the point of the truck is that it has a spacious bed you can use to haul enormous loads of stuff at once. If you don’t have truck bed protection, and your bed starts to wear out, what good is your pickup truck at all?

Yes, anyone who owns a pickup truck should have a high-quality bedliner installed. Bed protection is affordable and available in a few different types to meet the different needs pickup truck owners have for hauling cargo.

Different Types of Truck Bed Liners

Like any automotive product, there are a few different types of truck bed liners available to choose from to protect the bed of your pickup truck. Depending on the kind of cargo you haul and how often you drive your pickup, the heavier-duty truck bed liners may not be necessary for you. However, cheaper low-end bed liners definitely come with some drawbacks, so you’ll want to consider all the different things you use your truck bed for before deciding on your liners. These are the five most common types of bed liners and what they’re most often used for.

Bed Mats

A truck bed mat is exactly what it sounds like– it’s a simple mat that lays across the bottom of the truck bed to protect the flooring. Truck bed mats are probably the most common type of consumer bedliner as they’re particularly inexpensive, they’re easy to clean, and they can be replaced in a cinch if they rip, tear, or fray. Truck bed mats are sold in automotive product stores all over the country, so you can always get a quick and affordable truck bed liner whenever you need one. Even within this category itself, there are numerous different styles of bed mat products you can choose from.

Plastic Drop-In Liners

A plastic drop-in bed liner is a large plastic piece cut to the size of your truck bed that fits firmly into place around the interior of the bed. A drop-in liner is sturdier than a bed mat, and drop-in liners typically line the walls of the bed whereas truck bed mats only cover the floor of the bed. Plastic drop-ins are more affordable than spray liners, but because they don’t cling to the bed, they create openings where dirt, debris, and moisture can become trapped. As a result, plastic drop-ins have to be regularly removed so you can clean out the bed of your truck.

Roll-On

Roll-on bed liners are chemical coatings you can buy in a can that you paint onto the bed of your truck with a paint roller. The coating hardens as it cures, creating a protective surface over your bed. Roll-on liner products are inexpensive and easy to find at any automotive retail shop, and they’re simple enough that any truck owner can apply one themselves. However, roll-on liners for truck beds are far thinner than spray-on linings and they’re made from lower-quality materials with preservatives that help them sit on store shelves for long periods of time. As a result, roll-on liners don’t offer nearly as much scratch resistance as spray-on liners and they require regular reapplication to ensure proper protection.

High-Pressure Spray-On Bed Liner

A high-pressure spray bedliner is a chemical spray made from polyurethane materials that’s applied to the bed of the truck using a high temperature, high-pressure sprayer tool. This creates an ultra-tough seal around the bed that cures quickly as it cools and forms a thick barrier preventing scratches, dents, and tears. A high-pressure spray bedliner also creates a hard finished surface.

Low-Pressure Spray-On Bed Liner

Low-pressure spray liners work similarly to high-pressure, but as you can gather from the name, they’re applied using a lower temperature and pressure spraying tool. This is sometimes a better solution for trucks with pre-existing damage to the bed, or for older & classic pickups that may suffer damage from the high-pressure spraying equipment itself. Low-pressure spraying has a distinct coarse texture that’s visible to the eye, and it takes a longer time to cure than the higher temperature high-pressure sprays. However, once cured, they can also be covered over with a bed mat or bedrug for further protection.

Which Liner is Best for My Truck Bed?

Ultimately,  spray in liners are the bedliner products that offer the most protection for your bed. However, if you don’t haul much cargo, or if the cargo you do haul is pretty light, then it may n to be worth the price of a professional spray lining to protect your truck bed. In some cases, a good bed mat is enough to keep your bed in tip-top shape. If you’re looking for a little bit more protection, custom-fitted drop-in liners are a good alternative, too, but if you need that much more protection, you might as well shell out the extra cost to install a high-quality spray lining.

Pros & Cons of Mats and Drop-In Linings

Mats & drop-ins are great low-budget options and you can find them both at most automotive retailers. As a result, they’re popular choices for light-use pickup truck owners who don’t need the extra-heavy protection of a spray-on lining. They’re easy to install, and they look decent enough, but they don’t last nearly as long as spray-on linings and they show damage much more easily.

It comes down to how much protection and how much you’re willing to spend on your pickup bed lining. Spray-on linings can protect your tailgate– mats and drop-ins typically don’t. Spray-ons cling to your bed so dirt and debris can’t get under them. Mats and drop-ins let the dirt in. If you’re willing to tolerate the extra maintenance needs that come with drop-ins and bed mats, the choice is up to you. At the end of the day, spray-on linings offer far better protection for the higher price.

Scorpion XO-2 Truck Spray-On Liners

Our bedliner for trucks is made from top-quality polyurethanes that maintain the new look of your truck’s bed for years to come. Our spray-on lining protects your bed from dirt and debris better than any drop-in lining on the market.

Features & Options

Available in numerous color options, you can apply a Scorpion XO-2 spray-on liner for your truck to match any style, and custom coloring is available!

Warranty

The Scorpion XO-2 spray-on liner comes with a limited lifetime warranty against fading, cracking, peeling, and normal wear & tear. Contact our customer service team for any questions or concerns the installation of your new truck bed liner.

Become a Scorpion XO-2 Installer

Looking to start or expand your own business? Scorpion is a national leader in truck bed lining in the United States. There are thousands of trucks on the road with owners looking to protect them for the long haul. Contact us today to learn how you can get started installing Scorpion XO-2 truck bed linings for as low as $249!