A truck bed liner is usually made out of rubber or a hard plastic. The liner is put in the bed of the pickup truck to prevent the bed from getting rusty, getting scratched up or otherwise damaged by the cargo put on the bed by the truck owner.
Pretty straightforward – its main job is essentially to add as a protective covering. Make no mistake; if you are a pickup truck owner you probably would put all sorts of stuff at the back of your truck. In fact, you probably don’t even think all that much as to the cargo that you are hauling.
Your main concern is to get from point A to point B and this is usually the case with most pickup truck owners. The problem with this is that most of the time you may be loading stuff in your truck bed that may scratch the metal finish of your truck. The scratching effect may not be obvious because when you are going down the highway 50 to 60 miles per hour, you may not be aware of all the motion at the back of your truck.
Why do you need a Truck Bed Liner?
The problem is if you lay down something heavy or worse yet, something that could roll around, the more motion in rolling happens in your bed, the higher the chance that your bed’s surface will get scratched. It’s only a matter of time and the worst part to all of this is that Mother Nature is working against you. How come? Any kind of moisture, we are talking about rain or dew or even snow, would actually trigger the rusting process of the metal of your truck bed’s metal surface. Now, you may be thinking, how can this be?
I have a strong paint finish on my bed, it looks thick, well, never underestimate the power of a rolling motion to chip away or compromise the external finish of your paint. Even if you have slathered on a really thick acrylic paint that seems like it can take a tremendous amount of punishment, you will be surprised as to how quickly it would crack or expose the metal underneath.
This usually happens because the paint is subjected to extreme heat and cold. Once it goes to several seasons it can chip or crack fairly easily and the worst part to all of this is that you are the last person to know because you are just zipping along on the highway with a heavy load at the back, you are probably listening to some music and just enjoying the trip. Little did you know that all the while your paint is being compromised and there is enough chips, dents and scratches on the metal exterior at the top portion of your pickup truck’s bed that rust sets in. If you’re installing a tough plastic liner, you may need a cordless power drill and specialized screw heads for this process.
Unfortunately, once rust happens you are going to be a day late and a buck short. I know that sounds pretty discouraging but it’s true because no matter how you look at it, you are probably going to be out of few hundred dollars in either refinishing the truck bed lining.
That or you are going to have to get a truck bed liner after you have painted your truck bed’s surface, so why go through that unnecessary financial hardship? Make no mistake – refinishing a truck bed the right way can cost you a few bucks. If you’re going the DIY route, familiarize yourself with the chemicals used in spray on liners.
We are not talking about beyond money here. We are not talking chump change. This is real money. So if you want to save those dollars and cents, listen up! There is a better alternative. Maybe thinking at this point that getting a truck bed liner for your new pickup truck seems like some sort of luxury.
Why it’s Worth It
Well, it may seem like it on the surface but when you look at how you’re going to be using your vehicle whether it’s a 4 x 2 or 4 x 4, it would probably dawn on you fairly quickly that you will need a truck bed liner, either you will need it immediately or you probably would need it a few years down the road regardless you stand to lose a lot more money and letting mother nature inflict all sorts of punishment through the four seasons on your truck bed’s exterior than buying a truck bed liner.
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The best part? You don’t have to pay a several hundred dollars upfront. You don’t have to do that. You can just whip out your credit card and pay for your best DIY truck bed liner over several months. It is an investment that definitely pays for itself because when you look at all the possible damage that your truck bed exterior can experience and the cost it would take to repaint or refinish, it should quickly dawn on you.
The conclusion should actually be quite obvious as the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is definitely the case when it comes to truck bed liners. The good news is that they come in a wide variety of designs just make sure that you pick a thick-enough design made of the right composite plastic material that would be able to handle all sorts of climactic variations whether you are in the dead of winter or involving a thick sleet or snow, or you are in the harsh heat of the summer, your truck bed liner choice should be up to the job. Don’t forget about your retractable tonneau cover to maximize the length of your trucks liner lifespan.
Once you get that taken care of, you can quickly figure out for yourself that this is probably one of the best investments you will ever make when it comes to your pickup truck.