In 2012, 1.6 million pickup trucks were sold in the United States. In 2013, for every eight new vehicles sold, one of them was a full-size pickup, and 90% of which were built by three manufacturers–Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors.
For many, pickup trucks represent more than a symbol of strength and power. Their utility in the form of moving objects and functionality in completing difficult tasks has proven them to be a standard across the nation.
But for the engine and the size comes an aspect of the pickup truck that is integral and also important: the bed. For those in the construction industry and for others who store tools or transport objects, the bed liner of a pickup truck serves a critical function in keeping materials safe.
An 8-foot bed length is standard in most pickup trucks, with 5.5 or 6.5 foot bed lengths also sold. The bed liner is a protective coating that shields the inner side of the truck bed from damage and creates a skid resistant surface that attempts to keep materials in place. There are two types of bed liners: drop in and spray on/in. This article focuses on the spray on/in variety.
Spray on bedliners come in two classes of material–aromatic and aliphatic–and have two main types of application processes–low pressure (not heated) and high pressure (heated). A bedliner spray gun uses a material called polyurethane, which is used in many other applications such as high-resilience foam seating, durable wheels on roller coasters and escalators, and hard plastic parts like the kind used for electronic instruments.
The value of a bedliner spray gun is that it can create a surface which is as rough or smooth as you want. If applied correctly, the truck bedliners can have a surface that is rigid and protects from dents and scratches, while flexible enough to hold shape when driving over a rough terrain.
The use of a bedliner spray gun necessitates the application of edge cutting tape. There are two types: wire trim and wrap cut tape. The wire trim option involves using a small high-strength cutting filament, connected to adhesive tape, and placed on a surface along a trim line where the coating will be applied. Wrap cut tape allows you to create clean lines during installation, easing the process.
Protecting a truck’s bed liner is a significant investment for owners of newly purchased pick up trucks. The proper bed liner can preserve the value of the vehicle by protecting the bed from scratches and dents and is also useful for transporting goods that may slide around such as tools.
