The Best Truck Bed Liner Maintenance Tips

Your truck should look as good as it functions. While the pick-up is meant to haul more than just people, its bed can eventually become damaged and deteriorate.

A bed liner protects the paint and metal or plastic insert found on the inside of the bed. Even the best truck bed liner is meant to take hits and is incredibly tough, but they should be looked after and cared for as much as you care about the rest of your truck.

Let's take a look at maintenance tips you should observe in order to have the best truck bed liner you can!

What to do before your spray-on bedliner appointment

The best way to make a bed liner last it with the right preparation work. Just like painting a vehicle, you must make sure some things are taken care of before the liner is applied.

Bring the truck bed in relatively clean

Clean your bed with soap and water is the first step in maintaining a beautiful bed liner. Ensure all the nooks and holes are completely free and clear of dirt, mud, sand, or whatever else may have gotten trapped in from your daily duties.

Remove any kind of accessories that have been installed in the bed:

Toolboxes, Ratcheting Cargo bars, drop in bedliners, bed mats, bed covers (If you don't have the means to remove them communicate to the spray on bedliner professional that these items are present).

24-Hour Rule

Make sure that your schedule doesn't demand that your bed is in use for 24 hours after the appointment. You’ll want to give your new bedliner enough time to set.

How to get the most out of your bedliner protection and keep it looking show room fresh.

Hauling Tips

• When hauling large items try not to drag the items across the bedliner. The bedliner is much harder to scratch than paint but it is still possible to scratch. *Scratches don't mean the bedliner isn't still protecting the bed, it just takes away from the looks.
• If you are a heavy user or just know you are likely to throw or drop heavy cargo into your bed, pick up a cheap bed mat to lay in the bed. The spray on bedliner will protect the bed from heavy use but it can show wear from heavy cargo being thrown into the bed.
• Avoid hauling paint: Any spilled paint is likely to be there for the rest of the life of the spray on bedliner. If you spill paint on the bedliner clean it off immediately. An aerosol can of Brake Clean is your best bet to minimize paint stain.
• If you need to get a load of mulch, dirt, gravel plan on washing the bed out in the next day or two to keep dirt from being embedded into the bedliner.

Clean Up After the Job

Chemical spills can eat away even the best of products. Wipe, clean, and wash away whatever may spill in your bed.

A 24 pack of exploded soda can be easily tackled with a soapy spray down. Do the same for sharp pieces of rock or metal shards from the week's project. Avoid stacking heavy products on top of unswept parts of the bed that can piece your liner.

Cleaning is important in all aspects of your life. Your bed liner is no different and will treat you good as you treat it right!

Get a truck bed cover

The bed cover will reduce UV exposure to the bedliner. Depending on the bedliner type you purchase your bedliner can dull out over time.

For those looking to maintain the pristine look of a newly sprayed LineX bed liner to show grade quality, a tonneau cover will do just that.

Pull the cover over your bed and seal out rain, snow, sleet, and heat. UV rays can weather to look of any bed liner over time. A tonneau cover makes for a sleek look and a fresh bed.

Pro Tip: Need to decide which truck cover is right for you? Consider these seven things!

Things to avoid and look out for

• If you spill chemicals on your bedliner try to rinse them off as soon as you can. Some chemicals can cause discoloration or can temporarily discolor a spray on bedliner.
• Never apply wax or Armor All to your spray on bedliner. This will lead to discoloration of the bedliner.
• If you need to install new equipment in the bed after a spray on bedliner is installed make sure any exposed metal from a drilled hole is primed, painted, or sealed with caulk.
• Tailgate seams, bed rails, and cab-side bed walls can be places to watch for potential chipping after years of tough work. Chipping is rare but can be tackled easily if noticed. When you clean the bed of your truck, keep an eye out in the key spots mentioned to look for any chips and nicks that may be starting.

Use Mats, Not Drop-In Liners

If you have a LineX bed liner or any type of bed coating, a removable mat can protect the lining to keep it looking like new.  On the contrary, a drop-in liner will only promote faster deterioration. As water and dirt get between the drop-in liner, it can not escape and will grind away underneath the plastic drop-in without ever being realized. 

Use protection when hauling in heavy items, large loads, and sharp items. A simple rubber mat can be a cheap and easy layer to protect your items and bed alike!

Proper Spray On Bedliner Application

The next best thing you can do to keep your bed liner immaculate is to properly apply it! For this, you want to trust the pros at Line-X of Louisville.

For over 25 years, some of the biggest names in hauling, trucking, wheeling and more have trusted the team at Line-X of Louisville to provide the tough and rugged protective coating that stands the test of time.

While many bed liners are good DIY projects, the fact remains. LineX bed liners are the best you can get. The application is provided by a high-pressure sprayer that coats your bed evenly. Your prep will pay off.

The Best Truck Bed Liner in it For the Long Haul

While there are many options to protect the bed of your truck, there's only one that can provide the protection you demand.

Trust the best truck bed liner on the market and keep your Line-X bed lining looking incredible!