A Beginner’s Guide to Truck Bed Liners

Every truck owner knows that a good bed liner is essential for protecting their truck bed from dents, scratches, and paint chips. Whether you’re transporting gardening supplies or hauling heavy construction equipment, you can depend on truck bed liners to minimize damage and rust stains. Truck bed liners are easy to clean and keep your cargo from sliding around. If you want to keep your truck’s bed in good condition for a long time, you should consider getting a high-quality liner.

Truck bed liners are available in a variety of styles, materials, and brands. The one you choose ultimately depends on your budget and preferences. If this is your first time shopping for truck bed liners, here are a few things you should know.

What Type of Truck Bed Liners Are Available on the Market?

The four distinct types of bed liners are bed mats, rugs, drop-ins, and spray-ons. Each type has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to protecting your truck bed. Let’s take a closer look at each one to see which bed liner is best for you.

Bed Mat

Mat liners are made from heavy-duty rubber, which provides superior grip and shock absorption. Some mats require cutting and shaping to fit your truck bed, while others are custom-molded. You might find ridges on the underside of some mats for water to drain out. These bed liners are pretty affordable and easy to install. However, they only cover the floor, not the tailgate and sidewalls.

Bed Rug

Rug liners are made from a durable polypropylene material. Most rugs contain some type of foam padding to absorb impact when driving. They also provide cushion for your knees when you have to crawl on your truck bed to store or retrieve cargo. Rug liners look like carpets. They’re fairly inexpensive, simple to install, and come in a wide variety of colors.

Drop-In Bed Liners

Drop-in bed liners are made from plastic that has been specially molded to fit specific truck makes and models. Some liners are designed to fit under the bed rails, while others are designed to go over the top. These liners can protect your truck’s sidewalls and tailgate. Unlike bed rugs and mats, drop-in bed liners require a bit of effort to install. Some liners even need to be bolted onto your truck bed for a secure fit. They’re a lot more expensive than rugs and mats, but they give your truck bed a lot more protection in return. Drop-in bed liners also have a few disadvantages. The plastic material in the bed liner can chafe your truck’s paint and cover tie downs that need to be accessed.

Spray-On Bed Liners

Spray-on bed liners are the most expensive liner type on the market. A spray gun is used to create a custom coat that protects the bed against scratches. The protective coating seals your truck bed floor, sidewalls, and tailgate. This airtight bed liner comes in handy when you have to transport chemicals, paints, or other liquids. Spray-on truck bed liners, unlike foam-padded rugs, don’t provide much impact absorption. They aren’t as effective as the other types of bed liners at preventing dents.

Which truck bed liner should you get? Well, it all comes down to your budget and preferences. Make sure to do some research on your vehicle as well before ordering a truck bed liner online. We also recommend checking your owner’s manual or consulting with a mechanic to make sure you’re getting the right parts.

What Are the Most Popular Truck Bed Liner Brands?

Not all bed liners are built the same. Some brands of liners offer more protection, UV resistance, and grip than others. If you’re looking for high-quality truck bed liners, you can try looking for the following brands.

WeatherTech

WeatherTech produces various high-quality automotive products. Its truck bed liners are available in different types and styles. You can tell WeatherTech truck bed liners apart because of their guaranteed quality, fit, and durability. Weathertech TechLiners are made from thermoplastic elastomers that are 100 percent recyclable. They’re relatively affordable and simple to install. WeatherTech has other truck bed liners that offer different benefits for your vehicle.

Pendaliner

Pendaliner is a household brand best known for its drop-in truck bed liners. It has high-quality truck bed liners designed to fit a wide range of makes and models. They’re simple enough to install and offer extreme skid resistance to prevent your cargo from sliding around the truck bed. Some of its bed liners feature a rich, UV-resistant finish that enhances their look and functionality. 

Dee Zee

Modern, functional, and long-lasting are just some words to describe Dee Zee’s automotive products. It follows an eco-friendly manufacturing process to produce its parts and accessories, which include high-quality truck bed liners. Dee Zee truck bed liners are engineered to withstand extreme temperatures and provide lasting protection for your truck bed.

How Much Do Truck Bed Liners Cost?

A large bed is arguably one of the reasons why people buy pickup trucks in the first place, so it only makes sense to protect it with a high-quality truck bed liner. The cost of truck bed liners depends on various factors such as quality, type, brand. If you want to save money, we suggest going for a bed mat, a bed rug, or a drop-in bed liner. These aftermarket bed liners typically cost between $200 and $500. They’re quite affordable but they don’t provide as much protection as spray-on bed liners. On average, you can expect to pay around $600 to $700 for spray-on bed liners. If you have the cash for it, you should consider buying a spray-on bed liner because it’s longer lasting and gives your truck bed more protection.

Where to Get Bed Liners for Your Truck

As mentioned, bed liners help minimize damage and rust stains. But with numerous brands and types to choose from, picking the appropriate bed liner could be daunting for some. Good thing that CarParts.com makes it easier to shop online for parts and accessories.

Show off your new bed liner in no time when you order from our website. With our strategically located auto parts warehouses all equipped with the latest technology, we make sure that the order and delivery process are as efficient as possible. You can expect your order to arrive in as fast as two business days!

And while we’re confident you’ll find the right part or accessory for your truck, we accept returns within 60 days of purchase. This should give you peace of mind when buying parts online.

A bed liner not only helps minimize damage in your truck but also improves its look. Shop and order yours today!