There’s nothing quite like being a do-it-yourself guru. After all, you get the double benefit of saving money and pride in a job well done. If you’re wondering how you can spruce up your pickup truck in a quick and easy way, you’ll want to keep reading. Spray on truck liners are an incredibly varied and affordable way of adding new polish to your vehicle. Whether you want to become more acquainted with how to use a bedliner spray gun or are considering spray on truck liners as a gift, you’ll be better off with a little knowledge in your back pocket.
How Many Trucks Are There?
The pickup truck is practically an American symbol. Truck sales jumped a stunning 8% back in August of 2015, showing some of the most consistent growth in the personal vehicle market — California still reigns supreme as the state with the largest number of pickup trucks. A few years prior nearly two million pickup trucks were sold across the country. For every eight new vehicles sold, according to an ongoing survey, at least one of them was a full-size truck. The most popular brands are still General Motors, Chrysler and Ford.
What Kind Of Spray On Truck Liners Are There?
You’ll never be at a shortage for supplies when browsing the market. Spray on truck bed liners come in two different classes of material as well as two main types of application processes — aromatic and aliphatic compounds. These can be applied through a low pressure process (which isn’t heated) or a high pressure process (heated).
What Sizes Are Available?
Due to the varied nature of pickup trucks there are a wide assortment of spray on truck liners to choose from. An 8-foot bed length is widely considered the standard, with short 5.5-foot and 6.5-foot beds also sold at most retailers. The 2011 Ford F350 one-ton pickup still advertises a payload between 3,580 pounds to 6,520 pounds depending on the configuration.
What Materials Should I Use?
Polyurethane is one of the most popular materials used even today. Originally dating back to the beginning of World War II as a replacement for rubber, it serves two purposes for spray on truck liners — the first is to add years of service by preventing common scratching, rusting and chemical contamination from standard, deteriorating standard OEM paint. Secondly it can create an anti-skid or anti-slip surface from gradual roughing up. Additional supplies you may need to seek out are vinyl cut tape, wiretrim tape and a perfect edge.
Where Do I Get Started?
Educating yourself now will help immensely in making sure you don’t waste your money when seeking out spray on truck liners. Remember that polyurethane can be sprayed from a mere 1/16th of an inch to four inches depending on the application — thinner coatings cost noticeably less but are also more prone to chipping and cracking. Meanwhile, thicker coatings can potentially destroy the shape and size of the truck bed if not minded. The two individual components of the spray system, called the diisocyanate and the polyol, are metered through processing equipment. Your average handheld spray gun will mix and meet these together, providing the quality result you’re looking for. Now that you’re caught up on the application process, consider different types of coatings for your pickup truck.
