Spray-In Bed Liner Review: Line-X vs. Rhino
Jason Lancaster | Aug 30, 2013 | Comments 354
If you’ve just bought a new truck, there’s a good chance that someone (a friend, a relative, or a salesperson) has told you to buy a certain brand of spray-in bed liner “because they’re the best”. If you’re like me, you don’t like making this decision without doing a little research first (Not sure you want a spray-in? See a full list of Bed Liner Options). Here’s my analysis of the two biggest names in spray-in truck bed liners, Line-X and Rhino Linings.
Spray-in Bed Liner Comparison: Line-X vs. Rhino
Updated September 2013
7 Things To Know About Rhino and Line-X
- Installation is 90% if the puzzle. If you have a good installer, you’ll probably end up with a liner that lasts.
- All spray-in liners fade when exposed to a few years of sunlight. While some formulations are much more resistant to fade than others, UV radiation always wins.
- Be careful with color-matching. Unless you pay extra to protect the liner from UV, it will fade much faster than the factory paint and your liner and your truck won’t color-match after a couple of years. At least if you stick with black it will only fade to dark charcoal.
- Many of the chemical mixes used by Rhino, Line-X, or “brand X” are all basically the same. There are some differences to be sure – and you have to know which is most comparable to the other – but don’t get lost in arguments about which chemical has the best properties. That’s a conversation for chemists, not consumers.
- Both Line-X and Rhino offer nation-wide lifetime warranties on their products, but many third parties are offering them as well now.
- Expect your installation to cost somewhere between $400 and $800 dollars. Prices at the higher end should include extras like color matching, additional surface spraying, or special UV protectants. Anything less than that could indicate the installer you’re using is making a shortcut somewhere.
- Inspect your installers spray booth and prep area. If it’s dirty or messy, find someone else.
NOTE: A particularly biased Line-X dealer took issue with our last comment, arguing that mess is just a part of the bed liner business. While I understand this argument – the best installers are potentially too busy to worry about cleaning – I think it’s bogus. When someone is going to be spray-painting your vehicle, they need a clean shop and a clean spray area. Otherwise, you’re going to get foreign objects and debris in your liner.
Now, on to the comparison.
Line-X Liners
Line-x is applied “hot” (temperatures between 130-210 degrees) using a high pressure spray system. As a general rule, Line-X liners tend to be thin (about 1/4″ thick) and uniform. Most people believe that thinner is better when it comes to looks; A thin coating tends to follow every contour of your truck’s bed and preserves the factory appearance. One other aspect of the thin coating is that Line-X liners usually have a very rough surface that sparkles when new. Line-X also tends to be run-free because it mixes in the spray gun and “sets” in 3-5 seconds.
Some people dislike the rough Line-x surface because it’s “harder”. It can be hard on the knees while moving around in the bed and it can damage your cargo (finished wood surfaces and Line-x liners don’t mix, for instance). While you can request that the installer reduce the roughness of the finish, this will also result in a surface that’s less glossy. Obviously, a harder material has some strength benefits (resistance to tearing), and many Line-X dealers swear that their material holds up better than the softer material offered by Rhino.
The thing is, many newer Rhino liners (SolarMax, Extreme, HardLine) use essentially the same application process and material that Line-X uses…so you have to be careful about buying into blanket statements. Suffice to say, Rhino has definitely changed/upgraded their products in the last few years in an effort to better match-up with Line-X.
Rhino Liners
It’s very important to understand that Rhino liners are applied differently from one installer to the next. If you find a Rhino liner installer that uses a hot, high-pressure system (a SolarMax dealer), the differences between a liner from that particular installer and a liner from Line-X can be small. Rhino’s SolarMax, Extreme, and HardLine liners, for example, are very similar to the standard Line-X Premium, Platinum, or Xtra liners.
On the other hand, some Rhino dealers are only offering TuffGrip liners, which are softer than Line-X. Softer has pros and cons:
- The increased thickness of a softer Rhino liner gives it a softer “rubbery” feel, and the liner’s surface isn’t as rough as Line-X so it’s more gentle on knees and cargo.
- Rhino’s thicker coating also aids in sound deadening, and the surface seems to “grab” objects better than Line-X.
- Thicker material usually means a duller appearance – it doesn’t follow the contours of a truck bed nearly as well as Line-X.
- It’s not as tear resistant as the harder materials.
To sum up, the newest products from Rhino are quite comparable to the Line-X line-up…but there are some Rhino dealers who don’t have the ability to spray the newest product. Unless you want a softer TuffGrip liner (and you’re OK with the reduced overall resistance of that softer material), you want to buy from a Rhino dealer that offers SolarMax and newer products.
What About Brand X?
There are literally dozens of companies offering spray-in bedliners, many of which are perfectly adequate. I won’t dive into all the brands and all the pros and cons here, mostly because there’s not much point. Each of them offers a product that’s chemically similar (often times identical) to one of the products offered by Line-X and/or Rhino.
If you’re looking at a “brand X” spray-in liner, ask the installer what Line-X or Rhino product is most comparable…then go put your hands and eyes on that liner to see for yourself.
In terms of deciding whether or not to buy a Brand X liner, it’s all about the installer, the warranty, and the price.
Notes About Toughness
Line-X and Rhino dealers love to brag about how tough their liners are, how amazing their material is compared to the other guy, etc. Don’t buy into all of this hype. Instead ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you going to truly benefit from the product with the best tensile strength, chemical resistance, etc? You can invest $800 in a top-of-the-line Line-X or Rhino, but if you’re only going to haul some furniture once in a while, maybe load and unload your ATV, it’s overkill.
- Are you going to be using tools or hauling gear that can scrape or scratch your bed (like a shovel, a truckload full of rock, etc)? If so, invest in a hard, high-strength surface like Line-X Premium.
- Once you get beyond a Line-X premium or Rhino Extreme liner, you’re highly unlikely to damage your bedliner. Sure sure – there are examples of people destroying liners, but they’re incredibly rare.
Basically, you don’t need to worry about toughness nearly as much as the installers want you to. They’re trying to sell you their most profitable product, not trying to help you put a decent liner on your truck bed.
Notes About Color-Matching and Fade
Color-matching is beautiful on a new truck, and if the color-matched liner is UV protected, the color should fade at roughly the same rate that your regular vehicle paint fades.
However:
- Fade is inevitable. Everything fades with time.
- Color-matched liners look a lot worse than black liners when they become stained, scratched, etc. Don’t ask me why this is, but everyone is more likely to notice a flaw in a color-matched liner.
- UV resistant coatings are profit centers for your average installer. It’s not like they’re a rip-off or anything (they’re not), but going with a non-UV resistant coating in black isn’t the end of the world. You’ll just end up with a dark gray liner in 5-10 years, at which point you probably won’t care.
- If your liner fades too much, there are some chemicals and treatments you can use to restore the color (with mixed results).
Basically, if you’re asking me, color-match isn’t worth doing.
Notes About Surface Preparation
If you really want to get the best spray-on bed liner possible, you need to ask your installer questions about their surface preparation procedure. There are four main surface preparation processes:
- Chemical etch. This is the lowest quality preparation method. It is inherently inconsistent, which means the liner material won’t adhere to the bed uniformly…and will scrape/peel off after the fact. If an installer says they use a chemical etch process exclusively, run.
- ScotchBrite scuff prep. This is the most common form of surface preparation, and most Line-X and Rhino installers rely upon this method (only it must be said that they’re supposed to use a better method). If done correctly, scuffing the original bed surface will help the the liner material bond completely. The quality of this prep process is dictated by the experience of the person doing the prep work…which is why you want to work with the best installer possible.
- Hand sand block. In some ways, this is a step above the ScotchBrite prep process, except that it’s still very much dependent on the experience of the person doing the sanding.
- Power sanding with dual action sander. This is the best prep process there is. However, it’s very time consuming. If you find an installer that uses power tools to prep your bed’s paint, expect to pay a slight premium.
Questions To Ask Your Installer
How do you prep the vehicles? The best answer is “power sanding” and the worst answer is “chemical etch.”
Do you use a cold application process or a hot application process? Unless you want a tacky, rubbery surface that often has runs and dries unevenly, a hot application process is the way to go. Most Rhino liner installers have moved away from the cold application process, but there are still a handful of them out there…so be sure to ask this question.
How long does your prep process take? Longer is usually better. Many Line-X and Rhino dealers can ScotchBrite a pickup bed in 15 mins…but power-sanding a bed takes the better part of an hour. There’s also the time needed to remove accessories installed in the bed, misc. bolts, etc., and then re-install. Most good installers need 2 hours minimum from beginning to end, and some will need 3 or 4.
How long have you been in business? Longer is better. Rhino and Line-X both require their installers to honor many aspects of the warranty, which means installers are financially responsible for their mistakes. Bad installers tend to go out of business after a few years because they can’t afford to fix all their mistakes.
What dealerships do you work with? Ford, GM, Toyota, and Dodge dealers sell lots and lots of spray-in bed liners in their new pick-ups. Therefore, they have a good idea of who knows what they’re doing and who doesn’t…if you can find an installer that works with some big names in your town, chances are you’ve found a good installer.
Can I see your shop? Good installers tend to have clean, well-organized shops. They can’t afford to have a lot of dust and dirt around because that will contaminate their sprays. A good spray-in liner shop will be proud to show off their facility.
The Best Liner Is…
In years gone by (think early 2000’s), the most obvious answer was Line-X. Line-X installers were using the best application process from the very beginning (most Rhino installers started with an inferior cold application process), Line-x offered a national warranty on their product years before Rhino, and Line-X liners tended to be better looking that Rhino liners that often had runs, inconsistent thickness etc.
But that’s all changed. Today, many Rhino liner installers use the exact same process that Line-X installers use and chemically similar products, meaning the difference between the two can be minimal. While Rhino and Line-X dealers will both try and claim that they use the “better” mix of chemicals, that’s really not important. The most important factors are:
- The quality of the installer
- The quality of the installer
- THE QUALITY OF THE INSTALLER (sorry to be so redundant here, but it’s really all that matters)
To figure out how good an installer is, ask the questions we’ve outlined above, get some references, talk to your local truck dealerships, and you will find the best liner…whether it’s Line-X, Rhino, or some brand you’ve never heard of.
Reader Survey
For the last 3 years or so, we’ve been gathering data about the most popular spray-in bed line brand. Suffice to say, our readers liked Line-X liners by a ratio of 2:1. “Brand X” liners got 6% of the vote, compared to 66% for Line-X and 28% for Rhino.
If popular opinion sways you, than Line-X is the way to go.
Comments?
Search terms people used to find this page:
- https://tundraheadquarters com/spray-in-review-line-x-bed-liner-vs-rhino-bed-liner/
- line x vs rhino liner review
- temperature for applying linex
- is Line-X or Rhino Bed Liners shinier than each other
- line x
- line-x vs rhino
- linex review
- is line x the best spray on bedliner
- truck bed liner reviews
Filed Under: Toyota Tundra Accessories • Tundra Bed Liner
THIS JUST IN:
According to a forum member at TundraTalk.net, his Line-X dealer told him removing bolts from the bed of the Tundra isn’t recommended. Evidently, because the bed bolts are heavily torqued by the factory, removing them has lead to stripping or loosening of anchor nuts.
See this thread…
http://www.tundratalk.net/foru.....ner-2.html
Anyone else see this?
As an installer of spray in liners and one who has removed bed bolts from all makes and models of trucks, the issue is the threads of the tundra bed bolds are very fine and narrowly grooved. (Same for the tie down mount screws). Using an impact wrench at high speed and torgue can damage the bolts. We always hand insert the bolts and tighten until we are certain they are seated and the slowly tighten with the air impact.
Just wondering where all of this information was gathered? I work for Line-X, and our product is not thinner than that of our competition. Being as our product is sprayed high temp/high pressure it dries within 3-5 seconds which allows it to be applied a lot thicker without the worry of runs.
Hey I was wondering can you spray a wood deck (plywood) i want to cover my pool deck with this product
And would it seal the deck?
Anno:
Line-x can be applied to almost anything as long as it is dry, clean and can be abrased. When spraying wood with Line-x care must be taken to ensure it is dry and in some cases, its hard to gage just howry the wood is. The high temp of line-x ca uses any moisture in the wood to evaporate and if the coating is applied too rapidly at close range this moisture is captured and creates bubbles under the coating If the wood is relatively dry, any very good applicator can compensate with just the right application technique and savvy.
I would think not since wood expands and contracts with temperature much more than steel does. The more rubbery rhino product may work better since it is more elastic.
Jason Lancaster’s Spray Lining Review: Line-X Bed Lining vs. Rhino Bed Lining… The Fact is any professional-grade Spray-Lining Product is a quality product. The bad lining jobs are done with DIY deals using phony names like Line-X, Rhino or Spray-Lining companies posing as dealers of the actual Spray-Lining who are Professional Scam Artist at Work on Durable Coating Systems that are not real bed liners or real at all!!
Since the laste 1990’s, Rhino Linings, Line-X, Speedliner, Spray-Lining & some other great bed sprayed bed liner dealers know that differences between the two products will be minimal. While all Spray on Lining dealers may claim that they use “better” formulas, that’s unimportant. Jason Lancaster is 100% correct: “The most important factor is the quality of the surface prep, a clean spray environment, and experience”. Spray-Lining Complaints depend on the on the Spray-Lining company but the real client of the Spray-Lining manufacturer, the installer’s experience matters most.
Ask how, where, who & when as to the Spray-Lining guy’s experience, get verifiable references, talk to a real person face to face at local truck dealer who he, should’ve done Spray-on-Lining work for, and you will find the best lining job, Line-X or Rhino or Speedliner- Spray-Lining or others like Ultimate Lining, Scorpion Coatings, Xtreme Liners; there’s about 10 good companies.
i worked for both places and at 2 rhino shops and line x IS a lot thinner than rhino linings..the old low pressure is not that great looking but i can make a low pressure linner look like a hot high pressure linner with no runs…we have both machines high and low pressure…
The old Rhino low pressure product is called Tuff Stuff and if you look on Rhino’s website, they don’t even advertise it anymore!! The reason is because Tuff Stuff is not a very good product. However, some dealers still sell Tuff Stuff because they can’t afford high pressure equipment. Tuff Stuff has to be applied very thick because it is a very weak product. LINE-X has more than a 100% higher tear strength Tuff Stuff!
FYI Everyone: There is no “thin” or “thick” in Spray Lining bedliner in any “brand” at all. Complaints of thick or thin is 100% dependent on just how much product is sprayed on as lining. Simple, no? Think about this fact: 1 gallon (of anything, assuming no waste) covers 1,604 sq ft at 1 mil (1/1,000 inch). That formula applies to any liquid; there is no coating in reality that “covers” more or less given a single mil height as the 3rd dimension. So Line-X Spray Lining is no thinner or thicker than Spray Lining by Rhino. An applicator can spray each formula any thickness desired, that’s that. But the worst complaints of any Spray- Lining issue (in the Sprayed on Bedliner industry) is the professional scams by manufacturers hiding safety facts such as carcinogenic formulations. Several innocent victims got sick from Super Liner. This deal on the Super Liner Phone # is 512-990-8808. Their website,
http://www.bedliner.com/Bedlin.....Liner.html states, “Batch mix systems are those systems, which allow the A-side and B-side to be mixed together prior to application” … Super Liner then sates, “… One, you must understand the Volatile Organic Content of the product by measurement of pounds per gallon. This is a federal standard by which hazardous products… Super Liner goes on, “A lower flash point can mean exposing your employees to a higher risk of danger.” True, but the scam is that its not VOC that can cause cancer, its ISOCYANATES!
Nope, you are incorrect. Isocyanates are not carcinogens.
Kris Brian Arthur has never been around a bedliner shop in his life. If you spray a LINE-X thin you lose your franchise! I have a local Bullet dealer that gets 45 liners ( works out to be about 30 mil)out of a set of barrels while the LINE-X dealer is getting 18 (average of 125 mil. You pay for what you get and this goof is uneducated on his facts.
Mahcmos, this was gathered from the Line-x and Rhino websites, as well as from a couple of reputable local installers.
Thanks for your comment – it just goes to show how important it is to choose a good installer, simply because there are so many variables in these products.
From my point of view Line-x is way better….i have dont rip tests and line-x holds up and there lots of reasons that line-x is way better….like mahcmos said line-x is way better…plus line-x has a great warranty on their product….
Is it possible to apply the Rhino over the Line-X? That way I can get the best protection with the more forgiving as well.
It is possible. Very costly for prep, primer, and spray.
Phillip – I don’t *think* so, but I’m not sure. I bet you can apply one on top of the other, but I don’t know if the effect would be very good. I’m thinking the top layer would fall off the bottom layer. Maybe if you really scuffed it up first…
Just to be fair… truck owners aren’t bound to the big 2 franchises anymore. There are a lot of good independents that spray equal or better material with equal or better equipment.
Many times you get (1) a better price (2) better service and (3) better attention to detail. You don’t have to choose between Coke and Pepsi… you can drink what ever you want.
http://www.bedlinertruth.com can give you good info to help select an independent guy.
There are a lot of companies providing good bedliners now, and a lot of them are coming close to our(Line-X) quality for a cheaper price. In my honest opinion it all depends on the individual dealer. I hear a lot of complaints from new customers about their past experiences with the other liner businesses in my area, and I’ve seen their work first hand as I’ve had to remove a few of their liners. I’ve also heard stories from people in other areas about how they loved their Rhino liners, so it all depends on the individual dealer.
My suggestion is to check around with your local dealers, and ask to see their work. When out and about, watch for trucks with liners, and take note of the quality (most liners will have tags identifying the brand and dealer location).
If anyone has any questions about Line-X, how it is sprayed, or any other questions regarding spray in bedliners feel free to email me at mah_cmos@hotmail.com
I have a Line-X bedliner, which is great, BUT I need to replace the tailgate latch assembly. So I need to remove the access panel on the tailgate-which is inconveniently covered. Xacto knife and scraper is all I have come up with but it is very slow.
Any suggestions?
I recently purchased a 08 Tundra and since there is no Line X dealer in my town I went to San Antonio to have it done. My previous vehicle also had a Line X in it. I hauled a lot of odd and end stuff in it and never had any problem with it. The installer did a very good job. Removed the mount bolts and tailgate panel screws before applying. I think the Line X liners are the best. Also much better looking than the Rhino.
Bill – A lot of people share your experience. I think that Line-X does a good job of insuring each individual installer does their job right the first time.
On a recent hunting trip, the 5 gallon deisel gas can I carry in the bed of my truck leaked. I have tried cat litter and several different detergents in an attempt to get the odor off of the Line-X however nothing has completely worked to the point.
Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Castrol Super Clean should do the job. Just make sure you wet the bed surface before application, and don’t leave it on too long. (Follow instructions)
Hello,
Is there a product available that approaches the quality of a dealer installed bedliner that can be applied by the user with a schultz gun or whatever ? I wish to use it as undercoating inside the fenders of a restoration project and sprayed on bedliner seems natural for that application. The surface will be to bare metal. What would be better is if the product could be color matched.
Thanks,
Tony
I do not know of any do it yourself spray on liners that I would recommend. During my days working in a hot rod shop we would use Herculiner (roll in) to do interior floors before sending them off to the upholstery shop. Herculiner and other cheap options work well to prevent rust in hidden places, but fall short when used to protect places that are exposed. Most of the DIY liners I have seen have been a big disappointment to me. If you’re thinking about something that can be color matched look into Line-X Xtra.
I had the herculiner in my chevy truck bed for 9 years before I traded it in — it was fantastic for a self installed liner did not chip or peel. I would do it again
Spray Lining complaints are because of the following issues: Any DIY spray bed lining is not nearly the same as polyurea formulas. Polyureas aren’t available at auto parts stores, any retail outlets or even on the net in small quantities. This is due to the hazardous nature of isocyanates which are carcinogenic, usually require professional paint booth & a full respirator suit with mask to apply. Polyureas are rarely if ever available in small amounts due mainly to extremely high costs of shipping hazardous materials. Lastly are the correct equipment to spray polyureas: high-cost equipment over $6,000.00 for low-end Graco units are standard. Although equipment can be a hopper gun & mixed manually, these spray lining formulas have lower quality yet still retain low amounts of isocyanates. Legally, companies like Scorpion, Als Liner, Speedliner & Superliner still require respirators. Serious complaints on these spray-lining company names, fake safety claims with minimal precautions are documented.
The only actual DIY of these called Als Liners sells what they call a, “bed” that’s approximately 1 gallon for over $150.00. That’s enough to do a tiny bed of 25 square feet like a Jeep Wrangler box, but an 8 foot bed with rails spray-lined requires over 3 gallons to achieve correct thickness. Over 100 mils is correct, minimum for good protection. On health, cancer cases pointing at these companies as these that sell spray lining for truck beds or small items are also documented. Ironically one actual “company” called “Spray-Lining” has no health hazard because their hybrid formula MSDS and all specs I found prove it as “safe” or non-hazardous. I’ve used both DIY & had them spray what they call “Dealer-Grade” Spray-Lining at Kens Flexible Armor. They sell me the DIY plus Ken & Norm, the owners did several beds for my shop at Corning Ford in California. My biggest complaint with the company Spray-Lining is that their DIY stuff is Professional-Grade but their Dealer-Grade is better, both are not dangerous but only their dealers can use their better stuff.
As for quality, if you can locate a Line-X dealer who’ll quote under $500.00 for a full size truck bed, AND spray that lining at over 100 mils throughout that’s a great deal. Line-X quality is great but they’re pricy. Rhino Linings does not suck. Their Tuff Grip, however is much lower in quality than Rhino’s Hard Line. The fact is that higher percentages of polyurea usually equates to a stronger spray lining jobs. Other good names are Arma Coatings, ArmorThane & SPI. These all have polyurea hybrids & more pure versions with over 85% or 100% polyurea. So if you need the best bed-lining sprayed get it done by any of these professional, “REAL” company names. professionally. If you must do it yourself, get Spray-Lining only. Or just buy a lot of Als Liner & wear protective clothing & respirator; be careful!! As for these FAKE companies calling themselves bedliner dealers spraying phoney lining? Fake coatings, fake names, a sprayed lining scam is what you’d pay for. It cannot last because its fake. Beware of this lining scam because you’ll waste your time and money, pay to remove the fake stuff and re-apply the good stuff. This should guide all truck owners and anyone considering a serious, high quality sprayed-on lining job.
Tony – I don’t know of anything other than a line-X liner that offers decent color match. Since you’re looking for a do-it-yourself option, I’m pretty sure I saw a kit somewhere that comes in 5 or 6 universal colors but I really can’t recommend it.
Thank you. The reason I was looking for a DIY product is that the vehicle is dissasembled on a stand and cannot be moved. I am stripping and re-applying undercoating and am looking for a very durable product and bedliner seemed like a natural.
Thanks,
Tony
anyone know of a line x dealer in the gainesville fl area
thanks
Butch did you try google it?
Hi all of the information here has been a great help, I have but a couple of questions. I just brought a 2009 ford f-150 and want to get “a ” liner, I think I like the way line x is being described here, does any one have a good estimate on how much this will cost. I know the site says that the dealers are independent of one another and will most likely charge fair market value, but a good estimate would help, and second, please someone explain the neccessity of removing “bolts”. Is this something I should ask them to do before hand. Any help here would be appreciated, stephanie
Steph, your approx cost depends on area and looking at around $400 – $800 depending on what you want done. The bolts are the bed bolts holding the bed to the frame and on the tailgate the panel that comes off they can take out the screws and either paint them the color match to your truck or leave it the way it is. You do have to state you want this. I like the way line-x can color match the trucks.
Stephanie – See list item #6 in the article above.
Guys, Hope you didn’t mind a Ford owner sneaking in here! Thanks for the information.
Doug feel free to look over the entire forum. We enjoy any debate about the trucks. Any questions feel free to ask.
Doug – Please – all truck owners are welcome.
I purchased a new Step side Bed with fiberglass sides (removable) and want to have the Line-X Bed Liner sprayed in.
My questions:
1) Will Line-X adhere to factory primer and bare metal ?
2) Is it better to have the finish paint applied before going for the Line-X Spray ?
3) The holes in the bed for accessories will they be OK without the accessory attached ?
4) Can the bottom of the bed and the lower two feet of the outer sides and front panels be sprayed ?
5) Is Line-X a Dupont Product ?
Thanks
SandyB – The answers in order: 1) Yes. 2) Yes – that’s the typical configuration and that’s what Line-X is formulated for. 3) Yes – they can be masked off. 4) Not sure – I haven’t seen anyone line-x fiberglass, but I bet it will work. 5) No idea.
I recently purchased a pickup with a over the top bedliner. When i pulled the liner once i recieve the truck the bed was pretty banged up. I had the bed pulled and hammered out as best you can but there are still some minor dents. My question is with the Rhino Liner being thicker it should cover the minor damage better than the Line-X correct? At least that’s what the Rhino Installer told me.
I’m sure Line-x installer would say the same also. It’s all about the mighty dollar.
Mike – The Rhino Liner is a little thicker yes, but I don’t know if either will cover up much more than a small ding. I think that a matte black finish will probably do more to cover up dents than the thickness of the material.
Jason,
Thanks for the advice. Are you referring to a matte black finish for the spray- in bedliner?
Mike – Yes – a matte black finish on the bedliner will help minimize the appearance of dents.
I would suggest using bondo first and get the bed as clean (straight – no dents )as you can first. Then a few shots of primer and quick sanding before spraying on the liner.
Terry – Good idea.
I just got an 09 Silverado and this forum helps a lot.
I plan to get a spray liner soon, but may also get a truck cap later.
> does the over the rail spray work effectivly, or is a molded plastic or aluminum cover better?
> If I get the spray, will a truck cap seal down on it properly? I ask this, because the cap dealer says he would have to replace my nice new Silverado tailgate end cap with a molded one so the cap would fit. Sounds bogus.
Mike,
I work at a Line-X dealer in PA. If sprayed over the rail it will fully seal and protect your rails. I have experience with many truck caps & Line-X liners and there will be no problem getting the truck cap to seal properly. Use of the foam strips (usually included with the cap) will also add that extra protection against any leaks. I myself have never heard needing a different tailgate end cap to ge the cap to fit. Id imagine that this would depend on the type of cap also.
What is the best way to get a fifth wheel rail set bolted down, before or after the liner is done?
The hitch companies will tell you to get the rails installed first (metal on metal). This may not give you the desired look, but the function of the hitch is more important.
ive had 4 trucks done with rl, i cant believe people like linex better, if 2 trucks were sitting next to each other, one with each liner in it, just by looking at them and touching them you would never pick linex. this site must be run by linex
Agreed Mike. Had the Tuff Stuff Rhino put on my Sierra 15 years ago and the lining has had zero problems. Put on a little Rhino shine every 5 years and the lining looks brand new.
mike dragich – Why is it that any time a website has an opinion people don’t like, someone says “Oh, you must work for the company that I don’t like.” That’s just stupid. Would you say the same thing about all the polls on all the truck forums where Linex came out ahead (see the second-to-the-last paragraph of the article)?
rhino is the number 1 sprayed on bed liner in the world
I had 2 trucks sprayed with Linex they were both ok. 2 weeks ago I had my box on my new chevy sprayed with the Rhino liner it ok to.
I think I’m going with line-x for my 07 Tundra. I have a few friends that have Rhino and it is extremely faded after only a year or two. They recommended that I get Line-x. Has anyone ever heard of Ultimate Linings, a guy around my area just switched he used to do rhino and line-x and now does this brand.
I would be interested if anyone knows anything about a bed liner called custom linings? It’s a spray on high preasure polyeurea, similar to linex. I have looked at some of their stuff and I prefer the look and feel of it more then the big two. I hope that someone knows of this outfit and how their material stands up to the others. I don’t care how good the product is, if it’s not applied properly you won’t be happy.
Midlifecrisis – Never heard of custom linings. If the quality is good, go for it. But make sure they offer a warranty that’s as least as good as the warranties from Line-X and Rhino.
Has anybody heard about a spray in bedliner product called Full Metal Jacket. They are out of San Diego. I saw a sample in the show room of a truck topper store. It sounds like it is very similar to Line-X.
Matt – Never heard of them either. It’s all about the warranty and the installer’s record. My suggestion has been and continues to be ask your local truck dealerships – who do they use? THAT’s a good provider.
I recently purchased a 2008 Silverado Crew Cab Short Box and have been looking around for liners for a while, which is how I happened upon this page. I’ve been looking primarily at Line-X because I want the color match. I got a reference from a guy at work who’s had some work done at a particular shop and when I called for a quote on an over the rail bedliner, it was over$1300. (Note: This is for the Line-X Xtra) Does this sound a bit high for anyone else? I was expecting between 5 and 800, so this caught me a little offguard.
Alan – That sounds really high to me – your number sounds about right.
Alan- That sounds high. I don’t know what Line-X Xtra is, but I just got a quote for my ’09 Silverado 1500 crew cab short bed with Line-X under rail installation in black for $450. I don’t know where you are located, but I’m in San Francisco Bay Area, California where things seem to cost way too much.
I have set an appointment to have a spray in product called Full Metal jacket put in at the dealer that sold me my snugtop truck topper ($375). I later found that they are the same place that my truck dealer goes to, so I hope the craftsmanship is high quality.
Jason- Thanks for the advise.
Matt,
Do you mind sharing the info of the shop which you have appointment with? I live in Bar Area too and am getting a Tundra next week. Thanks!
Matt – No problem, I think you’ll be happy. I have yet to find a car dealer that uses a bad spray-in company. Dealers are notorious for being cheap and being nit-picky, so any spray-in company that works with a dealership has to have their s*#t together.
Andy- I’m using Campways in Hayward (510)278-9303. There is also a place called Truck Toyz in San Leandro (510)382-0800. They use a product called Reflex. I don’t know how it compares. I didn’t find them until after I made my decision. It sounds to be a thicker and more rubbery product than what I was looking for. Probably more like Rhino. I plan on placing my old rubber mat back in the bed after the lining is installed so I wanted a harder surface.
Matt, thanks a lot!
Ok so you were obviously paid off by line-x, were told the wrong information, you have the information backwards, or you just didn’t do your home work. You say Rhino is sprayed on cold and at low temperature, well if you consider 150 degrees cold and 2600psi low pressure…well then i guess your right. Rhino was and is the originator of the sprayed in box liner and has full life time warranty. From the hundreds of Line-x trucks i’ve fixed there “mills” are typically 32 mills. thats right 32 mills. Rhino is done at 120 mills, and i’m sorry for your misinformed writer of this review but that is not because it’s sprayed in cold. Line-x is very…well cheap. They charge you extra for rails they don’t put it on heavy enough and and with a light hit it can easily flake off. Put it this way we had a guy come in who had a nissan truck with a Line-x liner in it, it peeled and flaked off when he asked about warranty they told him that once he bought the truck the warranty was void because the warranty was given to the dealers not the customers, then told him to drive three hours so they could look at it, just so they could charge him another $750! We fixed it at the proper mills and charged him our flat rate of $550. So the next time you feel like writing a review about the difference between Rhino and Line-x get your facts straight. Oh i found your review very useless. thank you.
yea nicely put my man! listen to this guy!
Just to clarify… The floor of a truck bed is sprayed on at 125 mils with Line-X. The tailgate and all other areas are spayed at 80 mils. Although each dealer will decide ultimately a properly installed Line-X bedliner will have the above mentioned. Have a great day!
Dan St Pierre – Damn! You discovered our secret! For years, Line-x has been funneling money to us from their super-secret Swiss bank account! LOL
As for your accusation that the Line-X warranty is only for the original buyer, you are the one who is misinformed. Also, the article clearly states that the Rhino liner is thicker (just as you say).
I think it’s telling that you didn’t choose to disagree with the fact that Rhino liners are often inconsistent in thickness (based on contours) and sometimes have runs. For all of your hate of the Line-X product, you didn’t manage to refute the main reasons we liked the Line-X more than Rhino.
Hello again. I did not say that you WERE paid off i said you could have been. As for inconsistency, well considering all off the sprayed in box liners are SPRAYED in that means there done by humans who are not robots so of course there will be some inconsistency. (Sorry but this goes for ALL sprayed in liners) If there is a huge difference that is completely on the applicator…not the product. Its very funny that you comment on me forgetting minor details when you have no rebuttal for Line-x chipping off because its so thin or the fact that you are completely wrong on how Rhino is applied. I also did not say i hate Line-x it probably would a decent product if the applicators did they’re jobs properly. I would also like to ad that Rhino is the ONLY food safe sprayed on liner. I know that has nothing to do with trucks but its a cool fact. It is also the ONLY liner approved for military use. Another cool fact.
Ive sprayed jobs with rhino for the Army and the FAA…all over the united states from alaska to hawaii to miami florida! Rhino IS the REAL DEAL!
Not sure what you mean by “real deal”, but who has the contract to spray inside U.S. nuclear subs? Not Rhino, it’s LINE-X. Who has sprayed portions of the Pentagon? Not Rhino, it’s LINE-X. Who’s coating is applied to Force Protection’s MRAP military vehicle? Not Rhino, it’s LINE-X. Who’s coating peeled off the Discovery Channels Dominator vehicle during an actual show? Well, this one IS Rhino. Now, the Dominators are sprayed with LINE-X “Body Armor” and they’ve literally been through hundreds of tornados and hail storms with ZERO damage.
I feel that the solution here is to get the folks that sprayed the military vehicles to personally spray my truck seeing as how it’s mostly up the the installer to ensure a quality liner. 🙂
Dan – It sounds like we’re saying the same thing. The article above closes with “As we
Haha i don’t sell them them i install them. I just happen to have done a lot of research and reading, and its just what Ive found out about them. If you have a sample of Line-X and a sample of Rhino you can easily demolish the Line-X the same cannot be said for Rhino. Over the period of time Ive been working with sprayed on liners, Line-X almost always comes up short. If you want to see what there warranty is like try phoning a couple of them using my dilemma in a previous statement. Oh sure they’ll always say they’ll take a look at it…and then find a way to charge you more. Before i worked where i do now i actually thought that Tyro was the way to go. But i found that they could not hold a candle to Rhino or Line-X. I’m really not saying i hate Line-X but from what Ive seen read and heard it is the inferior product.
Dan – I think we can both agree that Line-X and Rhino are the top options (only Mickey makes a compelling case for a 3rd product that I can’t remember the name of right now). I think the Rhino liner is tough because it’s so plastic, whereas the Line-X material is inherently more brittle. However, I’ve been told by both Rhino and Line-X installers that the materials are nearly identical in terms of composition, so I can only assume it’s the thickness that makes the difference. In any case, thanks for weighing in and keeping me on my toes! 🙂
Does anyone have any information on Full Metal Jacket bed liners. Does it compare to Rhino or Line x.
I have a question about spray on bed liners. I recently purchased a new truck and want a spary on bedliner, and need to have my fifth wheel hitch installed.
Will the sprayed on bedliner chip or crack when the bolts are drilled through the bed to install the plates? I have not made a decision yet on whether to go with Rhino or Line-X. The answer to this question may be the deciding factor.
By the way, the truck is a Ford F-250. Not that that would make a difference, just showing my support for Ford.
rhino will not crack or split when drilled!
LINE-X gives you a written limited lifetime warranty that’s valid NATIONWIDE that it won’t crack, bubble, or flake.
I had Full Metal Jacket installed in my truck several months ago and I’m very happy with the product. My only complaint about the material is that it has a strong odor. I have a snug top shell over the bed so it holds in the fumes. However, It has gotten a lot better. I’ve tried wiping down the bed to see if that would help. I think it is just going to take some time. From what I’ve heard and read the biggest part of getting a qaulity spray in liner is the person doing the installation.
I’ll have to admitt. One of the biggest deciding factors for me was the price. Full Metal Jacket was nearly $100 less than the Line-X estimate.
Here are a few pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/at.....directlink
So Rick to answer your question to the best of my knowledge neither Rhino nor Line-X should chip crack or peel when drilled through. A good tip though just to help the situation would be to just put a piece of tape over the product before you drill through it this will also help.
Hello. I live in Wi the Milwaukee area to be exact. So which liner should I buy. I’m reading a lot of back and forth comments here. Please help! Thanks
John it would be wrong for me to give you an answer because I used Herculiner on my last 3 trucks. See which one does the prep work right. That’s where the problems with any bedliner arises from. My opinion leans toward Line-x because I heard/read more reviews on how great they are. Rhino is good but not as much reviews on it as Line-x had.
Dan St.Pierre thank you for your response to my question/concern….great tip thanks again!
Rick
Mickey, thanks for the info. What did it run you to purchasr the Herculiner stuff? Thanks John
John the kit cost $68 plus another $10 for acetone. The key is prep. If it isn’t done right then it won’t last. I did everyone in the summer time while it was hot outside. You also need at least 3 hours maybe 4 to do a standard bed. I did two coats.
Hi, I have been sitting on the fence as to whether to get linex or Rhino. I have both in my area (Peterborough, Ontario). They are both around the same price ($540). The Rhino dealer said he would like the truck the night before so that it can stay inside to dry out and warm up. The linex dealer said this was not necessary. If the quality of the product comes down to proper prep, it seems that Rhino is the way to go. However, in my area Rhino only offer a 10 year warranty, not the lifetime that Line X offers.
I guess I’ll just flip a coin to decide.
Jonathan
I just found out that Ziebart now sprays Rhino extreme. I live in Milwaukee Wi and guess its more for this climate. I felt the sample at Ziebart and its hard unlike the old Rhino liner. I never thought I’d loose so much sleep over a spray in bed liner. Line x or Rhino? Hmm
i had a rhino liner sprayed in my truck bed a few weeks back. i picked it because i liked the overall thickness of it over the line x and i liked the sheen of it as the line x is flat and will surely get really dirty really fast in my opinion. when i picked it up, the tailgate was open and they siad it needed to dry.nbd. so the next day i closed the tailgate and the thickness is enought that it really compresses the two rubber bumpers, so i have to deal with that. but what i did not notice until a few days ago is that when you close the tailgate, the bottom of the tailgate is rubbing against the still factory painted surface at the end of the bed, that little strip between the bumper and bed. the paint is already gone and underfinish exposed in these spots. its only minor now, but thtas in three weeks. so before i call them, wanted to know if anyone had this happen and how they went about fixing it. it appears to me they will have to fix the tailgate and go thinner, is this even possible and also they will have to spray a thin layer covering over that painted strip. the job otherwise is acceptable. bottom line is i plan to put a fancy cap on and load it up with contracting gear, so it wont really be seen. the company i chose says they had been doing it for 20 years, but like anything else, i probably got an installation done by someone who had not done many. some other minor issues are drips at the tiedown hooks at the four corners and some runs/ drips in the panel backing up to the cab.
Hey Rickruz so i read your comment there and honestly in my opinion that does seem strange. Where i work we spray down the edge of the box about an inch so if there is any rubbing it wont ruin the paint, we also adjust the tailgate if there is. It sounds like you’ll be in and out of the box a lot too so i would phone them and have them fix it for you. As for the drips that could be laziness or they may have forgotten to trim them, either way the runs can be cut off or shaved down with a sharp olfa knife. Same goes for the runs on the tie down loops, unless they were bolt ons then they really should have been taken off. It kinda seems like who ever sprayed the truck was a little inexperienced. Unless your putting Rhino on extremely heavy and wet it is some what hard to get it to run, don’t get me wrong though it happens to even the best. Other than that i hope it works well for you.
I like Rhino liner,the shop that sprayed mine in my chevy truck done a great job. I just bought a Dodge Ram,and I plan on getting the same thing in it too.
I too am on the fence about a liner. I had a Reflex liner in a 2004 GMC with good results. Its a polyurethane product. Anyone else have experience with this compared to the Line X and Rhino products?
Watching Dan and Jason arguing was interesting. Dan, this article was written nearly 3 years ago. And honestly 3 years ago most Rhino dealers were spraying with a low pressure machine. A lot has changed in this time. There are a ton of Rhino dealers out there still spraying cold and a lot that are spraying a hot, high pressure liner. I spray a product called ArmorThane which, from what I’ve heard, is the ‘Rhino’ of Canada (not sure about that). Anyway, I sprayed this product with a cold system for years and now spray with a ‘hot’ system. My point is it all depends on the installer!!! I’ve seen HORRIBLE Line-X liners, Rhino liners, ArmorThane liners, Toff liners, Reflex liners, Gatorhyde liners, etc! And I’ve seen great of each. I’m in the Fort Worth area and we’re charging $345 for a short bed under the rail liner but we have to stay that low because of the cut-throat competition in my area. Anyway, to anyone looking, just do some research and see some examples of what your local dealer has done and make your decision from there. Good luck!!!
And by the way, Toff is now the ‘official’ liner for Toyota. Coming from the factory with Toff liners if the dealership orders them already sprayed.
I have used Rhino, Herculiner and linex a lot over the years. I used Rhino on my 02 Grand Am on all the door mouldings and ground effects and it didn’t hold hold up well due to the prep work being so terrible. I used Rhino on my 03 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II Supercap where the two doors meet on each side so that there were permanent door edge guards and this vehicle had a Linex bedliner put in it. The Rhino on this vehicle was put on my a different Rhino franchisee than on the Grand Am and it held up very well. On my 2006 Ford Escape XLT, I used Herculiner in the door jambs and behind the mouldings on the outside of the doors using a 4 inch roller that was about as big around as a quarter, not the one that came with the kit and I had all the plastic mouldings sprayed with Linex. On this vehicle, I also undercoated the car with Herculiner which was then sprayed with Mar-Hyde undercoating over the Herculiner. On my 2010 Focus, I had a bra sprayed on the hood and the plastic interior pieces sprayed with Linex. I have found out from all my experiences that Rhino is softer than Linex and it does fade faster than Linex. Linex is a harder material and does dry faster. Herculiner is good for small stuff and as long as the area is hidden, it is good and is best applied on a hot, humid day where this a lot of ventilation. It is also best to apply as least two coats, one going side to side and one going front to back.
No matter what, remember that it is all in the prep work. Even with Linex, you will have to put things on it to keep the color up whether it something that you can buy at the Linex franchisee where you get it done or some other type such as Maguires spray on tire dressing or something like that.
Michael and Mike – Installers, installers, installers – it’s all about the installer. Thank you both for your comments – that’s the main point of the article too.
Agree Jason and Mike. Mike you hit it right on “In the Prep”.
Thanks for you comments. Today, I dropped off the grille on my 2010 Focus at Linex to have sprayed so I will see how it looks when I get it back tomorrow. It should look cool since the hood already has a Linex spray on bra and the car is silver. Also, if anyone decides to use Herculiner in a small area such a door jamb, I suggest you use 1/4 inch masking tape for the initial edgeing and masking then overlap that with blue painters tape. This is what I did when I did the door jambs on my Focus with the Herculiner and the edges turned out perfect. By using the 1/4 inch tape, I was even able to get perfect curves and it turned out awesome. I had to curve the coating on the back of the door jamb on this car because it curves on the back by the rear wheels.
Jason, I understand what you are saying but I don’t differentiate between the prep work and the installer because I consider them one and the same. For instance, when I went to Rhino initially on my Grand Am, the installer did the worst job that I had ever seen and the product was coming off within a month and his Rhino franchise was later taken away by the corporate office. At the same time, when I went to a different Rhino franchise for the door edge guards on my Ford Ranger, they did such a good job that when the truck was at the dealership and one of the head people from Ford in Detroit saw what had been done and how, they thought that the spray on door edge guards should be a factory option option if it wouldn’t have been for how much work would be in involved to do it (8 hours and masking the truck off three times).
Mike – We’re saying the same thing I think. Good installers do good prep, bad installers don’t.
Dear Jason,
You’re right on both comments.
I got the grill back today from Linex for my Focus. From a distance, the grill and the hood where I had the spray-on bra done in Linex last month look like one piece.
Mike – Send me a pic if you have a moment – I’d like to see what your car looks like. admin[at]tundraheadquarters.com. Thanks!
Dear Jason,
I wish I could but I don’t have a camera at the moment but I hope to get one soon. I do apologize. By the way, if you have ever seen the back of a focus and if you know where the top part of the rear bumper cover that is flat where it meets the deck lid, I had that part sprayed also. I am also thinking about putting permanent door edge guards on the vehicle. To do this, I will use 1/4 inch masking tape and Herculiner but I don’t know if I will do this or not.
Mike – bummer! I do know what you’re talking about, however, on the rear bumper. It sounds cool – love to see it.
Jason,
Thanks. I am going to try and get pictures to you as soon as I can. My next project is to do the rocker panels below the doors between the wheels in Linex. The Linex dealership where I am having all of this done said that they can’t wait to do it and see when it is finished. All of the Linex on the car is black while the car is silver by the way.
Hello, I’m converting an E450 box truck into a mobile restaurant and I’m thinkink that a spray on liner would make a great flooring instead of linoleum. I would like any feedback on whether anyone thinks this is a good or bad idea and why. I’m going to cover the exsisting floor in 1/2″ plywood and spray the liner over that if that seems like a good idea.
Hey Ryan, I guess I’m a little partial since this is what I do for a living but I think it’s a great idea. I’ve sprayed 1 trailer floor that is a mobile restaraunt and they loved it. Easy to clean out and mold and mildew resistant. This polyurethane is also approved by the USDA for close food contact. Email me and I’ll send you a pic of the one we did.
Ok here it is. One of my very good friends was involved with the line-x on it’s conception. The owner of this was the actual inventor of the rino. He did not get what he was promised by the company sold out and set out to make a new product that was better. I had the second line-x ever made on my 2000 dodge cummings it was the best one I ever had and it was improved on from there.
Jason,
I just wanted to add this since you told the gentleman he was misinformed about the warranty Line-X offers, but this applies to Rhino as well and you can ‘google’ it if you do not believe me. This is the wording taken directly from Line-X’s warranty…
‘Thank you for selecting a LINE-X Spray-on Truck Bedliner, the #1 Bedliner in Customer Satisfaction. Your LINE-X Bedliner, when applied to the original factory finish, is warranted not to crack, bubble or flake for as long as you own the vehicle. This warranty only applies to pickup trucks, equipped with original equipment truck beds, sold to individuals for personnel non-commercial use. This warranty applies to the original LINE-X purchaser and is NOT transferable.’
‘NOTICE: THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AND DOES NOT COVER ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR INCREMENTAL COSTS SUCH AS LOSS OF USE OF THE VEHICLE. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS UNDER FEDERAL OR YOUR STATE LAW WHICH CANNOT BE WAIVED. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS NON-TRANSFERABLE AND ONLY APPLIES TO THE ORIGINAL LINE-X BEDLINER PURCHASER IDENTIFIED ON THIS WARRANTY REGISTRATION FORM.’
Todd – Good to know. I was going off the information given to me by the installer in Denver who sold 100’s of bedliners to the dealership group I worked for. According to him, he would fix any bedliner with his name on it any time.
Maybe the installer gets to go above and beyond the letter of the warranty. Still, I stand corrected.
How is Ziebart’s reputation as an installer of Rhino?
Hello everyone. I just took my 2010 Tundra into the trim shop today to have a liner installed. I believe it was the Line X but I have a question. When I was washing it, and after the trim shop was closed and they won’t open again till Monday, I noticed a fairly big patch of overspray on the back side of my cab. My last truck I had sprayed didn’t have this issue but I was curious as to how easily this will be to clean up and isn’t this something the trim shop should do since they spray it during the installation? Appreciate your responses.
Im thinking about using a liner to spray around the bottom of my truck and fenders to prevent rust and rock chips. The rhyno liner is a bit shiner and less coarse and seems like it would be easier to clean when washing my truck. Any ideas?
Again Daniel it all depends if your Rhino Dealer is spraying a low or high pressure product. Rhino liners can be very coarse depending on which chemical that particular dealer decides to use. Just look at everyone’s work before you commit.
I’m trying to decide what liner to get between Rhino and Line-X. To be honest, with all kudos to smaller companies, I do feel safer with a larger, more established company. That said, I don’t really have any experience with bed liners. I would like to know if there are any realistic pitfalls with choosing either Line-X or Rhino that really set the two apart or if realistically I’d be pretty happy with either (of course depending on installation).
Brian – In my opinion, the choice between the two really isn’t that critical. As has been pointed out to me by a couple of commentors, many Rhino installers are using high pressure systems. This means there’s very little difference between the two products.
So, rather than choosing based on “line-x vs. rhino”, I would make my selection based on the installer. Whichever installer has the best recommendations is the one I would go with. If you’re not sure how to find that out, start at your local Toyota or Ford dealer and ask them who they use for spray-in liners.
If you are going to use the truck to haul heavy load from a crew that simply throws things like bricks rocks you want a rhino.
Rhino protect the metal from being dented in most cases.
Line-x is too thin for my taste, But it works for most people with light jobs.
Donovan – What you say about Rhino is true, but I’m learning that only if the Rhino was installed using a cold system. The hot systems used by some Rhino installers are very similar in texture and thickness to the Line-X.
I also agree with you that the thicker cold-Rhino is good dent insurance. However, I respectfully disagree that the Line-x is “light duty.” According to some of the people I’ve talked to, the hot application process allows for the use of a much stronger urethane compound than the cold process.
Of course, as I’m sure you know, the application process is everything. A cold-Rhino by a top-notch installer is better than a hot-Linex from a poor installer any day of the week…
Thanks for commenting.
I had a 1991 GMC with Permatex liner. The local body shop sold the brand then lost his franchize and ceased spraying it on. It was all about the installer and competence and still is today. It convinced me that sprayed on bedliners are the best bed liner to get.
I had the Rhino installed on my 2007 GMC when my truck was new. It was the conventional thick material over the rails. No issues with the liner except later there was what appeared to be clear over spray on my windshield that showed hazy at night. I had to remove it carefully with a razor blade paint scraper. It peeled off in sheets. It was very annoying. It was like a haze on the inside of your window that wouldn’t come clean. I don’t know where it came from. I assume at the Rhino dealer who may have been spraying plastic paint sealer. I had no issues with the Rhino bed liner. I hauled lots of split firewood just thrown in the bed. One minor gouge. Today, I’m taking my new 2011 GMC to Line-X. I’m going to try the Line-X Extra over the rail. We’ll see.
zoz
zoz – Feel free to leave your comments here on the Line-X vs. the Rhino.
I had the Line-X installed yesterday in Montgomery, IL. It is way too cool! Just looking at it will tell you it is something special. It is very smooth but has texture character. It is not as bumpy as the Rhino and appears to be thicker. The Line-X over the rail is taped perfectly straight. The Line-X sets up within minutes, the Rhino needed some time to set. There was no residual over spray anywhere with the Line-X. My truck is gray metallic and the black Line-X looks fabulous–like factory installed. I am overall satisfied with the service and the application. Josh and the crew at Line-X did a tremendous job! I’ll report back after one year. zoz
zoz – Glad to hear you like it – thanks for the update.
I have a 2010 Dodge Ram and I plan to purchase a Line-X liner. Can you tell me approximately what it should cost. I understand that price will vary from state to state, but I need to know if the dealers in my area are consistant with your dealers. Thanks
Sisco,
I have a 2009 Dodge with a 5.7 hemi with dual pipes. I have found that the liner helped quit the sound of the pipes inside the cab. I paid $340.00 for my Line-X under the rail in Denver Colorado. Hope that helps…..Go Dodge
To those who are comparing Linex and Rhino for the bottom of the doors for rock and chip protection. I have used both. Please read my post from April 28th of this year. I think the Linex is a superior product by far. Anyone who says it is light duty doesn’t know what they are talking about. I have seen Linex used on interior plastic and the hood with my 2010 Ford Focus SES and on the plastic mouldings on the bottom of my 2006 Ford Escape XLT. On the Escape, I also had the light bar in front of the bumper, hood where a bug shield would go, the rear hatch where the license plate sits along with the plastic piece above the license plate. If you are going to spray something on the bottom of your vehicle to prevent rock chips, check out the linex website and see the pictures. I wouldn’t just talk to one Linex dealer, talk to at least two because one may not do as good a job as the other.
I like Aaron have also found Linex to be a good sound deadener. If anyone is buying a new car, don’t buy the Linex bedliner though the car dealer because the costs will be considerably higher. Talk to the Linex dealer yourself because if you go through the car dealer, they have to make a cut also and by going to Linex directly, you cut out the middleman thus saving yourself money. I found this out first hand with my Focus.
Mike – Good tip on buying the line-x yourself – no dealer mark-up.
Has anyone heard of vortex spray on liners there is one in my area and would like to know how they compare
Chuck – It’s probably an independent liner company who uses material bought via wholesale. Have you checked your local installer’s reputation on Yelp, Kudzu, or CitySearch?
Vortex uses a good product but again it all has to do with the installer. Look at some of their work and if you like the liner and the price then go with it. The vortex dealers I know of all spray high pressure hot bedliners.
I have a truck with Rhino lining installed by Ziebart. I am in the landscape industry and haul lots of things including chemicals and fertilizer. I have punctured holes in the Rhino lining. While the dealer fix them a couple of times he said he would NOT fix them again and it was my problem. I informed him that Rhino has a lifetime warranty. He said “Too bad”. Anyhow, where some of the holes had been moisture got trapped and rusted out my bed. I have been considering doing my new truck with Line-x. I called the Line-x dealer, he stated one big difference is that Line-x has Kevlar in it, making it much tougher than Rhino. However, they also want to charge me $650 vs $450 for Rhino. Another concern I have is skid resistance with Line-x. How does it compare to Rhino?
I know I have a lot of concerns here and I appreciate your comments!
Hey Ken, the kevlar in Line-x is only in the topcoat that is called Line-X Xtra. It’s so minute of an amount though that it doesn’t make a ton of difference. It’s a marketing thing in my opinion and you can and will damage the liner if it is used like a truck is meant to be used. About the warranty issue. The rhino dealer did not have to repair the punctured holes, that’s not covered under a rhino lifetime warranty. Line-X’s lifetime warranty does not cover abuse either. Don’t let these guys fool you about the warranties. The only thing actually covered is peeling, cracking, or warping due to normal heat and cold. Skid resistance is going to be very similar no matter which high pressure ‘hot’ bedliner you choose. These liners are very hard which means they don’t have a lot of skid resistance when heavy loads are placed on them. I spray a ‘hot’ system and have considered spraying the base coats ‘hot’ and then switching over and texturing with the low pressure product in order to get that extra skid resistance. I’ve seen another dealer do it and has had great luck with it. Hope I was able to help.
rhino
Thanks Michael,
Rhino used to show up at our trade shows and say they had lifetime waranties-no matter what.
So, since I use a truck for what it’s “meant for”. What are your thoughts on helping to protect it? Perhaps Herculiner and a bed mat?
I wouldn’t waste your time or money on herculiner. It’s basically a glorified paint. No matter which spray on liner you choose you’ll be minimizing the damage to your bed in the long run. None of the liners out there are indestructable so you will get knicks somewhere eventually if you’re really using it. I would suggest doing a spray in and then a bed mat on top of that. Remember though small spots can be repaired easily to protect the metal that may be showing.
Qwikliner is american # spray on bedliner according to Quality and application method wise.
I have a 2008 Dodge 2500 6.7 Cummins Diesel (RAM representin’!) Anyway… I’ve read this whole thread – entertaining – and I’m going to investigate the reps of BOTH dealers here in the Memphis area. My question is, do I get the liner-of-my-choice sprayed in BEFORE or AFTER setting the truck up for either gooseneck or 5th wheel ? Have heard that it is preferred to install 5th wheel THEN spray, but spray BEFORE installing gooseneck…. and vice versa. Help!
If it helps/matters, I am “probably” gonna set this truck up for gooseneck trailer. The only 5th wheel I fool with is a camper we pull and is usually hauled with dad-in-law’s 3500 dually 5th wheel. I’m thinking of the hide-a-goose type balls that stow under/flip over when not in use so the box can be used for normal hauling/loading/stowing.
Scott T – I don’t know the answer for sure, but I know that most trailer folks want you to do the liner after the fact, and that most liner folks want you to do the hitch after.
If it was me, I’d do the hitch after. That way I could protect the bare steel made during the hitch install.
Scott, I do this everyday and would recommend you installing the hide away ball before the liner. Have the installer drill the holes for the chains but not actually install them. That will save a little time for the liner guys and maybe you a little money (depending if they charge for that). Spraying the liner after will protect the metal where all the holes have been cut and prevent rust. As far as the gooseneck, either way you want would be okay. You can seal the rails into the liner this way but won’t have any product under them or spray first then your entire bed will be coated. Just my opinions on all of it…
Thanx much; you guys rock.
I think spraying 1st would better protect the bed, but installing the hitch 1st would allow it to be sprayed/protected, thus leaving an (small) unprotected area beneath it. Does anybody know if spraying 1st, then having to cut through the Rhino/LineX/Herculiner/etc to install a hitch necessarily voids any sprayer’s warranty? Speaking by phone with folks here, it’s just as you’ve suggested – the trailer folks want you to do the spray after; most spray folks want you to hitch after….. whoever that was above that said they never thought they’d lose so much sleep over a !@#$% bedliner was spot-on!
I’m gonna keep up the homework while I put my pennies together for the job- again, thanks for the help.
Scott – I think the solution that works for everyone is to have the holes for the hitch install cut, then get the bedliner, then get the hitch finalized. That solves all the issues as well as making life easier for both installers. Hopefully, the hitch installers are open to that.
Gonna make that proposal — thanx much for all the help!
I have a couple questions. I own a 1990 Dodge 4×4, I use this truck on my ranch for feeding and hauling. Plus this truck is my Hunting rig. My questions are, 1) Can the spray on bedliners be applied on the whole truck not just the inside of the bed? 2) Approx what would something like that cost?(its a standard cab Short bed) 3) Will it cause issues with the doors opening and shuting due to thickness? Fading is not an issue as it is a work and hunting rig.
Carl – In order: 1) Yes, but it can make a vehicle heavy to coat the entire thing in Line-X or Rhino. 2) At least as much as a new paint job ($3-5k I’m guessing). 3) I don’t think you’ll have issues opening or closing doors, hoods, etc. because of thickness…but the added weight of the coating may make opening the hood really tough.
Carl, for a complete exterior I spray for about $1500 in black. About an 1/8″ thick and takes about 2 days. Doors still open fine and it will add about 250 pounds.
UPDATED POST – Thanks to J at Pro-Cote in Colorado Springs, Colorado for taking the time to answer some questions.
Does anyone know if either rhino or line-x with hold on plywood? Its for the floor of a boat.
Joseph — Yep! Holds great to plywood if the installer preps it properly…
Michael – I meant to say thanks for the quick responses to these questions. It’s great to have someone active in the business commenting here.
Do you have any notes for the updated post?
Sorry if this was already addressed earlier as I didn’t read ALL the posts. I’d like to pull out the carpeting in my Jeep Unlimited and put down a spray lining instead. Anyone got any experience with having this done and what to look out for? I’d also like to undercoat inside the wheel wells on the same vehicle. Is odor a big problem when doing the interior? Thanks!
Preston – I know of other people doing this, and as far as I know there’s no downside. The spray-in material acts as a sound-deadener, at least as well as the existing carpet (or at least that’s what I’ve been told).
I think the biggest problem is cost…pulling carpet and spraying might involve pulling out seats, interior panels, etc. Could be expensive.
Wheel wells are no problem – seen quite a few of those + people who get spray-on liner all along the bottom 2-6″ of their vehicle. The issue there – as I understand it – is that the material might not bond perfectly to the factory clear coat.
Things to ask about for sure. After my outing today though I’d like to have the floor done more then ever. I didn’t think about bonding over the factory finish. Another good question for the dealer. Thanks Jason!
Preston – You bet. There are a couple of spray-in liner installers that check up on the comments here – hopefully one of them will chime in.
Preston — About Jeeps tubs
1) You’ll have some odor for about a week or so if you keep the top on it after the tub is sprayed. It’s not overpowering but it is there. That’s basically the chemical cure time.
2) Spraying the wheel wells is no problem and it does help protect and makes it easy to clean up.
3) To save you a lot of money you should pull everything out of the interior yourself (seats, panels, carpet, seat mounting brackets, roll bar if possible, console, etc… We charge an additional $150 to pull it all then replace this stuff!!
4) ArmorThane or most other bedliner product bond great to factory finishes if they’re prepped properly. Keep in mind that every truck bed that comes off the assembly line has been clearcoated as well and we all know how well this stuff bonds to that!!
Feel free to ask any other questions.
Michael – Just what I needed to know. Actually I’m surprised that you only charge $150 to R&R the interior. Thanks again guys!
Michael – How do you bond the spray-in to the clearcoat when it’s sprayed on the vehicle exterior? Do you scuff right up to the edge of the painted area?
I’ve been told by a Line-X installer that adding spray-on liner to the straight side panels is less secure than bonding to the bed. The straight up-and-down sides, combined with the fact that you don’t want to risk marring the finish beyond the liner spray area, means that your truck’s exterior liner coating might not stick as well.
I guess this is a risk on any liner, so maybe the installer I talked to was just trying to talk me out of it…
Jason — I would be trying to talk you out of it too! It’s a pain in the butt to mask off an entire Jeep just for those few inches anyway. We have our secrets on how to get all the way to the edges that I don’t want the ‘other’ guys to know about ;)… We do scuff the crap out of it right up to the edge, clean it real good to get any wax or any other contaminents off but it is still less secure than a bedliner because of obvious reasons. If you have intentions of pulling it off then yes you will be able to work it off.
Just wanted to add my two cents worth…I have never used a Line-X product so I won’t profess to know a thing about them. I own a Silverado, had it Rhino Lined about 3 years ago. so far so good. I had the bed rails covered so they would be protected in the event I choose to haul cargo that way. I have a Jason bed cap on my truck. It came with the cheap clamps that facilitate “easy” removal and installation. I chose instead to drill holes through the cap, the Rhino, and the truck bed rails in order to secure the cap with bolts/nuts. I also covered the bed with a removable rubber bed mat. I already owned it and didn’t want to toss it. It makes keeping the truck bed clean a hole lot easier, prtects the Rhino a littel, and provides friction so nothing slides. The cap has prevented any sun fading. I did have a little drippin left on the bed rails in a few spots. The dealer I had my bed sprayed at had been in business about 5 years (7 or 8 now). Overall, I am very pleased with my Rhino Liner but I am not opposed to exploring other options. Hope this helps someone, DC
Michael – Makes sense – thanks.
DC – I think it’s good to hear from people that have actually used the products we talk about – thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
Did lots of research & phone calls, all claim their product is better…I’m totally in tune w/ VORTEX, a combination of Line-Z & Rhino chemicals, a hot process & warranty…
Thanks for the read, great info that seems unbiased. As I read over and over again, the installer is the key no matter what the product. I saw a few folks from Denver commenting. Can you recommend a great LineX and Rhino installer to talk with in the Denver Area?
TCA – Thank you. I’ve worked with Mark at Line-X of Denver before and he’s done a great job: http://linexofdenver.com/
Just wanted to post a “thank-you” to all folks who posted their knowledge and experiences with these products. I am getting a truck in the next couple of days and a spray-in bedliner was something I knew I wanted right from the beginning.
I’m in the Tallahassee, FL area and I’m going with Minco Truck Options. They’ve been in business here for about 10-15 years and are very reputable. They put in Line-X and quoted me $450 for the job.
I may look into a Rubber Bed Mat as well but at this point it’s just the Line-X as I won’t be really abusing my truck bed that much (day-to-day stuff, I’m not a contractor or anything).
Thanks again guys, most helpful post I found on the internet concerning these products.
Sean – I’m glad to hear the info was useful. Please do us a favor and share a link to this post on your favorite forum, your Facebook page, etc. – links help us get more visitors and that helps us get more advertising.
Thanks!
[…] Spray In Review: Line-X Bed Liner vs. Rhino Bed Liner | Tundra Headquarters I googled it… […]
speedliner is better, rhino is way too thick. never saw a line-x liner, but i would think 1/4″ is too thick even.
Gents,
I had a 98 red Ram 1500. Had a color matched Scorpion spray-in liner installed in 2000. The liner outlasted the truck. Was rusting from the wheelwell undersides when I finally had to trade it in for a new truck. Red never faded enough to notice, most people didn’t notice I had a liner. Took 3 inch stone gravel and never got a scratch. I liked that the surface was tacky so things didn’t slide as much. It was a textured surface, so I guess that might be a concern for some who don’t like the rhino liner thickness (but more like a 1/8 inch, not 1/4).
I’m here checking to see if I go with scorpion again or if I should try something different on my new truck. Regrettably, the place that did my liner last time is not found on internet.
Now that it has been nearly four years since you have been tracking, I am wondering if a bedliner now stands out over the others? I have a 2007 dodge 2500 I am going to get a liner in and I am doing my homework. I have an over the rail drop in liner in it now and it has rubbed the rails down to primer in a few spots, so I am going to take it out and spray liner over to the point where it rubbed. I have a quote from linex for 500 for black and 750 for color? sound about right?
I would definately go with the Rhino liner. Have had 2 rhino liners and loved them, just purchased an ’07 F150 that has a line-x liner in it and hate it. The liner is Extremely thin (1/4 the thickness), from shoveling dirt out it is peeling away the liner(slices not totally away from the bed) and it is just as slippery as a plastic drop in liner. If i park on any type of slope and put my chainsaws on the tailgate they slide right off. nothing ever slid on my rhino. I hope that I can find a shop that can spray a rhino over my horrible line-x liner.
Bill – We updated this post a few months ago, and the post has been re-worded to reflect our late 2010 notes. The bottom line is that the Rhino and Line-X are neck and neck in terms of features and quality. The key differentiator is the installer.
Ryan – Sounds like your Line-X installer did a really bad job if it’s peeling…have you checked into having that liner repaired? It should be covered.
I just had Line-X installed in the 8 foot bed of Chevy Silverado. It looks nice but the application seems thin. How thick does Line-X recommend the installer apply the liner?
I have a Ford van that I installed a 3/4 inch plywood floor in so that my truckmount would have a flat surface.
I plan to have a Rhino liner sprayed in it. I am wondering about prep work on the plywood. There are areas where maybe it should be filled in prior to the spraying of the liner.
1. Will Rhino do this or do I need to take care of this myself.
2. What is the recommended filler for these lower depressed areas.
Thanks for your comments.
I have a 2010 Tacoma I would like to spray have the linex product sprayed onto the composite bed. Has anyone had this product done and what where the results.
Peter – Line-X usually sprays about 1/8″ thick on truck liners
Doug – In my shop it would save you a little money to fill those spots in yourself. If you do just grab some wood filler but it needs to have time to cure before the liner is sprayed so it won’t react with the urethane.
Ron – I would not recommend doing this. Line-X or any other liner will not bond well to the plastic type bedliner on the Tacoma. I’m sure they’ll spray it for you and I’m sure it will look good but if you really use the truck like a truck it will probably peel up pretty easy. Line-X probably will not warrant the liner either since they know it doesn’t bond well.
Peter – Michael is correct 1/8 to 3/16 is the normal application.
Doug – Again, Michael’s answer is spot-on.
Ron – I’ve talked to people about this, but I don’t have a good answer. I’ve heard people give the same answer that Michael has given, and then I’ve heard installers brag about it. Since Michael’s advice is generally excellent, I’d say that he’s probably correct here too (only I’m putting something together to answer this question on http://www.TacomaHQ.com).
Michael – Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. When I create that article for TacomaHQ, I’m going to contact you for some interview notes! 🙂
GO LINE X.
Folks,
Great discussion site on liners — Line X, Rhino, & others !!!! I’m in the OKC area & planning on checking out 4 to 5 installers to install/spray a liner in my Dodge Ram. The comments above have given me the education/ammo to make a sound decision on the installer. I will follow-up in this forum with the decision I made, why I went a particular route, & the overall outcome …… thanks KT
KT – Cool – glad to hear this has helped! Feel free to plug whomever you find here.
I had a Line-X bed liner installed in my 1998 F-150 in 1998 ( El Cajon, CA). It was perfect…no runs, clean lines. Two years later I had a 5th wheel hitch installed…no problems with chipping or flaking. I sold that truck three months ago and didn’t have one complaint with the bedliner. It faded a bid after a few years but so did the rail caps so everything matched!
Product? Installer? Who knows…but when I called to get an estimate for my new truck, they said the application will take 6 hours! Either their slow or they do it right. Heck, the price only when up $50!
I appreciated the respectful debate and felt compelled to add my two cents.
My bad…I looked over my notes from the other day…the 6 hour estimate was for Rhino Liner…Line-X estimated 3 hours. For what it’s worth.
Great article and a veritable boatload of good comments and dialog from all over. Thanks everyone. Just getting my new F-150 delivered tomorrow and will be getting a liner sprayed in. Local dealer uses Ameraguard and I don’t see any mention of them here. They have a lot of info on their website (www.ameraguard.com) but so does Line-X (www.linex.com). They both have a “limited lifetime warranty”, though Ameraguard doesn’t mention “flaking”. Just had a look at BBB and the local Line-X gets an A rating whereas Ameraguard is not mentioned, though there is a local shop. Based on everything I’ve read here plus BBB’s rating, I lean towards the Line-X but will talk to them both tomorrow. Thanks again for everyone’s input on this.
I’ve repaired Rhino. I’ve Repaired Line-X. I’ve repaired Ameraguard & a lot of off brand liners too. It all comes down to the installer. Prep is EVERYTHING!!
John – Thanks! Glad to hear this is helpful.
JoeyD – I wouldn’t put any sort of stock in the BBB’s rating. They’re a joke – check out this video: http://youtu.be/UT_BfidEBdM
Diesel – Here here – that’s the best advice of all.
[…] Line-X Xtra, back o Rhino on my next truck. Here's a good read: Spray In Review: Line-X Bed Liner vs. Rhino Bed Liner | Tundra Headquarters __________________ 2011 Blk DC 4×4 5.7 18" KMC XD Crank BFG T/A KO Bushwacker fender […]
Nice attempt, but your really way off on most of your points. You really don’t know what your talking about. Here’s just a few: High pressure vs. low pressure has absolutely NOTHING to do with thickness. High pressure is about 2,000 psi, not 500 psi. The chemical mix is NOT the same, it’s polyurethane vs. a polyurethane/polyurea hybrid. Aliphatic bedliners do NOT fade. Texture does not affect the gloss. I can go on and on and on…..
Anonymous – Funny, because the installers I interviewed for this article didn’t dispute any of the main points we offered. Are you an installer? If so, I’d be happy to call you and talk to you about this. Always happy to learn – feel free to email me directly: admin@tundraheadquarters.com
Hey Anonymous,
Who are you saying is way off on most of their points? High pressure vs low pressure as a general rule of thumb for most installers do have something to do with each other in that high pressure liners are usually sprayed somewhat thinner than low pressure liners. I can explain the reasoning behind that but I won’t on this post. When you talk about high vs low machines you can’t assume your psi is 2000 or 500 (I spray high at about 1600 psi and low around 100 psi). It depends on the type of machine. Also, you can spray 100% solid polyurethane using a high pressure machine (I do it everyday). And, believe it or not there are polyurea products out there you can spray with a low pressure machine as well. You are correct in that aliphatic liners do not fade but good luck finding an installer that sprays that product (it’s about 3 times the material cost). Another thing you’re wrong about is texture affecting the gloss. The more texture or ‘finer’ texture will result in a less glossy liner. Spray a liner with no texture whatsoever and it will look like a shiny piece of tinted glass…
Honestly most of your points are correct but they are generalities that aren’t necessarily 100% correct in every situation.
Okay, I went back through this blog and see where Anonymous found all his info and disagreed with a lot of it. The problem is this article was written 4 years ago and a lot has changed in the business since then. Obviously this article is a little out of date but instead of attacking on the blog how about explaining why it is wrong so we can all learn something? Just my opinion…
Oh and one more thing, the average person and MOST installers had never even heard of aliphatic bedliners when this article was written…
Michael – Thanks for commenting. I did go back and update the article last November, but the installers I spoke with never mentioned aliphatic liner materials. I did, however, review the details of the article and my conclusions and was not challenged. I’m happy to interview you as well for the next update – if you want to email me your number I’ll call you next week to discuss any changes/edits you would suggest.
I had an aluminum gas tank sprayed by Linex dealer in Pittsburg California, within two days the liner pealed off. Now I’m looking at a 3000 dollar labor bill to pull the boat apart in order fix what Linex screwed up.
The cause was a bad prep job by Linex Pittsburg Cali. The owner offered to give me back my 150.00 dollars he charged me for the job. I’m going to take him to court to see If I can get him to pay for the labor to remove the tank.
I would never use Linex for anything ever again horrible customer service. They don’t stand behind their product when they mess up.
I finally decided to go with LineX XTRA with for my F150 SuperCrew after seeing a Rhino application on a truck in the parking lot. The rhino application was BAD BAD BAD.Maybe if a different installer had taken the time on the Rhino application it would have looked ok but it was ALOT thicker and took away from the contour of the factory bed. They even sprayed over the tie downs! El Cajon LineX dealer in El Cajon, CA did a fantastic job! The application was clean, the lines were straight and they removed every bed bolt and tailgate screw prior to application. The results were impeccable.. Over a half a dozen strangers have commented on how nice the liner looked. I’ll post again if I have any problems but no news is good news. LineX wins in my book hands down.
LINE-X Xtra and LINE-X Premium are aliphatic and are great products. No other company (including Rhino) has products like them.
I commented on the Admin’s article in detail and emailed it to him. Perhaps he will post the information.
David – I will just as soon as I have the time! 🙂
OK, since some time has expired, I thought I would post a link to a copy of the article with my comments in red. I hope you find it helpful and informative and I’ll be glad to help anyone who has questions. As of this date, I have almost nine years of experiece in the industry.
David – It’s still on my list. For now, however, I feel it’s inappropriate to link out to your rebuttal…especially considering I have contravening statements from both anotehr Line-X dealer and a couple of others.
David has some valid points but let’s be honest, some points are a little misleading. David likes to bash the competition no matter what. Give me a call and I’ll be honest and tell you that Line-X is a great product but not the end all
be all. Depends on what you need and what you want to spend. Our product can go through hell and hold up with the competition minus about $100!
Michael – I think David’s explanations are excellent, but I agree that there is a little Line-X bias at work. I’m still putting things together on this, but I’ll be sure to send you an email once I pull together my final list of questions. Thanks for the offer! 🙂
Michael and Jason, tell me where you think I’m incorrect and I’ll go into more detail on those subjects.
I don’t bash the competition, I bash products. There are some very bad products in the marketplace. These types of coatings are like just about everything else, there’s good and not so good.
Michael, what product/brand do you represent?
Jason, I wish you had not deleted my link. That was some very good information! Just a note about who I am: I’ve been a LINE-X dealer for about 9 years, I’ve had special SSPC training (Society of Protective Coatings which is one of the coatings industry’s organizations that sets coatings standards), and I rank in the top 10% of LINE-X dealers in the United States for volume.
I agree that the installer makes a big difference in the process. Finding a good installer is probably the best advice no matter the brand.
I didn’t notice in the article or in the comments, but did you (Jason) mention how many applicators for each brand you spoke/interviewed with? In what area of the U.S. were they working?
David – I’m happy to include a link, but not until I have time to review it. I apologize for taking so long…the eliminator project has sucked the life out of this site lately.
Dave – 2 line-x, 3 rhino, 1 independent, all in midwest.
I sought advice from this site back in January 2011 as I needed a bed liner and had no experience. After looking at a bunch of in parking lots, I wound up going with a Line-X with a new process they say came out in the last year that made it a bit more rubbery and not so brittle, it cost about $75 more. The Rhino seemed to rubbery to me. I am completely happy with the liner and would recommend it to anyone. The site was real useful, thanks for the info.
Most of the professional bedliners have base components that are made of either polyurethane, polyurea, or a hybrid of both. All of these types have pretty good elasticity and are not really brittle at all. There’s sort of a trade-off between softness (or “rubbery”) and strength. The softer bedliners are 100% polyurethane or mostly polyurethane and have much lower tear and tensile strengths. The bedliners that are 100% polyurea or mostly polyurea are much harder but are significantly stronger. But, don’t discount polyurethane totally though, it brings some desirable properties to the bedliner such as better abrasion resistance than polyurea. So, which type is best for a spray-on bedliner? A hybrid in most cases. Is a hybrid always a better choice for any application? No, it’s not. Many things must be considered when choosing a protective coating such as substrate and service environment.
David is exactly right on his last points. Now is where it starts coming down to prices. Are you needing a really hard bedliner? If so then yes go with the polyurea or hybrid but remember those chemicals are more expensive than 100% polyurethane. Weigh your options and base your decisions on the things talked about in this forum PLUS pricing and the most bang for your buck!
Yes, generally speaking, polyurea is more expensive than polyurethane. Another thing that affects price is chemical quality. There are high quality chemicals and…not so high quality chemicals. LINE-X only uses “top shelf” chemicals which is the best you can buy but more expensive. Not all companies use high quality chemicals. Low quality chemicals can render an inferior final product due to weak crosslinking, fillers, and impurities. All of these can also contribute to poor adhesion to the substrate.
I spent over 6 years installing urethane deck coatings. At one point, we bought a franchise to use a similar product to the the Line-X and Rhino to spray water proof decks. The product was called Bullhide, and it was really one of those cases of 6 of one, half dozen of another. The technology in spraying the two part system was so touchy that we gave up and went back to a hydophelic system that was a trowel on for the decks. Last week, I ran into a situation where I was working on a friend’s Jeep Cherokee (sorry, I know it isn’t a Yota) and he wanted to spray the interior.
I looked around since I have that background, and finally settled on Al’s liner. It is a 3 part system that you mix and pour into a drywall hopper and spray. It had a pot life of about 20 minutes, and it had been a little while since I last messed with that stuff, but I spent quite a while in prep.
I washed, then wiped with Alcohol, sanded everything with 80 grit and a nylon cup brush, vaccumed, wiped again, masked, wiped again (with denatured alcohol) and sprayed. After demasking, It was still a bit tacky, and the next morning, I stand one it, but it still had a little bit of grab. 3 days later it was a nice in-between feel something like a line-x with a little more girpping power than the earlier Rhino Liners.
I know this is not a forum for DIY, but this is actually a DIY version of Scorpion Liners. I saw one reference to Scorpion on here. It has so much to do with your needs and the quality of installation. After using AL’s Liner, I would recommend it for the guys in here that are looking to do some undercoating, wheel wells, tool boxes, or even truck beds for themselves. I am not an installer, nor do I work for the company. I have just been researching the stuff to shoot on decks again. I like this stuff, although there are some products with better elongation and tear strength numbers. This stuff worked great for my needs.
Also, to follow up with a couple of other questions I saw, and that I may be able to add to…
1. You can shoot any of these products directly on to plywood with little or no prep. Note however that it will telegraph any lumps or bumps or divots. Bondo is actually a little better than wood putty because it stops outgassing faster for filling things.
2. Someone mentioned they were looking to install it in a food truck of sorts… I would suggest one better, You can spray these products over foam mats and encapsulate them. You can build a nice soft surface to stand on.
3. Installing over new paint… Wait at least 30 days for the paint to fully cure or wait till after you have the liner in to paint. It takes longer than you think for auto paint to fully cure.
Just some free advice from a guy that couldn’t care either way what system you use.
You know me, I like to throw in my comments!
Al’s Liner:
I’m going to respectfully disagree about Al’s Liner. I sent off for samples and documentation and here’s what I found from the info they sent to me:
Some of the information they give is in the wrong context. For example, the Technical Data Sheet states, “…Al’s Liner is acrylic-reinforced aliphatic aromatic polyurethane….(aliphatic aromatic blend polyurethane has incredible strength)…”. Well, there is NOTHING special about an aromatic/aliphatic blend as far as strength goes. Aromatic (open chained hydrocarbons) and aliphatic (closed hydrocarbons) have to do with UV stability, not strength. Also, most polyurethane products boast that they are EITHER aromatic or aliphatic, but not both. So, while aliphatic is good, it has nothing to do with the context of their statement.
Polyurethanes are also either acrylic or polyester. Polyester is the best but acrylic is less expensive. Al’s is acrylic.
Their website states, “Al’s Liner is vastly superior to all DIY Kits in critical areas such as tensile strength, UV stability, and tear strength. It is not cheap epoxy or polyurethane with filler and solvents added to reduce cost.” That’s absolutely not true. Their MSDS for the resin component states, “Stoddard Solvent 14-18% weight by volume.” Stoddard solvent is a common organic solvent.
Their website also states, “Al’s Liner is more UV stable and tougher than Rhino, Line X and blows the doors off the liners like Reflex, Armor thane, etc.” Well, this could be seller’s huff, I don’t know what they mean by “tougher” or “blows the doors off”. If I were to have a discussion with Al’s or Scorpian, I would ask if their products are applied to U.S. Pentagon, U.S. nuclear subs, military Humvees, etc. like LINE-X. I think you see my point. In addition, Al’s is certainly not more UV stable than LINE-X Xtra or LINE-X Premium. I received three samples of Al’s. Below is a link to a picture of them. I can tell you that they are very “rubbery” and tear very easily. Note that Scorpian requires a primer for truck beds because the bedliner product does not obtain good adhesion. So, if you use Al’s, you might consider that point. Here’s the link: http://img.photobucket.com/alb.....s/Als1.jpg
Decking:
I have heard of Bullhide, but I’m not familiar with it. For waterproofing decks, a 100% polyurea is recommended and it’s best if it has a bit longer gel time. LINE-X has many 100% polyurea products. I’d use LINE-X XS-310 which has about a 10 to 12 second gel time. Another option is to use LINE-X Aspart-X which is a 100% solids (no solvents or VOCs) 100% aliphatic polyaspartic. It can be rolled on instead of sprayed on.
Thanks for the feedback. It is obvious that you have a great deal of experience with Line-X and other truck bed coating systems.
I certainly wasn’t attacking the virtues of Line-X, merely stating the experience I had with the product. The test piece I shot and peeled the next day was torn easily, however after a week, I couldn’t tear it, so I can’t identify with your “tear very easily” comment. It didn’t happen to me.
While getting a Line-X or Rhino product sprayed is a great option, I know from experience, that there is a demographic of vehicle owners out there that bacause of budget or otherwise, choose to do it themselves. I would tell them that there are some quality products out there that will fit the bill. Certainly if you are in need of something that will give you more strength than Hurculiner, no doubt the solution for a DIY guy is there.
There is absolutley nothing wrong with either of the other systems, however I am going to find a solution that doesn’t require me to buy expensive equipment, supplies, or pay franchise fees.
When I looked at it, the economics of the project dictated the solution. That is also what drives me toward it as a deck coating solution. A couple of hundred dollars for the material that get’s installed for about $20 a square foot, is tintable for custom colors, has UV protection, and from my experience, will seal a deck and hold up just fine to chairs and foot traffic v. a system that will do that same thing (I am assuming you can custom tint Line-X) but that I would have to likely invest tens of thousands of dollars into to get started…IF I could get a franchise, since there are a few close to where I live already.
Thanks for the input on the acrylics v. polyester. It does help when you are looking at solutions for what you needs are. I wish I had a fleet of trucks to do a side by side comparison on. It very well could be that using the Al’s is more than adequate for trucks that will not be hauling scrap metal or construction debris… I used it on the inside of a jeep, so right now, that is my experience. The ealier comment about the Scorpion stated that the bedliner outlasted his truck. I can’t argue with that.
That comment however does not prove that Line-X or Rhino is crap, just that there are other systems out there that folks are happy with and have had good results from. I am merely adding my experience to that list.
There is a guy that swears by Herculiner too, I wouldn’t touch the stuff, but evidently for him… hey, different strokes for different folks. It must work for what he needs it for. Speedliner swears that it beats Rhino and Line-X too. It probably works great for some folks, but I haven’t messed with it yet.
I don’t want to insult your intelligence, experience, or passion, so great for you and your Line-X. If I had a larger pocketbook, I would have done the in-depth look at it v. Rhino, but I got amazing results with Al’s/Scorpion, so I would recommend it to anyone that was looking for a truck bed solution, especially a DIY version.
Thanks.
If you want to use a DIY product, here are some tips:
1. Some products will fade, some won’t. If you buy one that does fade (like Herculiner), you might want to paint it also.
2. READ THE DIRECTIONS! Following the directions includes proper surface preparation.
3. Consider thickness. Your thickness requirement will vary depending on your application. Here’s a formula to use:
mil thickness x square footage / 1604 = gallons of solids needed
Inside a can of most DIY products contain “solids” and “solvents”. The solvents evaporate away and don’t count when using the formula. For example, Herculiner is about 50% solvents by volume (look for “volume”, not “weight”). So, if you buy a can of Herculiner, you only get 1/2 gallon of actual bedliner material. For reference, a piece of paper is usually about 10 to 15 mils and a dime is about 40 mils. LINE-X is applied at about 125 mils on the truck bed’s floor. OK, knowing that, if you buy one can of Herculiner for a short bed truck, how thick will the coating be? A short bed truck has roughly 85 square feet. Also, assume a 15% waste factor. Answer: About 8 mils.
I have been a coatings applicator for 20 yrs and have decided to purchase plural component spray equipment. LineX and Rhino liners are not the only bedliner franchises these days. It all comes down to the applicators integrity. Their preparation process, cleaning process, and thickness determine the quality of product. All franchises I have researched have a training program but if the applicator doesn’t follow manufacturers guidelines, the end product won’t be satisfactory. Hardness/softness, tensile strength, and color are now a matter of specific formulation. I would definatly research applicators In my area instead of specific brand name. I would recommend aliphatic polyurea liners for their colorfastness for the basic bedliner.
Just a slight correction: Rhino dealers are not franchised operations. LINE-X dealers are franchised.
LINE-X offers several aliphatic products.
So, what equipment did you buy?
Just a quick comment. I bought an S10 4×4 in 2003 and had a Rhino Liner installed through the dealer. The rubbery finish was its most apealling feature as I could haul things without damage, and without sliding around. I also hauled gravel, large boulders (probably more weight than I should have), and many, many, many loads of dirt, that was removed with shovels. The liner is still perfect. I thought about using a little Armorall to spruce it before getting rid of it. I am sure no one could tell it is 8 years old.
Sooo, I am picking up my new Silverado tomorrow, and although Line-X sounds like a great product, I don’t know that I want shiny, and it sounds like the new Rhino is probably better than what I am already used to, which was better than I ever expected. BTW, the new one would be done through the same dealer, by the same installer. I also like the Rhino badge adheared to the middle of the front wall of the bed better the the cheap looking Line-X sticker I have seen stuck to back windows.
If your last Rhino was back in 2003, then the product was called Tuff Stuff. Rhino has moved away from Tuff Stuff although some dealers still offer it because they can’t afford new high pressure spray equipment. If you can’t get Tuff Stuff, then their next closest product is called Tuff Grip. Note: Both Tuff Stuff and Tuff Grip are aromatic polyurethane and will fade to light gray with sun exposure.
Hi all! I am trying to find out if you guys have the bolts in you truck bed sprayed if you have a line-x liner. Just got my husband’s 2011 Tundra done yesterday and they didn’t spray the bolts at the bottom. They are silver colored and the bed is now shiney black. Think it looks unfinished. Called the dealer and he said after much hassle he would spray the bolts, but void my entire warrranty on the rest of my liner if I choose to do so. He says line-x doesn’t adhere to zinc, which the bolts are made from. Told me to go buy black spray paint. I am so disappointed that my present to my husband turned into a huge customer service nightmare. Can’t they spray the bolts, keep my warranty and if the bolts chip, they can say I told you so and I can pay to have those re-sprayed. For on the claims and applications on their website, their product can’t stand up to being applied to bolts in truck beds (original use of the product was created for). Really? What’s your thoughts?
Vikki – Don’t spray the bolts!! They’re not sprayed by the installers for a very good reason.
We ask our customers if they would like the bed bolts and tie downs sprayed over or not. 99.9% of the time, they prefer them not sprayed. Also, if you ever have a warranty issue and the dealer has to remove the bed from the truck, they won’t have to dig the bed bolts out of the bedliner. I think most people think the bedliner looks more “factory” without the bed bolts sprayed. If you will notice the picture at the very top of this page: The bed bolts and tailgate access panel screws have not been sprayed. Hope that helps!
Make stainless steel turntables for cars. Used both Line-X and a Rhino liner product. Both products are peeling off and both companies act like they do not give a damn.
If either has anybody who actually knows chemistry, they have kept them hidden from us.
If you are using stainless steel DO NOT use any of these companies products. If you have an industrial product, their guarantee is essentially worthless. NO support.
Be glad to give a list of 40 or so people who have had machines coated with their junk. Have had to eat over $2000 in losses per machine. looks like EVERY machine is peeling
Well, I don’t know how the stainless steel was prepared. But, for LINE-X, the proper procedure would be to sandblast to white metal or near white metal, apply XPM primer, and then coat with the appropriate elastomer. I’ve never had a problem using that procedure on stainless steel and I’ve been doing it for years.
Oops, forgot to mention: The surface can also be treated with Metalast TCP-HF prior to the XPM primer. The Metalast will increase adhesion by about 23% specifically on stainless steel.
We have had several machines done more than once and are peeling again. The only ones that have not peeled are the ones in a totally controlled climate. IE a car dealers showroom. If there is any temperature difference. It seems to peel.
Some were sandblasted and primered, then the primer peeled off. Have used 3 types of primer, have sandblasted, have profiled with grinder. NO ONE yet has made either of these products stick. Did have contact with a company who says they are sure it will work with their primer, but the cost is more than the cost of the 1500 lbs of stainless in the machine. XPM primer is made by who?
David,
You have already given more info than either line-x or Rhino. Are you located anywhere near Southern California?
So far our best results have come from blasting with garnet and then powdercoating at 400 degrees with a non skid powdercoat.
I’m a LINE-X dealer, XPM is a LINE-X primer. I’m not in S. Cal. but if I were, I would be glad to help you!
We have three primers. From my experience, XPM is the most difficult to work with but it works really well. We used it the other day on two one-inch wide rails that hold 1,100 pound railroad car axles. No problems, thank goodness.
David,
I have problem machines all over, but mainly in the 4 corners of the country including western Canada. The panels weigh 130 lbs each, 10 to a machine. Would be happy to have someone local, who knows what he is doing, give the machines a non skid cover that will stay on. round trip shipping costs and transit times make local work a better cost option.
You mentioned they have been previously coated with LINE-X. If you can give the name and phone number of the dealer(s), I will call them and find out what they did or did not do for surface preparation and which products they did or did not use.
Dave,
Did you ever talk to the line-x dealer?
I am still in the position of saying that both of these companies do NOT give a damn.
Neither of these companies has ever contacted us to try to resolve problems. Been told that tech support will call us many times(Rhino Liner) but they NEVER have. I guess they are going to pretend the issue away until they get sued.
I never received a name or number of the dealer. I will call if someone gives me the information.
Dave,
line-x San diego
2704 Transportation Ave. Ste. a+b
National City, CA 91950
619-477-1796
heard that this was the 3rd owner of this outlet.
Dallas Jensen
Thanks
Bill
Thanks, I will call them on Monday.
Update: I called and talked to Dallas. I have a call in to the person at “corporate” in order to gather more information. That particular person travels quite a bit, so it might take a day or so before he calls me back.
Bill,
Do you have a piece of stainless steel that’s easily mailed, say about one square foot? If so, send it to me and I will prep and coat the steel the way I think it should be done and send it back to you, no charge. You will be able to test the adhesion yourself to determine if it’s adequate.
David,
The problem is that the peeling that occurs several months down the line. It seems OK, then several months down the road, it starts to peel. One of the machines that peeled after 2 months had never been driven on. Initially it seems good, then it starts peeling off. Seems to occur where there are large temperature swings.
Have more than 50,000lbs of stainless in stock. it is 304. Be glad to send some. What address?
Thanks
Bill
Bill, what are the max and min temperatures? 304 is most common and will be fine.
David,
Silverlake, Ca daytime highs in mid 80’s, nighttime lows mid 40’s
Miami, FL Highs in 90’s low in 60’s
New York, NY Photobooth use…..2 peeling temperature variation is only when they are changing cars.
Everything seems good for the 1st 2 months or so….then
What address?
Bill
LINE-X
8155-A Camp Bowie West
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
Let me ask you this about the delamination: There are three layers – the stainless steel, the primer (which should be the color of brown/orange rust), and the top coating which I suppose is black. I’m trying to find out what failed. So, do you see the rust colored primer on the stainless steel or just the black top coating or do you see residual primer on both the steel and the black top coating?
YES, finally someone else with accurate information! I’ll hit on a couple of points though:
Note that it’s not really a “cold” application, it’s actually whatever the ambient temperature is because the chemicals are simply not heated.
LINE-X has always used a heat/high pressure application system. Rhino originally was only a room temp/low pressure product. Rhino now has room temp/low pressure (Tuff Stuff) and they have high pressure (Tuff Grip and Hardline). All three of these are polyurethanes and are not as durable as LINE-X. Rhino moved to high pressure because LINE-X (high pressure) looked a LOT better than Tuff Stuff (low pressure).
Another benefit of LINE-X is that since it dries so fast (5 seconds or so), it follows the contours of the truck much nicer and has a more uniform thickness. Low pressure products typically have a gel time of 30 seconds or so(depending on temp and humidity). During that gel time, they are liquid and sink and thus do not follow the truck’s contours very well and they don’t have a uniform thickness.
There is a spray on truck bed liner for a manufacturer called Spray-Lining. I also got Line-X about 6 years ago which was great for about 2 years. But I saw my Spray Lining guy apply this and it was also dry in seconds… Guy’s name is Ben Dexter on Akron, Oh. I think the name of the place is Ben Dexter Spraylining. He used to apply Line-X and said the Spray Lining equipment was a higher tech Graco gun. It was way thicker, I got the truck back in an hour (I didn’t load for a day as he advised but weather was wet & cold- no problem). They gave me a lifetime UNLIMITED warranty that transfers to next owners. Its an actual contractual document with transfer form. I can beat on this much more it stayed solid & clean for over 3 years now. Its better than Line-X for lower cost- $425 and Line-X was $475 back then.
There are probably hundreds of “mom & pop” bedliner shops around. They don’t manufacture their own product, they buy it from somewhere and then give it their own name. There are lots of sources for chemicals. Some products are OK, some are not. One thing for sure, they all like to compare themselves to LINE-X.
I bet you don’t have an “Unlimited Warranty”. If you wreck your truck and have a new truck bed installed, is he going to spray a new bedliner for free?
I’m truly glad your happy with your bedliner and it sounds like it has worked well for you. But, you don’t really know if it’s better than LINE-X or not.
Well, I looked up Ben Dexter and found his website. His website states the following:
“Rhino Linings and Line-X have proprietary equipment for their dealers with marketing but you are stuck with using only their material with their provided equipment. You do get onto their dealer locator but it doesn’t amortize itself and you can verify this by calling a Rhino or Line-X Dealer.”
The information does not read well, but I can tell you that LINE-X does NOT have proprietary equipment. Zero, nada, nothing, no equipment is proprietary period. Also, no equipment is modified for LINE-X at all.
Yeah, I must’ve said too much. I’ll try & split it into 2 posts: Thanks David for your reply. 3 of my friends & I had trucks, an aluminum boat and 12 grain shoots sprayed by Ben Dexter & his Crew. The shoots & boat got a similar “anti-stick” application. Smooth & slippery. Very cool; it slides the grain & his river boat handles better (Gary is a farmer who got these thinks it’s faster) with a smooth bottom protection. Anyway out of curiosity I spoke with Ben & one of his applicators. They both said that specialized equipment by Line-X & others like Rhino & another few are a thing of the past. Nowadays there are franchise agreements or contracts that may prevent the use of competing products by dealers like these. According to Ben, these branded name bed liners do this to keep their costs higher & thwart competition. Then I clarified if our lifetime warranty from Spray-Lining who manufactures the product is really lifetime & transferable. CONTINUED NEXT POST:
CONTINUED ON NEXT 2: Ben has several customers that came in for touch ups many years later from aged spray linings under warranty; some from other dealers!! Interesting David: He said the beds & boat was lifetime but the shoots have 15 years documented- he pulled docs that were approved by Spray-Lining. He said Gary (my farmer bud) knew shoots & boat bottoms can never be lifetime but no other warranty exists in reality from any manufacturer. All other warranties are of the applicator if at all & not the parent vendor. As for an actual auto or boat accident its obvious to any owner, lawyer or judge that an accident as such is not the cause of bed liner damage & no person in their right mind would expect to get a bedliner replaced due to this.
Thanks for the info. LINE-X dealers are franchises. Many companies are franchises such as McDonalds, Hampton Hotels, Maaco, H&R Block, and so on. The main purpose of a franchise serves the public as well as the franchisor and franchisee. For example, if you buy a hamburger from McD in California, you expect it to be the same taste and quality as the McD in Florida. That benefit serves the public. There is a contract between franchisor and franchisee. The franchisor promises certain things, such as they will supply a product or products of a certain quality, provide training, provide technical support, etc. Continued
The franchisee promises certain things, such as to comply with local laws, maintain proper equipment, etc. Franchises are usually a good thing and in the end, the public is who benefits the most. By the way, Entrepreneur magazine ranks LINE-X #195 in the top 500 franchises for 2012. LINE-X dealers do not pay a royalty!
LINE-X offers a nationwide lifetime warranty for truck beds only. All other work is warrantied by the individual dealer for whatever period they see fit.
hi i want to paint my 4×4 5.5t mitsubishi canter tipper in bedliner all over. mostly i work in the scrub and the existing paintwork gets all scratched up from branches. i saw an episode of mythbusters the other night where they did a car in it and realised it might be perfect for the ol girl. i plan to spray it myself but never had anything to do with this stuff(done plenty of acrylic lacquer and a couple of 2 pack jobs in the past) so any advice would be appreciated- that said i’m not too precious its a work truck not the sistine chapel) don’t really want black it’ll be hot as – does tintable do any color i want?
There are do-it-youself (DIY) bedliner products, but none of them are as tough as LINE-X which was the product that appeared on Mythbusters. I’m not saying that none of the DIY products would not work for you, I’m saying that don’t expect the same results as what you saw on Mythbusters. I just returned from a global LINE-X dealer conference where I saw the Discovery Channel Storm Chaser’s Dominator vehicle which is coated with LINE-X. Pretty cool ride, I’d like to go pick up my young daughter from school in that thing! By the way, it was originally coated with Rhino and the Rhino peeled off during it’s first storm. The LINE-X has been through many storms including hail and tornados with no damage whatsoever.
cheers, i’ve looked up the dominator- SWEET! i’m definately going to liner it but i’ll see if there’s a local dealer (i’m in tasmania) and how much to get the pros to do it- it might be worth paying the extra than doing a crap job myself
Rhino and Linex are both ok, but you should also consider Reflex bedliners. I’ve been in this business for a long time, and had people come in my shop with repair needs for their bedliners, some with Rhino, some with Linex. Again Im saying they are ok materials, but from my experience and client feedback I’m getting great comments on the Reflex bedliners. This is just my perspective on things, so I wont swamp the comments with my oppinions, but I would encourage everybody to take a look at why I think Reflex is great for me and my clients http://www.palmbeachcustoms.co.....imate.html
Just my opinion:
There are lots of companies out there selling bedliner products and they all say they the best. It’s difficult for those who are not familiar with the industry to cut through the “sellers huff”.
Reflex is not a bad product, but it’s just very old technology. They use a low pressure system which many other brands like Rhino and Toff have actually moved away from and gone to a heat/high pressure technology which has proven to be superior. (Just to be fair, Rhino still offers a low pressure bedliner.) LINE-X has always been a heat/high pressure application. Reflex also uses color injection, which is also old technology. Relex is owned by Langeman Manufacturing which has a monopoly on a wire tape which ALL bedliner companies use. I think Langeman has concentrated on their money-maker wire tape products and not so much on their bedliner product.
I have run a collision shop since the early days and have seen the different bed liners come in one of the biggest things I notice besides the texture and feel of the different products is the uv stability fading , and when we spray the Reflex we use high grade automotive tints to our mix and I can attest to the difference that makes in the long haul .. also Reflex is owned by Langman and their company originally started out years ago as industrial machinists inventors and they produce the spray equiptment for the Reflex Dealers .You are correct about the wire tape for the industry they hold the patent for that .. Reflex has come out with a new Product Called Gardit it is a new low- pressure polyurethane coating it offers the hard fine cosmetic look . Its a great product and the quality of the JOBS lay heavily on the quality of the prep. I will add a point that was mentioned in a eariler post relating to bed bolts very good question. I will give you an example when a f-150 is in a collision and we need to replace the bed side the insurance company will pay for new bed bolts and clips – why ? because the j clips that attatch to the frame tend to twist and it can be a big mess they lock up .. It is a area for caution and you almost have to deal with whats best for each truck – I always will add some never seize if i opt for removal ..
We have been a Rhino Linings dealer for over 15 years. The methods of proper prep and application are critical in the overall liner performance with any polyurethane application. When deciding to become a spray-on dealer we looked at all different chemicals, applications, and product quality individually. In our research we found that the overall best bet was to choose Rhino. The basic chemical breakdown is relevant, based on elasticity ratings. This is also critical when factoring in the ability to resist ripping, chipping, and tearing. This is not to say that line x is a bad product. They are similar throughout many variables, and we have even adapted a finer texture(similar to LX),to suit popular customer appeal. Choosing either of the two is obviously better than having a bare bed, or a plastic liner. After spraying over 12,000 trucks, various on-site applications, and odd jobs, I am a firm believer in this product.I’ve found that when compared side by side with the leading competitor…Rhino was the better choice as a business, and is the highest quality product available to consumers. Either way, just make sure it’s a certified dealer. Knock-offs will try to claim they are just like Rhino or LX, and I end up tearing out these failed liners all the time.
These are all also factored in with the skid resistance of a liner. Rhino Tuff Grip is softer and does not create the same numerical data as line-x, but what is sacrificed in hardness, is regained by maintaining of payload. The shear numbers of strength also must be compared to the lack of grip produced by the chemical changes of line-x. As I’ve said before, neither are a bad product, but overall this is why we went with Rhino. Either or may not be optimal for any given customer, and comes down to personal preference.
I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but you mentioned: “This is also critical when factoring in the ability to resist ripping, chipping, and tearing.”
I assume that Rhino Tuff Grip and Hardline are currently the most popular bedliner products. I have the technical data sheets from Rhino on those products. Comparing the data with LINE-X XS-100, the bedliner product (using the same ASTM test methods and average):
Tear strength- Rhino 225; LINE-X 295 (31% higher)
Tensile strength- Rhino 1,400; LINE-X 2,147 (53% higher)
Temp tolerance- Rhino 175; LINE-X 250 (43% higher)
Stay away from Sterling and the Manassas VA location. These two are owned by the same person. I was given a rough quote over the phone from Mike in Manassas and was informed that he had to see my boat to nail down the details “with no suprises”. The price he quoted me was acceptable I hauled my boat 87 miles one way to have the work done. Upon viewing the boat Mike informed me that it would cost $100.00 more. I agreed, shook hands and he informed me that I had to take the boat to the sterling location because they had a larger booth for it to fit in. Dave the owner met me with an attitude and informed me that he really didn’t want to do the boat because he can make more money doing trucks in the same amount of time. He added $600.00 more to the total and stressed that “why would I want to do your boat when I have all these trucks to do?”…very rude and not even an apology. He turned his back on me a walked away.
They cost me a half a day and a half a tank of fuel.
Can anyone tell me if “adhesion promoter” is a good prep for either bed-liner?
That is a very good question you ask I have sprayed a few diferent brands of liners for the last 8 years we are a Reflex Truckliner dealer
what I find best and its recommended is as a final step in the prep use a dampened rag with Acetone – its not recommended for removing dirt – its also recommened to go over all edges with the acetone cloth – as a final step in the prep process —
If you have bare metal its best to use a corrosion resistant polyurethane primer once bed is 100% clean
I am fimiliar with the dupont 222 adhesion promoter and the adhesion promoters for plastic bumper covers – they have there application – a properly sanded and de- greased- truck bed is all you need.
I thought I would clarify John’s message:
Acetone is not an adhesion promoter if applied onto the truck bed, it serves as a degreaser only.
Generally speaking, for truck beds, a primer is usually not needed. Notice I said “usually”! Some bedliner products do not obtain good adhesion and require a primer, such as Speedliner and Superliner.
LINE-X does not require a primer on truck beds if applied to OEM painted surfaces. LINE-X does have their own primers if needed: XPM, SF-515, and FCP.
Interesting news as of 6-26-12: LINE-X has assumed a controlling interest in Ground Effects, Ltd (GFX) who is a well-known Tier 1 manufacturer and up-fitter for Ford, Chrysler, GM, and Toyota. GFX is the current company who applies “factory” spray-on bedliners in Ford and Dodge trucks.
I’m having my new 2012 F-150’s bed stayed with Rhino.
The dealership who I bought the truck from recommends
Rhino, the franchise has been in business for a long time,
I confirmed the prep work is satisfactory, and I like the overall
history and reputation of Rhino products.
Just to clarify: Rhino dealers are not franchised businesses.
Wow, I just just bought a used pretty mint 06 Sierra Crew Cab that has a plastic GM bedliner. Was thinking of going Rhino or Line-X, but after reading all of this back and forth about who’s better, I might just keep what’s in the truck. I guess as long as the beds in good shape underneath that’s all that matters to me.
Joe If I had a choice between Linex OR Rhino I would go with Linex they seem to hold there color better than Rhino
I have sprayed both Products and currently ( for the last 8 years am a Reflex Dealer we spray on the ave about 10 trucks a week so consider my recommendation .
If you love your truck yank that plastic liner out all they do is rattle around and chafe the paint and go for a spray- on . Hope this is helpful If you have a Reflex dealer near by its worth looking into .. best of luck
Joe, John is correct about plastic drop in vs the quality of a spray in & Line-X holding it’s color. I now use Line-X & also sprayed Reflex, which is more soft but better quality than Rhino’s Tuff Grip which is the usual Rhino… Rhino’s Hard Line is like Line-X, but few dealers have that. Spray-Lining, the actual company name has this unique color matching solution though. I use a Spray-Lining dealer mainly for marine jobs that we cannot do with Line-X. On boats here (Houston, Tx)you have serious salt & UV issues but need perfect color under a clear gloss. Spray-Lining has a clear lining formula that can be tinted perfectly with UV stability. These Spray-Lining guys spray truck beds soft like Reflex, hard like Line-X & actually warranty the jobs unconditionally. There’s fewer dealers using Spray-Lining than the others but if there’s one close to you I’d recommend them. My boss tried but can’t use them since Houston guy has the city locked up & we’re not allowed under Line-X. All of these companies are great but this may help you decide.
Thanks, John. So Reflex is yet another spray-on option? I’m in Massachusetts.
I’m also considering a roll-n-lock cover. I really like the looks of their cargo management divider, but it can only be used if you have the roll-n-lock cover.
I’m not sure I totally understood Jed’s post, but allow me to say that the LINE-X Xtra product can be perfectly tinted to practically any color. So can LINE-X XS-650 (which is being sprayed at Disneyland). Both are aliphatic and hold their color and gloss.
Reflex is an older product, it’s a 100% polyurethane product applied at low pressure. Many companies have moved away from 100% polyurethane and low pressure.
There are so many different factors to take into account when reading spray on liner reviews, like how long they have been on the vehicle and where the vehicle is located etc. This can all contribute to the quality and the owner’s experience. But the one company that I have seen the most spray lining complaints: rhino linings has a few bad reviews from dealers. I have seen a few instances of reviews and complaints saying that they rip off their own dealers and pretty lengthy reports of them doing so.
pforrester -> you can say the same thing about almost any company involved in the business of spray-lining: line-x complaints probably outnumber rhino linings complaints man….
Why would LINE-X complaints outnumber Rhino? I doubt that’s the case, but just wondering what your reasons are.
I’m going to say something that will shock some people and maybe some people will agree..
Having been in the auto restoration and collision industry also the blasting and heavy equipment business since the early 1980’S I have seen many products for instance , Sherwin & Williams De-voe MARINE EPOXY’S Like Bar rust very good products on the industrial side , then in the automotive we have PPG, DuPont , Sikkens , Speis , Valspar,BASF– all very good products applied with Hvlp guns lOW PRESSURE high volume and show room finishes can be had out of any one of the products I mentioned and some I probably forgot.. what might be my point ? well its in the applicators hands that is where I RECOMMEND the consumer puts most of there focus my site is http://Palmbeachcustoms.com If your in south west Florida it might be worth checking us out.. but the main point is all the products that are in the top of the spectrum will provide the consumer with a quality product if applied correctly and then if the consumer takes care of there truck e the life will be even greater..Rhino, Reflex ,Linex or another top brand the greatest thing to look at is the applicators ( do they run a good business , produce a good product what else do they do in there business ? do they have samples you see where i’m going. If you had your 57chevy restored how much time do you spend on does the shop use PPG or DuPont ?Both will produce the desired result – hope this helps ..
Welcome to the thread! Well, I read a little bit of info on your site and I’m going to have to say that there is a LOT of incorrect information. Some of the information is just opinions which of course is neither wrong or right, but some of it is completely incorrect and or/inaccurate. For example, you said LINE-X has two lines of product, one is rough and one is elastic. Roughness has absolutely nothing to do with elasticity. Also, LINE-X has about 20 products. Any of them can be applied at any thickness.
Reflex is old technology (low pressure polyurethane) and certainly is NOT a “Bentley”
I have been spraying the rhino liners for a year now after spraying and prepping for line-x for a few years in the past. All i can say is that surface preparation is key. Being able to take the time and produce quality instead of quantity has made my and my new found customers worry free.
true some of the places out there try and do 15 trucks in a day and line x wants a truck done in 45 mins start to finish…trun and burn is not a good way to do bussiness!its all in the dealer take your time and do it right you will have a good bed linner…but i would go with rhino!
mistermatt, it doesn’t sound like you’re familiar with the bedliner business! I have 6 employees. If is put all six on one single truck, they can complete the job in about an hour. If I have two trucks to work on and split the employees, then it will take two hours to complete the job for each truck. In both cases the they are top-notch jobs. That’s the way it works for ALL bedliner brands.
Anonymous ” well said “
Proper surface preparation is certainly important in the world of coatings no matter if you are applying a product for secondary containment or onto off shore oil rigs or spraying truck bedliners. However, that’s not the only important aspect. Choosing the proper coating and applying the coating within proper ambient conditions is just as important.
I’m the anonymous guy from August 31st 2012. Dave, you are also right. Coatings of any type in the wrong ambient conditions can be diasterous. One major difference I’ve noticed between Line-x (1:1 ratio) to Rhino (2:1 ratio) during humid conditions is that line-x bubbles up or blisters whitch makes a repair on a spot look obvious and depending on the area, looks plain ugly. In the same conditions this summer, with the Rhino, i’d get what seemed like textured water droplets that were only on the surface of the truck bed that I could easily sand off either by hand with 80 grit sand paper or with an orbital sander, blow out, wash with acetone, quick coat over area and texture. Not sure if it’s the ratio difference that caused the difference. Another big difference, barely any post delivery repairs with Rhino.
Any bedliner brand that contains polyurethane can bubble due to moisture. Polyurethane is more sensitive to moisture than polyurea. Thankfully, LINE-X is more polyurea than polyurethane and bubbles rarely occur. Rhino bedliner products are more polyurethane. There are other reasons why bubbles can occur such as a contaminant.
To be clear to the readers, the ratios mike mentioned have to do with the resin/isocyanate ratio, not the polyurethane/polyurea ratio. Rhino has 1:1 and 2:1. LINE-X has always been 1:1. Both LINE-X and Rhino can make seamless repairs. Here’s some news: LINE-X has some surprises coming, it’s going to be BIG! I can’t tell you what it is now, but I can tell you that I’m extremely glad I’m a LINE-X dealer!
BUBBLES? Just had my truck done with Rhino spray on lining, on the bed part there are bubbles anywhere from 1/4 inch accross to 2 inches. The dealer claims it was their machine,I tend to believe they did not prep the bed right. It scares the crap out of me how they are going to fix this without damaging the metal
Any comments?
There are many reasons bubbles can occur. One reason is the resin and isocyanate did not mix properly due to an equipment malfunction. If they did not clean the bed and some sort of contaminant is present, then that could cause bubbles also.
Thanks
Has anyone ever coated the outside of a large inflatable boat with any of these products? My boats are older and have weather damaged skins. Spraying a bedliner would renew the tubes way cheaper than replacing them.
I don’t know the answer to your question, but I think I can point you in the right direction. Call the LINE-X dealer in Sarasota, Florida. He does a TON of boat work with LINE-X.
Kinda hilarious, the guy who was accusing this site of profiting from Line-X himself profits from Rhino.
I have no affiliation with either brand, but my last truck had a Line-X. I had it for ten years, had a farm and roughed it up, it did just fine. Some scratches in the bed from tossing heavy equipment around, but it never made it to the metal. You’ll be fine with a Line-X no matter what your use.
I worked at a Buick/GMC dealership for a few years and we used Toff. When I bought my new truck, I saved a few bucks and went with Toff. Same results one year into it.
If I can’t penetrate a Toff or Rhino liner, you’ll be ok with whatever you do. I’m sure Rhino’s no different.
Since you have experience with LINE-X, Rhino, and Toff, perhaps the next go-around you might try LINE-X Premium (or LINE-X Platinum). Premium (and Platinum) will be darker black then any of the three you had previously and Premium (and Platinum) is UV stable and won’t fade like the others. It keeps its good-looks for many years.
I appreciate the recommendation, but having a nicer color probably isn’t worth it to me. I absolutely abuse that thing. Besides, my next liner will probably be a lighter color. Light gray or white. Black liners are just too danged hot here in the Texas summers.
And to be completely honest, I’ve never had a Rhino. I’m sure it’ll hold up to most anything you can throw at it.
Has anybody done a pontoon deck with either product? How is the texture to walk on in bare feet?
We do pontoon decks, small & large marine vessels with a marine-grade Spray-Lining product (by the company Spray-Lining). We’re in Houston, Tx but they have dealers all over or DIY pkgs. Most bare footers or deck shoe folks want their Spray-Lining to be extra soft or flexible. Boat owner’s Complaints of Spray-Lining were about no marine-grade whites available. White is available now that is marine-grade & UV stable. Reviews of Spray-Lining include UV stability, salt water protection & a warranty that really covers you. SERIOUS ADVICE: Beware of spray-Lining Scams: Applications of non-certified people using products that are not from Spray-Lining, the manufacturer.
Yes, the LINE-X dealer in Sarasota, Florida has as HUGE boat business. Contact him for more info.
I had a 99 Silverado with a Rhino Liner that I was very pleased with. The dealer that installed it knew what he was doing and it looked great. I put over 250,000 miles on it, hauled everything in it and it held up great. I bought a 2008 Silverado and had a Rhino liner installed by a local dealer in town and the guy made a mess of it. The thickness varies by as much as 3/8″ and looked pitiful. It held up good but did not look good. The thing I liked at Rhino Liners was the nonslip feel of the coating. Is the Line-X coating nonslip, as well? Does the method used to install the lining (Hot vs cold process)affect the nonslip feel? If so will Rhino Liners be nonslip if they are sprayed hot?
The original Rhino product, called Tuff Stuff, is a low pressure product. In about 2008, Rhino copied LINE-X and modified their product so that it could go through a heat/ high pressure system, now called Tuff Grip. They also have Hardline which has the same technical specs as Tuff Grip, but is harder.
LINE-X can vary the texture, the more texture, the more the grip.
LINE-X Premium and the new LINE-X Platinum both of which are available in any color, are way superior to Rhino bedliner products. Maybe one day Rhino will catch up, but right now, the LINE-X products not only are stronger, but are also UV stable.
David-
Any recommendations for a Line X dealer in the San Jose/SF Bay Area?
I just bought a 2013 Dodge ram with a regular size box and the optional ram box. The ram box has those aluminum tiedown rails inside. I haven’t decided if I’ll go rhino or Linux yet. In the Minneapolis area, the rhino goes for around $400 and the line x is $500. In a $35,000 truck, that difference in cost is insignificant. From your experiences, will the aluminum tiedown rail that’ are inside the box need to be removed for the spraying or will they tape around it? Also, when it comes to corrosion (rust) prevention is there a definitive answer as to whether which one is superior? I’ve been searching the web for technical data that describes the physical properties of these products (Such as compressive strength, shear stress resistance, retention strength) And I have not found anything. Here is why I think those numbers don’t exist. I believe that the numbers may be different based on the methods and circumstances involved with the prep and methodology of placement. Any advice on my questions mentioned earlier would be greatly appreciated.
We remove the rails, apply the bedliner, and then reinstall the rails. It will look much nicer that way and you will have total coating coverage. Both brands will prevent rust from forming on the surface for which they are applied. They will not prevent rust from forming on the backside of the steel. The numbers you are referring to do exist. Most professional coatings companies must have these numbers in order to comply with job specifications. The coating companies will used standardized test methods. These test methods can be found at ASTM.org. You can call the coating companies and request the “technical data sheet” for the product you are interested in. The TDS will list the test method and test results. I have the TDS for LINE-X, Rhino, and others. LINE-X blows Rhino away, especially LINE-X Platinum which blows away all of the competition.
David, I have a tonneau cover on my new Ram and don’t do a lot of hauling. Mainly want to protect it from rust, etc. What is the difference in price between Line-X Premium and just the standard Line-X bed liner? Would I even need something more than the standard??
Standard LINE-X is all you need since you have a tonneau cover and you don’t use the bed for extreme duty. Each LINE-X dealer sets their own prices, so you would have to contact your local dealer(s). You can go to linex.com and use the “Locate a Dealer” function to find the dealers closest to your location.
In the area that I live (Twin Cities) the price between rhino and line x is very similar. In my opinion both of them look nice. Had a chance to see both of them and use trucks and they both fade. There are however premium add-on options that reduce the fading. If you have a cover it’ll be a while before you get that fading. I finally decided to go with the rhino. It is thicker and has a rubbery quality to it. I expect it would be easier to clean than line x which has the sand paper gritty feeling to it. I was also told by someone who has a landscaping business and has rhino, that it is their choice of spray on material because it’s thick and rubbery characteristic allows it to absorb and dissipate the shock or impact from a tool being thrown into the box. This would prevent compromising the material (visibly or not) and also prevent the translation of the force to a small area of the underlying metal of the box.
If Rhino is for you, that’s great. I don’t know which Rhino product you got (probably Tuff Stuff, Tuff Grip, Hardline), but all of them are inferior to LINE-X. LINE-X is significantly stronger. Tuff Stuff will probably be thicker because it’s a very weak product, weaker than Tuff Grip and Hardline. Tuff Grip and Hardline are applied at the same thickness as LINE-X. While you think the thick rubbery product will absorb inpact, it will also gouge much easier. All three Rhino products are not UV stable. LINE-X Premium and LINE-X Platinum are UV stable.
I have a drop in box liner that came with the truck. I am really interested in pulling it out and installing a bed rug liner, Do you think it would be money well spent to first coat the bed with a spray liner? (I am assuming the bed will be scratched up-rust )Would the bed rug install be affected? Thanks for any help.
DW – The bed reg lines are pretty damn awesome – not sure that you need a spray-in if you’re going that route. However, it certainly couldn’t hurt things.
All I am going to say is “Prep” is the key. I said it before in other forums also. If you want to spend the money then go ahead. They have many products for the DIY person. Prep is what needed and a good hot sunny day. Did my last 3 trucks with Herculiner. My last one done in 07. Still going strong. As mentioned before I use a tonneau cover which helps keep it from fading. You can spend from $300-$800 for Line-x, and Rhino type products. I spent under $100. $68 for kit and $10 for acetone. When I was in the Navy we used Non-Skid on the decks and it would last well over 5 years if the prep was done correctly. It will fade because of being in the sun and all we would do is Blackwash it and it would look new again. You simply roll this product on.
Mickey – Absolutely. I got a ration of sh*t from a Line-X installer over my emphasis on prep…he went to great lengths to explain that Line-X used the best type of material in the world, that they used the best application process, etc. But the reality is, none of that matters if the person installing the material doesn’t do proper prep work.
Suffice to say, any product can work incredibly well if it’s installed correctly. Thanks for commenting (as always). 🙂
Jason I work at the paint shop at the sub base. If you don’t do prep correctly paint will bubble and fail miserably. Sorry you had to take abuse from a installer. When someone does work themselves they will take every precaution and make sure they are doing it correctly. Business’s look at one thing “Profit”. The sooner they move on to the next customer the sooner they make more money for the company. I don’t have anything against that thinking. Sometimes you have to rely on a business to get something done. But, when you can DIY by all means try it. I never did hardwoods, tile until my last house. I went to Home Depot class on both and all of a sudden I became an expert on both just like staying at a Holiday Inn Express. Yes doing a truck bed does take about 3 hours in a hot sun. I take my time prepping to make sure it’s done right. Blow down and wipe off with alcohol. Use Acetone to soften the paint also. Now we are ready to apply the product. With one can I applied two coats. One thing it does dry fast. I do understand why they say not to fool with the bolts. The companies don’t want to be held accountable for how rough their workers are. My bolts came out easy. Use the proper tools and you won’t have any issue. I sprayed my bolts Gloss Black. I took them off 1 year ago after being rear ended. Just to check and repaint bolts. I had to check dealership’s work. Just to let you know my wife really gave me the go ahead if I want a 2014. I’m actually going to wait. I’m not sure yet in what I want or can get.
Substrate preparation is certainly extremely important for any type of coating application. The the coating itself is also extremely important. Just to make a point: You can prep your truck bed just right and then apply a couple of layers of Krylon paint. I don’t think Krylon paint is going “work incredibly well” as far as protecting the truck bed against you tossing bricks in the bed. The LINE-X dealer was correct, LINE-X uses the best polyurea and polyurethane that’s available. If you don’t need the best, that’s fine, but that’s what you will get with LINE-X products.
I seen a few 2014 models today and from what I seen on the sticker I can’t justify a $500 to spray the bed. It doesn’t state who sprayed it on. This isn’t a dealer add on.
[…] There are several products out there and the top popular brands are Line-X and Rhino. Click here for a debate on which one to […]
[…] times more important. OK, I exaggerated a little. Read this —> +1 look for a clean shop. http://www.tundraheadquarters.com spray-in-review-line-x-bed-liner-vs-rhino-bed-liner/ __________________ 4DailyRunner ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 2013 CM-LTD 4WD Barcelona Red TRD Sway […]
[…] Today, 07:22 AM FWIW, here's a review of both. Spray-In Bed Liner Review – Line-X vs. Rhino vs. Everyone Else | Tundra Headquarters Blog Reply With […]
[…] I've been looking into spray-in liners also and came across this Spray-In Bed Liner Review – Line-X vs. Rhino vs. Everyone Else | Tundra Headquarters Blog […]
What about Tuffskin. An American Camper outlet where I’m buying a Snugtop shell in Stanton California is offering to do my 2000 Tundra Access cab over the rail for $575. The Tuffskin website offers a lifetime warranty. But I live in Hilo Hawaii where I’m having the truck shipped to. No installer here so the warranty is no use. They say they will sand the bed and remove the bolts and tailgate cover. I have a 94 Toyota with Line-X and a shell over it. It has held up very good for ten years. And it’s sprayed on about as thick as 3/16″ over the rail. There is a line-X installer here but they charge $775 and I’ve seen their work and they apply a very thin coat, like less than 1/16″ But they will cover the warranty if I have line-X done in Santa Fe California for $550 and repair is needed. I want a thick coat because it’s far more durable. I’m not even considering Rhino.
Anyone have any input on the Tuffskin?
Mahalo,
Dave.
I’ve never heard of Tuffskin. I looked at their website and there’s no useful information. Since it’s a single location “Mom and Pop shop”, they obviously don’t make their own product and they are buying it from some vendor. So, maybe it’s OK, maybe it’s not. Keep in mind that if they go out of business or sell out, you have no warranty.
I had Line X on my dad’s truck(both bed and tailgate,underrail)and it still look good till this day.I how ever had Rhino Linings on my truck and my tailgate is peeling off like on the middle part of it,but other than that I have no problem with the bed part.So yeah,it depends on the installer doing an excellent job or not
Thanks David;
There are at least three locations. The website is for the Arizona location but there are at least two in southern California. I decided to go with line X again for lots of reasons. The Santa Fe Springs location is highly rated, they will open the stock drain holes at the front of the bed so they will remain about the same size as before the coating, they will drill 1/2″ holes just in front and behind the fender wells to aid in drainage, they will remove the existing bed liner and tonneau cover and then replace them after. And they will pick up and return the truck from the house. All for $540. They promise to apply the liner to a thickness of 125 mils even over the rim and to put the bed bolts back using the Toyota recommended method. Plus the line X warranty can be honored here in Hilo if needed.
My vote remains Line X.
Mahalo.
Dave.
An update on my original post:
After having line x spray on my 1994 Toyota DX truck bed in 2001 and having virtually no chips or peeling for the past 13 years I had my 2000 tundra sprayed by line x of Santa Fe Springs California in December of last year. The first thing I noticed about the job was that it was paper thin where it was sprayed over the rim. A few weeks later I found that it was starting to peel where the coating ended in the tail gate area of the bed. After that it started to scratch off of the tail gate very easily when I loaded cargo into the bed. (Now after 13 years of rough service on my little DX Toyota I have never had any trouble with the coating getting scratched off.) So I took the Tundra to the local dealer ( not the same one that did the work) and he measured the thickness of the coating in about ten places. It is supposed to be about 135 mil thick and was reading in the 050 mil range. And further examination revealed that the original installer did not prep the paint properly and that is the reason the coating is delaminating. Many more places on the tailgate have been damaged since. I spoke with the regional manager several times and they have offered to remove the peeling coating and then prime the rest of the coating and then re-spray the entire bed to the specified thickness. I at first agreed to except this fix but at this point with the extent of the new peeling and the evidence that the preparation was not done correctly And I’m now in doubt about the method they used on the bed bolts I think that I will pursue whatever avenues are necessary to have the problem fixed correctly even if that entails returning to California and filing a small claims suit against Line x of Santa Fe Springs for the damages.
Input or advice welcome.
My father and I are part of a family owned and operated Line-X franchise and have been protecting trucks for nearly 18 years. I firmly believe in every product we offer-including and specifically Line-X Protective Coatings. There is only one main detail I would like to add, to this debate. I am confident with some research each and everyone of you looking to compare; will be lead in the direction of the Superior Bedliner and protective coatings. The one thing I would like to add is as follows:
When looking to purchase any polyurethane protective coating (which is what Line-X is) regardless of manufacturer – everyone of them will fade from exposure to the sun unfortunately, as noted previously. However Line-X has developed products to protect the bedliner from fading! Line-X XTRA is a product specifically formulated with color code matching qualities and has UV fade protectant formulated in it! This is to protect any color coating from UV fading. Please note that when you have Line-X applied in color at any location- this product will not fade, and that is guaranteed for the life of the vehicle and protected under the warranty you will receive.
Finally, Line-X also has a product called Line-X Premium. It’s main purpose to protect any standard usually black liner from fading. Line-X Premium also makes the bed easier to clean, protects the bed from staining – from harsh chemicals, and is guaranteed to keep the bedliner or protective coating looking brand new – for life! Both options are available in Line-X locations all across the world! If fading is bothersome, be sure to check into Line-X Premium! And you can rest easier knowing your color code matched bedliner will not fade either, for life, guaranteed! (Not even the bubble gum pink bedliners haha!)
Line-X really does have you covered! Both the bedliner and the fading is covered under a Nationwide Written Lifetime Warranty and honored at all locations worldwide.
Finally, each franchise is different. They may charge differently between any two Line-X locations, and each Line-X location has different ways of preparing and protecting vehicles and therefore results may vary! With a little work on your end you can be assured which Line-X dealer will better suit you and your protective coating needs and better help you choose where to take your vehicle when you are ready to protect the truck!
Like any product you are interested in purchasing my recommendation is to do your research as you are doing right now! Don’t hesitate to ask questions and insure you are comfortable with the shop and the products prior to your Line-X application. Line-X is a Superior Product with Superior Protection! For 20 years Line-X has proven to be the #1 rated Spray on truck bedliner and protective coating! (18 years for our location specifically)
From truck beds, to rocker panels, patios and garage floors, to then entire exterior of vehicles with Line-X Body Armor and so much more, we are a proud Line-X location! Don’t forget: Truck Gear by Line-X is an exclusive Truck Accessory line in full swing at locations all across the world! Be sure to check into that if looking to personal your truck too! Line-X can protect just about anything, for life and most locations work closely with surrounding car dealerships in their surrounding area! If you are buying a truck and know that you would like to have the truck protected with Line-X and our Accessories, you may speak with your salesperson about having the dealership have the vehicle protected prior to you picking the vehicle up and they can also add the cost of the bedliner directly to the end cost of your truck and it can then be factored into payments being made for the truck! Be sure to ask if that may help! Thanks for your time and I hope this information is useful during your searching-enjoy your truck and good luck!
Sincerely
Tami F
TamiMarie8631@aol.com
Erie, Pennsylvania!
Thank you for posting, but there are a few corrections to your statements. LINE-X does not offer a warranty against fading no matter what the product. Fading is NOT included in the LINE-X limited lifetime warranty. Everything fades, but aliphatic coatings (Xtra, Premium, Platinum, Body Armour) fade at significantly slower rate. New vehicle factory warranties do not cover fading of the vehicle’s paint.
Maybe I should have been even more specific, you are right. It is not specified in the written warranty from corporate. Mainly because there is no possible way the corporation as a whole can back (or warranty) each individual application from over 400 locations without being apart of each application. Obviously that’s not possible. Furthermore they have no way to monitor or make sure each application has the correct amount of product etc etc-Therefore this is why it is not specified within the warranty from corporate.
However when you go to a Line-X dealer they as a store reserve the right to offer additional warranty protection and most if not all do have warranties over and above the corporate warranty. This is what I should have said. After speaking with corporate members before responding to this I’m confident saying there is not one location that if a problem were to arise- they wouldn’t fix it under “warranty” per say pertaining to fading issues or issues overall pertaining to truck beds. That is taken for granted they are the original purchasers of the truck when bringing the truck to a store. (Unique applications that fade or have issues is a different story as each application is different and that will be up to the installing dealer to decide..)
.. I have had yet to meet a store owner who doesn’t back each and every application they apply in general and specifically truck beds. (I’m aware there is probably a few that have shamed Line-X over the 20 years though)
If you have any type of fading the dealership level\installer will fix the issue with no issue or questions asked pertaining to standard applications. (These questions would be ideal questions to clarify when deciding who will be your installer and this is why doing your homework is most important in general too)
18 years and one of the first stores- I’ve honestly never seen anyone NOT stand behind their application or products when involving truck beds. If the installer won’t stand behind their job and corporate has to get involved they will have a different location do the repair and deduct the price of the repair when material is purchased in the future and the shop that did the repair will then be reimbursed = issue fixed and customer happy. They have little to no choice when it comes to a truck bed (and really when an application is done wrong in general I’ve seen corporate force the franchise to take accountability too)
Over all my suggestion to prevent any issues now or in the future is to do your research and know exactly what to expect as far as warranty coverage (if any) accidental damage warranties and so on before having the application done. Do your homework and make sure to research the dealer and installer personally when having any applications done because this will be the most important part overall and potentially be the difference between satisfaction and unsatisfactory applications in the end. Experience matters. And I’m going to end this with..A business will not remain open for long by doing shotty jobs. Line-X is very proactive with each installer regardless of how many years they’ve been part of the business. They go to great lengths to make sure each franchise is installing correctly and standing behind their job and when an issue arises and the installing dealer isn’t willing to do what they can to fix the problem corporate will step in if it is an application error verse an operator error to resolve the issue so the customer is happy and the best possible protection is provided. Customer Satisfaction has always been and will always be a main concern with Line-X Protective Coatings. Cheers!
line x is code for brand x.
Rhino Linings is the originator, top tier, and rules
I have used both. I will say if you want abrasive, hard, brittle, and thin go with brand x. If you want top quality go with Rhino.
If you like Rhino, that’s fine, but Rhino certainly is NOT top quality and LINE-X certainly is NOT brittle.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….
…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.
I needed a good laugh. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get back to an informed discussion.
What is wrong with you? Line-X is a competitor to what I spray and I would never bad mouth a good product like Line-X. You’re very misinformed. I spray a product very similar to Line-X and can tell you it is NOT brittle. Also, Line-X is the originator of high pressure/hot spray liners, not Rhino. Rhino brought the concept from Africa and turned it into a spray-able product for truck beds. The only thing I can say negative toward a Line-X liner is the price point.
“Rhino Linings is the originator, top tier, and rules”
Yea, know what you mean. A brilliant and informative comment. 🙂
I am looking to have a pontoon boat lined with a spray on liner. It is a new boat I had custom made with a 3/16″ flat aluminum deck surface. It is a work boat that we are going to be shoveling limestone powder and gravel off of regularly and is subject to some abuse from shovels. I don’t want something with too much grip as the shovels will tear into it, but it also can not be too slippery. I am concerned with black because I assume it will be quite hot in the summer. I am also concerned with a color as it seems fading may result in a funny looking boat. I need to boat to look professional while also function properly. My desire would be a battleship gray color if I had a choice. The boat will last for 20+ years as a work boat and I would like a liner that will last the life of the boat while also looking good. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
In the commercial/industrial world, the goal is sometimes to protect the substrate and to have a sacrificial protective coating that can be reapplied after whatever years are appropriate. So, in your case, if the coating gets abused for a certain amount of time, expect normal wear and tear. If a coatings dealer tells you their coating will last forever (20 years), walk away.
What is your location?
I have a new pontoon boat with a 3/16″ flat aluminum deck. I am looking to have a spray on bed liner applied to help it hold up to the work load. We use the boat to apply limestone and are regularly shoveling gravel off the boat. The liner can not have too much grip as the shovels will tear into it, but it can not be too slippery either. My desire was a battleship gray color that would look good and not fade. My concern with black is it seems like it would become hot when soaking in the sun on the water. What ever I go with needs to be professional looking and last the 20+ years the boat will. The more I look into this the more I am concerned with fading and a light color looking funny over time. I have a good Rhino liner dealer near me who has recommended a Solar Max liner as he feels it is the best for my application. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
David,
I own a liner shop in Fort Worth and if you were my customer I would tell you we can do a non-fade liner on your boat but also let you know any spray liner out there will tear and gouge over time with constant sharp shovels being scraped on and into it. Spray on polyurethane/polyurea is awesome and a great product but is definitely not indestructible.
What color and type of material would you recommend that could resist potential ugly fading effect while also not having too much grip when shoveling.
Im in VA
If you want a strong UV stable coating, I recommend LINE-X Body Armour. It’s a 100% aliphatic pure polyurea spray elastomer, no topcoat required. You won’t find many companies that offer this type of product. Actually, I don’t know of any other company that has it. It has a pretty long gel time of 13 seconds, so it will self level pretty well. This product has been applied on the Discover Channel’s Storm Chaser Dominator vehicles and they have been through literally hundreds of hail storms. I agree with Michael, no product is going to be indestructible though.
Is it available in colors?
Yes, there are about 15 available pigments.
LINE X STINKS! When my liner started fading from color matched silver to matte yellow I was told by line x Regional managers, after multiple emails with pictures, that my liner was applied incorrectly by their line x licensed dealer. Then after weeks and weeks of attempted communication, I was informed that nothing could be done because the person who installed my liner had been dropped from the brand’s network (over a yr after the install!!!). They told me they can’t control what the installers do and that the problem was taken care of when they dropped him from their network.
WHAT?!?!?!
Ive got a crappy job that I paid over $300 for and they think the problem is fixed because they dropped an installer who shouldn’t have been dealing their product in the first place?
This is the short version of this story to say the very least, all details spared, but this experience will stand out as one of the most frustrating in my whole life. I have no doubt. It’s not necessarily the money I’ve lost, but more about the principal that they sincerely feel that dropping the crappy installer (that they licensed!!) fixes the problem for the customer.
I realize that many people love line x, but I am thoroughly UN-IMPRESSED with all aspects of my line x experience.
Sorry Charlie, but I think something is wrong with your post. No LINE-X dealer anywhere sells a color match for $300, not even close. They don’t sell black bedliners for $300!
If you truly paid $300, it certainly was not LINE-X.
Forgot to mention: LINE-X dealers are not “licensed” but Rhino dealers are. Sounds like you got your brands confused.
Charlie, please post the contact phone number and email address of the company you were communicating with to validate your story. Also, let us know which Line-X dealer you were dealing with and that will help as well. I’m not a Line-X Dealer but I’m with David on the fact that NO Line-X dealer would EVER spray a color liner for $300. You may find a struggling dealer that would do a black one for $300 just to get some money in the door.
I initially contacted the Line-x company franchise in Schereville, Indiana to have a Line-x bedliner installed on my 2001 Toyota Tundra. Before scheduling an appointment i reviewed the company warranty statement on the Line-x website:
NATIONWIDE LIFETIME WARRANTY
Every LINE-X Spray-On Truck Bedliner comes standard with a Nationwide Lifetime Warranty that’s valid at any of our 400+ LINE-X locations. A LINE-X Spray-On Truck Bedliner is guaranteed not to crack, bubble, or flake for as long as you own your truck. So, no matter how tough the daily wear and tear you put your bedliner through, LINE-X has you covered.
In the unlikely event that the LINE-X Spray-On Truck Bedliner does crack, bubble or flake, simply take the vehicle, Warranty Certificate and original receipt to the LINE-X Franchise that applied the bedliner for a full repair at no cost to you. If you are a considerable distance away from the original Franchise, you can visit any LINE-X location across the country.
“At LINE-X we believe in protecting our customers with both our products and our service. When customers buy a LINE-X bedliner, they know it’s fully backed by the LINE-X Corporation and their local LINE-X franchise.”
– Kevin Heronimus, LINE-X CEO
I had the liner installed on May 15, 2014, and was given only a receipt for $620.00 from Lin-x of Schereville . When I asked about warranty service I was told by Employee Willie that my receipt is all I would need for warrnaty service anywhere Line-x bedliners are sold.
Two days later the bed of the liner bubbled up. I contacted Line-x corporate and eventually spoke to Regional Manager Kent Henderson. I requested to have the problem fixed at a local Franchise closer to my home. Here is the response I got:
From: Steve Visvadra
Subject: Re: Line-X Request
Peter,
Even after 15 years in business,I have not done any repairs (warranty or other) on another shops work.Since that is the case,I am finding out that there are necessary steps that need to be taken by the customer, Line-X Corp. and the original shop that installed the liner in question.
I cannot do any work without confirmation from Line-X Corp. (Kent Henderson) and even if that is O.K.d the most I would be re-embursed would be $750.00.Unfortunately that would not even cover half of what I would charge for a job of this type.i.e.stripping the bed approx. 8 hours x $90.00 per hour,R&R bed and ship back and forth to sandblaster approx.$450.00,sandblast bed approx.$350.00,prime bed $100.00 and then install bedliner $520.00.So you can see the spot I would be put in even if it was sent to me.
Unfortunately that is the best I can tell you at this point in time.
If you have any other questions along the way,feel free to contact me anytime.Like I said earlier,probably best by e-mail.
I will give you the phone # and e-mail address for Kent that I have and hopefully you will have better luck getting a hold of him.He is a good man and very sensitive to the Line-X brand,so I am sure you will get this sorted out with him.
Steve Visvadra
Owner/Operator
Line-X of Bartlett
Since apparantly getting repairs at your nearest local franchise is not an option despite claims to the contrary on the Line-x website The regional manager, Kent Henderson set up a time for me to have the problem fixed at the Schererville Franchise on June 2nd, 2014.
On June 3, 2014 I returned to pick up my vehicle and found that there was extensive overspray on the front of the bed lip. I requested this be fixed and was told by both Kent Henderson and franchise owner Chris that “I wasn’t sold a warranty”, and was refused further assistance.
This is clearly violation of truth in advertising for both the warranty and the ability to obtain local warranty service. I have filed FTC complaints on both counts of false advertising, filed a claim with my auto insurance for the overspray damage, and am disputing the lack of warranty, and warranty service with my credit card company.
You probably were given a warranty, you should have read it. The actual warranty states that if you are more than 100 miles from the original applicator, then you can go to another LINE-X dealer which implies that if you are not, then you need to return to the original applicator. The Bartlett dealer is correct, he should not attempt a repair without Corp’s permission.
Per my last post: I will go into the details of my frustration with line-x since a few of you seem that something is “wrong with my post” or that it is “invalid” due to lack of dealer name.
In 2012 I had my bed lined with black line x. I used a company called “Line-x of Southeast Texas”. I paid somewhere in the range of $500 for this job and decided that I wanted my front bumper sprayed color matched silver. I was charged an additional $250 for the bumper which I was happy to pay after seeing the job. I was informed before hand that while my bed would be protected by warranty, my bumper would not. I understood this as the bumper is a part of the truck that is succeptable to damage and line x cannot warranty a part of the vehicle that is on the outside of the truck from damage or wear(stay with me if you are scratching your head wondering why I am still frustrated after knowing this going into it).
In early 2013 my color matched silver bumper started drastically fading to yellow and continued until most of the bumper turned a matte yellow. I have not been in any accidents or mistreated the bumper in any way. After trying to contact line x of SETX I found that their number was no longer working and after an internet search found that they are out of business. I called the closest line x dealer (60 miles away), line x of Houston, and explained the problem providing detailed pictures and spoke with Dallas providing an explanation. I explained that I understood that the bumper was not warrantied against damage but that I suspected that the job had been done incorrectly. Dallas confirmed my suspicions saying that it definitely looked like the coating had been mixed wrong and applied wrong.
Dallas gave me a number to call and after weeks of trying, I was in touch with a regional manager who confirmed the same thing (after emails of detailed pictures). Sierra (the regional manager) told me that it had been mixed or applied improperly and it should not be doing that. However since they warranty only beds they were not going to do anything about it. She went on to say that they have strict quality control ops and due to this my original installer had been dropped from their list of installers. after much discussion I was told that the best sierra could do for me was try to negotiate a fair price for line x of Houston to do a re-spray (which turned out to be $50 dollars more than the original job).
My problem is not with line x of Houston, and I understand that beds are the only thing warrantied. However when a regional manager for a company as big as line x tells me that my problem (which wouldn’t have happened in the first place if their quality control was as good as they say) is fixed because they dropped my original installer who did a terrible job, this is infuriating. I feel that since both a regional manager and an installer confirmed that I was given a poor job, they should want to fix it instead of turn me away to be a jilted customer.
I even explained to Sierra that there is a huge 4″x3″ line x decal protruding from my “armor” that I did not ask for but the dealer put anyway and it is a rolling billboard for a crappy line x job and the kind of work that they do. She assured me that she had done everything that she could and even though it was mixed and/or installed improperly I should rest assured that line x of Southeast Tx would not be applying anymore of line x’s material to any other vehicles.
I have no idea how this helps me recoup my $250 that I spent on the bumper or why line x feels that the problem is resolved by dropping a crappy installer that they shouldn’t have licensed in the first place.
Now I have the options of: having it redone for $300 additional dollars (if they can even spray over the other coating), buying a new bumper all together ($400-800), or just cruising around with an otherwise flawless silver 2011 4×4 with a hideous yellow bumper with a huge line x badge obviously emblazoned on it. I will not pay extra to have it redone and feel obligated to tell everyone who asks “what happened to the line x coating on your bumper” about how line x does business.
In summary: I knew they would not warranty my bumper against damage. However I felt confident that after being assured by an installer and a regional manager that the job had been done improperly I would get some kind of reparations towards my ruined bumper that I trusted the line x name with.
Again, I have no problems with line x of Houston, only with the fact that line x felt my problem was solved by previously dropping my installer. there’s no telling how many other vehicles are driving around the Houston area with a line x of southeast Texas hack job that was done prior to their dismissal.
I have not included phone numbers or emails as requested because a quick internet search of either company will provide numbers, addresses, and all the info I have talked about.
I was not involved, but I found out that you were not quoted $300, you were quoted $200.
Dealer stores are individually owned. It would not be fair for Houston to provide the service for free. Unfortunately for you, SE Texas went out of business.
The LINE-X nationwide warranty only covers truck bedliners. Everything else is warrantied by the individual franchise owners.
The quote was for $250-$300 depending on whether or not LXoH had to remove the bumper or not, which Dallas said they probably would. It was certainly not $200.
Either way, Line X should have paid LXoH to re-do my job since it is their fault that LXoSETx was dropped because their quality did not meet that of the Line X name and had to be dropped due to quality control. I used LXoSETx because of the Line X name and was let down (to say the least) by an improperly mixed and/or applied product.
Furthermore, LXoH should be as mad as I am that Line X regional managers turned me away saying they couldn’t help me. LXoH is the only dealer in the Houston area now and since there’s a jilted customer driving around in a truck with a crappy Line X job (BILLBOARD) I would think this would think this would irritate them as well. I never intended for LXoH to re-do my job at any cost to them andI never implied that they should, but I feel that Line X should pony up the money for a dealer to re-do my bumper since their shoddy quality control is what has cost me $250.
How about Armorthane?
Thanks for the read, great info that seems unbiased. As I read over and over again, the installer is the key no matter what the product.Thanks for sharing about information truck.
That’s not correct. What is key is the installer AND the product.
Can anyone recommend a competent lLinex dealer in Central Illinois (Springfield/Peoria/Bloomington/Decatur area)? Or one I should avoid?
Thanks in advance.
Linex.