| Best Choice |
|
Roll-On Raptor | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
Two-part bed liner paint with everything you need to do the job |
Pros
|
Cons
|
|
| Best Value |
|
Krylon Automotive Truck Bed Coating | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
An affordable spray option for protecting your truck bed quickly and easily |
Pros
|
Cons
|
|
| Premium Pick |
|
Rust-Oleum Professional Grade Truck Bed Liner Kit | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
Two-part paint that can stop existing rust while renewing your truck bed |
Pros
|
Cons
|
Gone are the days when a truck was just a tool for work and owners didn’t care if the bed looked like it had seen better days. Sure, a pickup truck is still a tool for work, but it is also a luxury SUV or a family sedan to many. So you want to protect and keep that box looking fresh and dent and rust-free, a bed liner paint is exactly what you’re looking for. Offering a durable finish that protects your pickup bed from dings, dents, scratches, as well as an easy-to-clean surface and even non-skid attributes, bed liner paint is the easiest way of safeguarding your truck’s bed for years to come. We’ve got the best bed liner paints to get your pickup looking good and make it more functional every day.
The Best Bed Liner Paint
Raptor bed liner is our top pick because it’s a two-part system that is also made by U-POL. U-POL is a name you might not recognize, but is a leader around the world in body shop supplies and automotive coatings. Using a two-part system with separate coating and hardener means it undergoes a chemical change when it cures rather than just “drying” like single-part coatings, helping two-part finishes last longer from corrosion and UV damage.
One kit has enough bed paint to apply two coats over up to 65 square feet, plenty for an average 6.5-foot pickup bed. This bed paint will cure to the touch in under an hour, letting you apply the second coat on the same day and dries thoroughly in 5-7 days. This kit comes with two roller trays, two roller heads, a roller, and four sets of gloves as well as abrasive pads and two bags of anti-slip additive. That’s everything you need to coat your truck.
- Brand Raptor
- Model UP5010
- Weight 4.99 pounds
Complete kit
Includes non-skid additive
UV- and impact-resistant
Some complaints about included rollers
Requires precise measure and mix
Krylon’s Truck Bed Coating is designed to be quicker and easier to apply than others, especially those with two-part roll-on coatings. It’s also much cheaper than competitors, which makes it easier to buy just the right amount for your project. One can covers 16-18 square feet, and a coating should be dry to the touch in just 30 minutes, though Krylon says to wait at least an hour (at 60-90 degrees) before handling the surface. This truck bed paint can be reapplied at any time, so if you’ve somehow managed to scratch or damage your truck’s bed, you can just get one can and touch up a single area. The coating is UV stable, so it should resist fading and your repair will match.
The downside of spray cans is the nozzle. Pressing down on a tiny spray nozzle for an hour is not user-friendly. It can also make it tough to get an even coat, which some customers mentioned. A few consumers also mentioned problems with the bed liner paint curing, so make sure to follow the directions, especially in regards to temperature and humidity requirements.
- Brand Krylon
- Model KA8619007
- Weight 1.2 pounds
Low price
Quick-drying
Easy to apply
Spray cans are hard on hands
Does not mention UV protection
Rust-Oleum’s Professional Grade kit comes with enough material to cover 100 square feet — that’s a full 8-foot bed in one box. Rust-Oleum uses a two-part epoxy formula meant to cover your pickup bed quickly and easily and last for years. Meant both for brand new beds and rusted and weathered boxes, it contains a formula to stop rust and corrosion underneath the original OEM coating and protect from moisture, while being impact resistant on the surface.
Mixing is said to be easy by customers, thanks to a special burst pouch. No measuring is needed — just roll to pop the inner pouch and then mix inside the pouch. No heavy sanding is needed either. All you need to do is sweep, scrape any loose paint, and then wash and rinse the truck bed. Scuff it with an abrasive pad, wipe, and go. The second coat can start as soon as just 15 minutes after beginning the first coat and the bed liner paint can be rolled on or sprayed.
- Brand Rust-Oleum
- Model 323529
- Weight 13.62 pounds
Can stop existing rust
No measuring needed
Second coat can be applied minutes after first
Only offered in one size
Comes in a bag, making it more prone to punctures
Durabak-18 offers a heavy-duty polyurethane coating that is designed not just for your truck bed, but for marine use, too. If it can handle life on the water, it can handle anything you can throw at it both on-road and off.
This bed liner paint is available in 16 different colors, letting you pick one that matches your truck or one that contrasts. You could even make a two-tone bed liner if you wanted because why not? It is waterproof and weatherproof and is resistant to salt, and in your truck, it is flexible, slip-resistant, and resistant to chemicals as well as damage.
Offered in both gallon and quart sizes, one gallon will cover 60-80 square feet with two coats. If your truck’s bed is 8-feet long, you can order a single extra quart to finish the job. You can also order a single quart later to touch up any damage.
- Brand Durabak
- Model 18
- Weight 11 pounds
Available in multiple colors
Gallon and quart sizes
Tough enough for marine use
Only offered in smooth finish
Long dry times depending on weather
Dupli-Color’s Bed Armor contains Kevlar, the same stuff used to make bullet-proof vests, race car exterior panels, and motorcycle armor to help make it strong, durable, and resistant to damage once dry. Bed Armor also contains ground-up particles of rubber, which help dampen the impact when you toss in that toolbox to stop the coating from flaking, chipping, or peeling.
The liner is also designed to be tough enough to be resistant to gasoline as well as other automotive chemicals you’re likely to spill in the back of your truck, but before it dries, you can wipe it up quickly with a rag. Bed Armor also has no pot life, meaning that what you don’t use won’t dry out in the can. So if you do manage to damage it, what’s left in the container at the back of the garage will still work for a quick touch-up.
- Brand Dupli-Color
- Model BAK2010
- Weight 11.23 pounds
Contains Kevlar
Resistant to gasoline
Won’t dry in can
Dry texture not as coarse as others
Some users report needing more than directed
While we know there are a lot of you who would rather use a spray can than spend the day with a roller, a can isn’t exactly nice for your hands. PlastiKote understands that gripe and gives its aerosol can an ergonomic-friendly spray-gun-type nozzle so you’re not pressing that tiny button with your index finger for an hour. Be careful with that nozzle, though, as a few customers did mention breaking it by mistake.
Easy to use is one thing, but this bed liner paint leaves a flexible and textured surface that can withstand hot and cold, flex with your truck’s box off-road, and help stop cargo from sliding around in the back. This one is also offered by the gallon for roller application, so if you want to roller the flat parts and spray in the corners, this is your go-to option.
Easy-use spray can
Offered in six packs
Also available in roll-on
Some reviews say can nozzle easily damaged
May need extra layers
How We Selected the Products
We researched dozens of different bed liner paint products, looking at user comments and owner assessments, as well as manufacturer technical information. We were looking for durability over the long term, as well as a liner’s resistance toward damage and chemicals like gasoline. We gave a priority to long-established and well-known brands who we have experience with and those that specialize in automotive coatings, because developing bed liner paints takes time and resources. We also valued user testimonials that mentioned the product is easy to apply, because we know you don’t want to spend an entire weekend painting the back of your truck.
Best Bed Liner Paint Buying Guide & FAQs
The bed of your pickup is where the magic happens. It’s where you toss your tools, stack your lumber, dump your gravel, park your dirt bike, or just bring home the groceries. That means it takes a lot of abuse, and that abuse can destroy your truck bed over time. Beyond dents that look ugly, it can cause rust that rots your bed away. Bed liner paints can help prevent that damage. This guide will explain the benefits of bed liner paint, the different types, and what you should look for when deciding.
Do You Need a Bed Liner Paint?
The biggest benefit of bed liner paint is protection. Bed liner paints are thick coatings, usually rubberized, and add a strong layer of protection to your truck bed. They can stop small dents and dings and prevent damage to the paint that leads to rust.
A protected bed will have a longer life than one that isn’t protected. And that protects not just your paint, but your resale value, too.
Bed liner paints can also turn a slick painted bed into a non-skid surface. That makes climbing in and out easier, especially when it’s raining or damp. Wet metal, bare or painted, is almost as slippery as ice and it can also help hold your cargo in place, making it less likely for whatever you’ve put in the back of your truck to slide around and smash into the bedsides causing even more damage.
- Protect your truck bed from damage and corrosion
- Keep truck bed looking fresh
- Add safety and utility to a truck bed.
Popular Types of Bed Liner Paint
Though there are three types of bed liner paints, one is normally only installed by a professional, and isn’t included in this list as they require professional equipment and professional-level safety precautions. This guide covers do-it-yourself aerosol sprays as well as roll-on bed liner paints.
Remember that bed liner paint is permanent. If you want to go back to a smooth factory-painted finish, you’ll need to do lots of sanding and repainting.
Professionally Applied Spray-On
Professionally applied coatings are popular because you don’t have to do any work. Show up, write a check, and come back later for your truck. The upsides are long life and keeping your hands clean. Plus, these bed coatings usually come with a warranty that covers the application for several years. The downside is that the warranty is normally only valid at the original installer. These coatings are also much more expensive than do-it-yourself options and can require leaving your truck at the shop for several days.
DIY Spray On
Sprays that you do yourself usually come in aerosol cans, and we have a pair on this list. They’re easy to apply and cover the surfaces of your truck bed more evenly than a roller or brush. These are often less durable than roll-on coatings because the thickness relies on you, the person with the spray can.
Using a spray can for an hour or more while you apply multiple coats is also tough on the finger that’s pushing the can’s nozzle because spray cans aren’t ergonomically friendly.
Spray coatings also leave you with the risk of overspray. With a DIY spray, you’ll need to spend more time masking and taping your truck and making sure there’s nothing parked too closely.
Roll-On
Roll-on paints are poured into a painter’s tray and then applied using a roller. These bed liner paints come in one-part or two-part solutions, with the former slightly more user-friendly and the latter requiring you to mix the two paint chemicals together in the right amount.
Roll-on paints can be applied using a roller, but you can also use a brush for hard-to-reach spots. Rollers leave a pleasant textured finish on your truck bed, too, and make it easier to make sure you’re applying the right amount. You can even apply it extra-thick if you want more protection.
What to Consider When Buying Bed Liner Paint
If your truck is used mostly for towing a trailer and hauling people, groceries, and luggage, with just occasional heavy work use, then a lighter spray-on coating might be all you need to keep your truck fresh.
If you’re a contractor, a serious DIYer, farmer, or any other job where your truck bed is going to be used like a truck bed, then a roll-on paint is likely what you’re going to want. You can put on more layers in less time and make them as thick as you need, leaving a healthy coating to wear away before the bare metal is exposed.
Paint Volume
You’ll need different amounts of paint depending on the size of your truck bed. A long box has more bed surface than a short bed. Each of these products tells you on the container how much surface area they’ll cover, letting you add up the surface area of your truck bed to get the right amount of paint. Some of these paints offer gallons and quarts, which helps you buy the least amount of product you need to reduce waste and cost.
Best Bed Liner Paint FAQs:
Painting your truck bed can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to picking the right kind. Here are a few questions you might want answered in order to help you make the right decisions.
A DIY paint solution can cost anywhere from $75 to $200. A professional application will cost several hundred dollars.
Yes, most bed liner paints can be used on metal, but also plastic, concrete, and even wood. That helps you match your accessory bumpers or your fender flares to your truck bed.
Yes, most plastic insert bed liners can be painted, though you might not want to. There are some important concerns as you’ll need a paint that can flex with the liner. It also may require much more preparation to sand and scuff every surface of the plastic box.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to the best truck bed liner paint, our pick is the Raptor Roll-On coating. It’s a two-part urethane that protects your truck bed from corrosion, salt, water, fuel, and other chemicals. It has everything you need in the kit, including disposable gloves and non-slip additives, and it includes enough paint for two coats of 65 square feet. That’s enough to put two layers on a standard-size truck bed.
About the Author
Evan Williams is a freelance automotive journalist. He’s spent years covering the auto industry for more sites and publications than he can remember and has been a car enthusiast for his entire life. He is also an amateur mechanic and professional at breaking things. Evan is based in Canada.
Why Trust Us
Mixing owner’s manual authority with comic-book energy, Car Autance is the ultimate guide to being a DIY car enthusiast. It’s the prime resource for anyone looking to buy, drive, and maintain or modify their cars—everything you need to know about automobile ownership and car enthusiast culture.
The primary objective of Car Autance is to sift through the internet’s abyss of automotive knowledge to point out what’s good. Or at least help you avoid wandering into a thicket of factually questionable nonsense.
