Some customers prefer to add supplemental finishes for various reasons. There are three basic options:

• DIY spray-on
• DIY roll-on
• Professional bedliner

Reasons for an upgrade may include:

1. Camouflage to conceal the presence of an auxiliary or after-market fuel tank (black vs. silver).
2. Increased protection against road salt, chemicals, etc.
3. Increased protection against rock chips, thrown stones and trail trauma.

Item “1” can easily be addressed with a can of Krylon or Rustoleum – either paint or undercoat products.  If that’s all you need, $20 or so will get the job done.

If you live in the snow belt, drive a lot of rocky roads or have other concerns about surface rust, physical damage or other external factors, then there are some other options.

There are some DIY solutions at the hardware and on Amazon, but they don’t come cheap – basically roll-on products that build a physical barrier for the truck bed, chassis or tank – whatever is being “painted.”

The problem is that you pretty much get what you pay for and if you need more robust solution the DIY solution may not work and then you end up having to remove all that “stuff” in order to move on to the professional solution

We are NOT taking a position that any one the three options – DIY spray-on, DIY roll-on or professional bedliner application, but we do believe in well-informed decisions, so check out online ratings and reviews.

There are several popular options for professional installation – Line-X and Rhino Linings. There are three things to consider in choosing a dealer-applied tank coating:

1. Product – What is the product?
2. Process – How is it applied?
3. Professional – Reputation of the firm?

Once upon a time, the Rhino Linings option was seen as the “junior” solution, while LINE-X has generally had the “premium” reputation. Ratings and reviews for Rhino have improved.

We have experience with LINE-X and the product has held up well. No experience with Rhino Linings good or bad, so do your research. We have done LINE-X on several customer tanks prior to shipment but the cost is prohibitive, so we now recommend that purchasers have the work done locally, after shipping. The end-user or his/her dealer is better suited to manage the process, negotiate terms and oversee quality of the work.