Truck bed liners are becoming more and more popular because they enhance the cosmetic appeal of the vehicle and preserve it. Many truckers today are considering installing bed liners on the entire truck.
Usually, the whole truck will need about 3 or 4 gallons of bed liner to cover it. With this, you will have two or three coats of liner to make it more durable and stronger.
This article looks at the number of gallons you require to cover your entire truck with a liner. We have collected information from several expert sources to find more details about the bed liners and how many gallons you would require to cover the whole truck.
How Many Gallons of Bed Liner Do I Need to Cover My Entire Truck?
The exact number of gallons you require to cover the entire truck would technically depend on the length and size of your vehicle. You can calculate the truck’s square footage by multiplying the width and length to find its estimate. For example, if the car measures 6-foot width and 10-foot length, then it would be a 60 square feet truck.
Some truckers are still on the fence about the number of bed liners that will fit their truck. Some are still wondering whether the liner is durable when applied to the truck’s body. Will it help stop rust on the truck’s body?
Calculating the Actual Bed Liner Needs For A Coating Project
There are many speculations on the bed liner coverage. These assertions can be disproven or proven by typical math. Below are some factors you should consider when looking for the square footage of your truck to determine the exact amount of liner you need:
- A gallon is equal to 231 cubic inches
- Most of the coating recommendations are given in mils – this is equal to 1/1000th inch
- At an optimum thickness of a mil, one-liner gallon will cover about 1604 square feet
- In case a liquid has more than 40% VOC, it means it will cover 60% to 100% of the product area
Real Math – Liner Coating Calculations
Typically, one gallon of liner covers around 25.46 square feet with a 63-mil thickness. To find the truck bed coverage, you need to divide the square footage of the truck by 25. That means you will use two coatings of the liner. You could also use the Truck Bed Coverage Calculator to get the truck bed surface area.
Can You Paint Your Entire Truck?
The answer to this question is yes. Today, many truckers are considering painting the whole truck with a bed liner. That is because liners are growing and used in various industries such as marine, automotive, construction, and even agricultural applications.
Painting the entire truck with a bed liner makes the vehicle have an alluring appearance and looks invincible. There are also other advantages sidelined with painting the whole truck, including:
- Prevention of water damage
- Protecting the vehicle from harmful UV rays
- It comes in different colors to make your car look aesthetically pleasing
Gallons Requirements for Specific Truck Models
For the truckers with these trucks, here are the number of gallons you expect to use to cover the whole truck. Usually, you will utilize one gallon on the bed while the others will cover the other parts of the car.
Ford F150
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The Ford F150 outranks other pickup trucks since it comes with impressive powertrains and a very spacious interior. The car also comes with exemplary hauling and towing capabilities. This truck also has classic but straightforward infotainment features. From its unique features, this truck is a workhorse. That means you might be using it daily to haul stuff or even hit the off-road.
To take good care of it, you may decide to paint its exterior with a bed liner. However, you need to determine the exact amount of bed liner to apply. An F150 would require about three gallons of liner for the bed and entire vehicle. One gallon will fit the truck’s bed, and the other two will be enough for the rest of the body.
Toyota Tacoma
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Tacomas come with a fiber-reinforced, ultra-durable, Sheet-Molded Composite with immense strength. This will help your truck serve you for a long time without requiring too many repairs.
The Toyota Tacoma is among the most powerful pickup trucks you will ever encounter. You can decide to use the truck for hauling materials or use it for your outdoor endeavors.
Whether you are hauling things or using the Tacoma for outdoor tours, you need to protect the truck. To protect the bed from scratches and dents, you need to cover it with a bed liner. As you hit the off-road, the car is bound to get scratches from thickets, so you need to get a liner over the whole body of the truck.
For your Toyota Tacoma, you will need around three gallons of liner. Two gallons will be for the body, while one will be for the bed.
Dodge Dakota
The Dodge Dakota is another powerful truck that will serve you for a long time when taken good care of. You could also consider painting this truck with a bed liner on the outside to take good care of it.
That would take around three gallons of the liner.
Which Takes More Paint – Spray in or Roll-on?
Of course, every trucker will want to know which liners will take more paint. The spray-in liners are less consuming and much easier to apply. That means these liners will take a lot of paint. Roll-on bed liners do not require much effort but will take some time to use less color.
With a roll-on liner, you have to use the roller to dip into the paint and apply it to the truck. The roller cannot get adequately, such as edges, so you use a brush to paint that part carefully. However, when it comes to the spray-in liners, many sprays could go astray due to weather elements such as winds.
Also, when spraying, some paint could go to the surroundings, such as the tape, and of course, this is wasted paint. If you are pretty careful applying the roll-on liner, you will use less paint than a trucker who has decided to spray paint their truck.
That is why you are advised to spray the liner in a very calm environment such that you do not waste excess paint.
There is no considerable distinction in quantifying the amount of paint lost by spray-in compared to roll-on liners. The amount is not easily quantifiable since in both liner methods, some paint is lost, only that with one way, it may be a bit more. In fact, if both methods of liner installation are done by professionals, very little paint will be lost to the surrounding. That is why it is not easy to quantify the paint lost.
However, if a reckless painter would do the job, you would require an extra gallon of paint to cover the lost paint because the painter is not as careful as they should be.
DIY or Professional Job? What Are Our Thoughts?
Most truck owners have this dilemma when it comes to installing the bed liner, whether it is on the bed alone or the entire truck. It is a tricky situation where you have to choose between time and money as well as professionalism and personal skills.
Not a Simple Task
What you need to understand is that installing the liners on your truck is not any simple task. There are a lot of tasks and preparations that go into that.
You have to know how to do the process effortlessly and seamlessly. You have to get protective clothing and also follow all the guidelines to the letter. There are also many preparations where you have to clean the truck several times before applying the paint. It has to be done in a calm and serene environment such that no objects are sticking to the paint before it dries.
DIY Is Less Expensive
Typically, you already know the DIY installation is much cheaper than getting a professional to do it for you. However, the main issue with DIY is that there are lots of preparations and artwork required to apply the paint. You will scratch or even apply the paint wrongly with slight miscalculations or losing focus.
Some things could go wrong if you are not careful in the process. Unlike when you seek professional help, where everything will come out exactly as expected. The professional team already knows what is expected of them, and since they are experts, the paint job will be outstanding. The truck will experience a flawless finish that will last for a long time.
Skill Level?
If you wish to protect your expensive truck from possible damages due to accidents in the liner installation process, consider professional help rather than DIY. If you have the time and want to save on cash, you can do it and still get excellent results as long as you are careful.
Final Thoughts
Since many truckers are covering the entire truck with liners, note that you will need around 3 to four gallons of liners to finish up the job. If you have done some painting job somewhere, then you can do it yourself; otherwise, you could let a team of professionals apply the liner on the truck.
