Tonneau covers and bed liners are primarily used to keep the truck bed neat and dry or even to protect its contents from thieves. To do this most satisfactorily may require the use of both the truck cover and the bed liner together at once. So, basically, yes, you can use a tonneau cover with a bed liner together.
Are There Tonneau Covers That Can Be Installed Over A Bed Liner?
Yes, there are. These truck bed covers come in different shapes and models, which are made from either fiberglass or hard plastic.
The fiberglass types are specially painted to match your truck, but they limit the size of the cargo which you can carry on the truck bed, as they are usually fastened to the front of your truck bed and hinged up from the back or above the tailgate.
Below is a brief introduction to the kinds of truck bed covers that you can use with a bed liner.
1. Roll-Up Covers
They are reputed to be the commonest and the most economical of them all. These bed liners are made of heavy-duty outdoor and UV light resistant type of vinyl and are mounted to a frame that is attached to your truck bed, either on top of the bed rails or inside them.
Some frames may require drilling to serve this purpose while others don’t. These covers can be rolled up, as their name implies, to allow quick access to the truck bed.
You have the option of either removing the cover or keeping them still attached and strapped to the front of the truck bed when not in use.
On the downside, they are almost always black, you can’t place heavy objects on them and thieves can easily pierce them with a sharp knife.
2. Retractable Truck Bed Covers
These are similar to the roll-up truck covers, but in addition, they can retract into a cartridge at the front of the truck, thereby protecting it from the elements and also allowing easy access when needed.
They are a little bit more expensive than most others due to the retracting mechanism. However, to make up for that high cost, they are secure because of the difficulty of breaking through them and you can also place heavy objects on them up to a certain limit if you have to.
3. Folding Covers
These covers neither roll or retract but instead, they fold up and can be removed easily. They are similar in prices with the roll-up truck covers and are produced from either plastic or soft vinyl.
These truck bed covers will either sit flush with the bed or slightly above it, which gives it an appealing appearance, depending on the mounting system. They also provide impressive security which the soft truck covers can’t give, particularly when they are provided with a locking tailgate.
4. High Impact Plastic Covers
These covers are equally very popular because of the extra security they promise when compared to the soft type of truck bed covers.
They feature a locking frame that does not allow the tailgate to be lowered whenever the cover is locked. They are light in weight, very sturdy, and can be easily removed, though their removal may require two people to execute.
5. Painted Fibreglass Lids
As their name suggests, they can be painted to match your truck perfectly and create a seamless blending of the two.
Their reinforced integrity makes for extra durability and are thus regarded as the strongest of all truck bed covers available today. However, they are heavier than plastic types and are also easily removable.
What Do I Need To Keep In Mind If I Intend To Use A Tonneau Cover With A Bed liner?
First and foremost, you must, always remember that these tonneau covers come with different designs and specifications and are made from either fiberglass or plastic, though the fiberglass type are expensive because they are painted to match your truck, and are specially ordered in cases of need.
They, however, limit the space available for your cargo since they are usually fastened to the front of the truck bed and therefore hinged up from the back or above the tailgate.
Also, bear in mind the fact that you may have to trim the bed liner in certain places before it can accommodate the tonneau cover.
Do All Bed Liners Work With Tonneau Covers?
However, the most important considerations before you install them are: how much they cost, how they are installed, the types available, which is your best choice, and so on. In summary, almost all bed liners work well with truck bed covers.
What Tools Do I Require To Install A Tonneau Cover Over A Bed Liner?
Essentially, you do not require many tools to install a tonneau cover over a bed liner more than a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a razor blade, scissors, and an adhesive substance.
The scissors or razor blade will come in handy when you need to trim certain places in the bed liner to enable it to accommodate the tonneau cover more suitably.
How Do I Cut Bed Liner For Tonneau Cover Installation?
The issue of cutting the bed liner becomes important because the bed liner covers the bed’s lips which are places for the attachment of the tonneau covers and hence have to be trimmed as required.
To do this conveniently, simply cut off small reliefs or notches in areas where the cover’s clamps attach so that installation can be made. However, where your truck has neither a bed liner nor a tonneau cover, install the bed liner first before the tonneau cover.
How To Install A Tonneau Cover With A Bed Liner
In order to install a tonneau cover with a bed liner, you should execute the operation according to the following steps:
Step 1
You should first attach the rails of the truck bed cover to the truck’s bed. Where you have an over-the-bed rail liner, never forget to strictly follow all the instructions in the user manual.
Step 2
Proceed to align its rails before tightening the mounting hardware.
Step 3
Where there are cab-side or tailgate seals included, you should install them too.
Step 4
Now, set the top of your truck cover and ensure that it is evenly placed along the perimeter before you check the alignment and re-adjust where and when necessary.
Step 5
Now, check the sealing surfaces of the tonneau cover for any signs of bulging, distortion of shape or visible gaps, and thereafter, ensure that the necessary adjustments and realignment are done to close such gaps.
Step 6
Finally, connect and route your drainage tubes to the corners of the truck bed, if your truck bed cover is provided with them.
FAQ
Can You Put Bed Liner Over Old Bed Liner?
Yes, you can, but you are strongly advised not to for obvious reasons. For example, using a new bed liner over an old one will most likely not allow any moisture or water that gets onto the truck bed the chance to dry off quickly and this prolonged contact of your truck bed with moisture may predispose it to corrosion and degradation.
Secondly, using one-bed liner over another may rub you of a little space for cargo accommodation. Finally, a doubly-covered truck bed is obviously more difficult to clean than a singly-covered one.
Despite all these considerations, you can technically use a double bed cover in your truck, if you do wish despite advice to the contrary. Your choice, but the possible consequences are there.
Do I Need A Bed Liner If I Have A Tonneau Cover?
Both the tonneau cover and the bed liner are meant to protect your truck bed and its contents from the elements of weather, dust particles, and thieves.
Each of them can be used alone, but the best possible protection will be given if both are used together. Essentially, therefore, you need a bed liner despite having a tonneau cover in order to give your truck bed the maximum protection possible.
How Much Does It Cost To Put Bed Liner In A Truck?
How much it costs to put a bed liner in a truck is indeed an open question, as the answer to it depends on the choices you make.
For example, bed liners are known to be made from either plastic or fiberglass, but those of fiberglass cost much more than all others.
Therefore, the choice of which to use will essentially determine what you spend. However, the cost can begin from a few hundred of dollars to more than one thousand dollars, depending on what your choices are.
Do Trucks Come With Bed Liners?
Trucks hardly, if ever, come with either bed liners or tonneau covers, which are additions mostly put in place by users after buying the trucks. Essentially, therefore, trucks do not come provided with bed liners by the manufacturers.
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Which Is Better, Spray In Or Bed Liner?
Spray in bed liners are those bed liners that are sprayed on the truck beds much like you spray automotive paint. For this to be done effectively, preparation and careful masking of the beds are important parts of the entire process.
However, of all the types of bed liners, the spray ins are the easiest to maintain but they do not provide as much protection as the others and they do not also last as long too.
What Is The Best Spray In Bed Liner?
The best spray-in bed liners are those that are equipped with commercial installer sprayers, which often give you marvellous results after application.
How Do You Clean And Maintain Bed Liners?
There are multiple ways through which we can clean and maintain our truck bed liners, which are mostly dependent on their types.
For instance, you have the option of removing them from the truck bed for cleaning, where they are easily removable and thereafter, you may use a brush dipped in a recommended cleaning agent and scrub all over the bed liner.
After allowing it to dry, you can use a manufacturer-recommended shiner to give a glossy look and strengthen it. For the spray type of bed liners, the best way to clean and maintain them is to wash them with recommended cleaning agents according to the manufacturers.
To properly maintain your bed liners, make sure that you clean them regularly and do not allow water or moisture to remain in contact with them for long periods without drying it off, as this is very capable of destroying their fabric.
Final Thoughts
Just like there are different makes and models of tonneau covers, so there are different types of bed liners, and to derive maximum satisfaction from using them, make sure that you diligently study them before you make any choices, this will protect you from making wrong choices in the end.
The user manual will be of great help here. Tonneau covers and bed liners, when used together, give your truck bed and its content the best protection possible.
However, before you settle on any bed liner, make sure that you make an informed choice with regard to the type you want, how much you have budgeted for it, and how best you can both clean and maintain them for optimum satisfaction.
In addition, be sure to reach out to the manufacturers concerning the recommended chemical agents for their cleaning and maintenance, if you can not obtain such information from the enclosed user manual.
To contact the manufacturers, go through their website addresses or customer services desk. These measures are bound to be enough.
