How To Remove Bed Liner Paint

The process used to remove a spray-in bed liner is harsh and requires some aggressive work. Hither's a skilful-organized religion endeavor at explaining the removal procedure and offering some suggestions on alternatives.

Remove A Spray-In Bedliner: Spray In Junk

Why would yous need to remove a spray-in bed liner?

A lot of people assume that all spray-in liners concluding forever. While a practiced portion of them are very durable, almost all of them will suffer from the following issues:

Fading – No matter how much you spend on your spray-in, it volition fade. It'due south a event of UV radiation from the sun breaking down the chemicals that give the liner its' color.
Staining – None of the major spray-in or DIY scroll-on bed liner companies warranty against stains. Depending on what you spill in your truck bed and how long it sits at that place, y'all tin have some pocket-sized stains (water spots tin stain) or some major stains (grease, oil, deer/animal blood, nutrient) in your spray-in.
Rips and Tears – If a spray-in liner is gouged during loading, or if the edge of the liner material is caught by cargo (eg. you're pushing something beyond your tailgate and information technology catches the liner), the cloth can tear.
Peeling, Cracks, and Bubbles – If the spray-in wasn't installed correctly, it can skin, crack, or bubble. While these types of failures are ordinarily covered nether warranty, nigh warranties are limited to the original purchaser. So, if you bought your truck used, you might not be covered.

Of course, if it wasn't for bad luck some of u.s. would have no luck at all! While they tin easily become damaged or start to expect ugly, the process to remove a spray-in bed liner is incredibly difficult. Nosotros reached out to both professional vehicle paint and body repair experts, every bit well as consumers who accept removed liners on their own, and came upwardly with a process that will piece of work (only information technology may take quite a bit of fourth dimension).

NOTE: While it may seem self-serving to say it, DualLiner doesn't recommend that y'all remove a spray-in bed liner yourself. The time and energy required is rarely worth the return. Instead, nosotros suggest y'all put another liner (similar – cough – a DualLiner truck bed liner) on top of your damaged spray-in bed liner, as that will prepare the corrective problem and however provide great bed protection without the boosted effort or the expense of refinishing the bed.

However, if yous're trying to restore a truck bed to manufactory condition, or if you're trying to remove a spray-in bed liner from only a part of your truck bed, read on.

How to Remove A Spray-In Bed Liner

Remove A Spray-In Bedliner

What you'll need:

Chemical stripper
A grinder
A rut gun/torch
A hammer and chisel

Step 1: Assess The Task Ahead

Reviewing the electric current condition of the liner and your truck bed tin give you an idea of the work y'all'll demand to practise to remove it. Start by looking for bubbling, cracks, or flakes in the liner material. If you come across a lot of bubbles, cracks, etc., then removing the liner might become relatively easy. If y'all don't, it might be a adept thought to re-consider the task alee.

Pace 2: Chemical Bath

You can choose to skip this footstep if you want, as the chemicals pretty harsh and require peachy care.

In that location'south a product called Aircraft Remover that's very popular in the auto world for its extreme qualities. It's mainly used by people trying to strip paint and rust off sometime muscle cars, but it's as well used past truck owners who've had information technology with their spray-in bed liner. Be very cautious when using this product — you pretty much need to care for it like chancy waste when you're around it, because information technology will basically melt away whatever it touches. Don't even think nearly using this chemic without eye protection, gloves, and protective clothing. What's more, don't spill this chemic on concrete flooring or driveways. Information technology'll consume correct through (and you'll be sorry).

Y'all just "paint" this chemical onto your bed liner, permit it to soak in for five-fifteen minutes, and so scrape away whatever it loosens upwards. It volition take time, and may require multiple coatings, but Aircraft remover volition strip away your former bed liner without damaging your truck's metal bed.

Notation: Aircraft Remover (and other chemicals similar it) will strip away whatever pigment they come into contact with, and it will literally melt plastic. If you're using this on your truck, be very careful.

Step iii: Grind It

If yous decided to skip step 2, or if you're dealing with a thick department of cloth, an angle grinder fitted with a wire wheel can be very effective. Simply be sure to clear your schedule.

Step 4: Heat It Up and Chisel the Liner

Using a heat gun and chisel, heat the pieces of liner and chisel them abroad. Virtually people use a hand tool, like a pigment scraper, but some besides choose to apply more aggressive air chisels.

Of all the methods available to truck owners, this is probably the best. A few of the torso shop pros nosotros talked to said this was the best way to go. However, they warned that you have to exist very careful to angle your chisel. Otherwise, you'll dent the bed.

Step 5: Sand Abroad What's Left

Then after chemical treatments, grinding, heating, chiseling, and all that is done, you volition need to sand abroad what'due south left. What grit sandpaper at this signal depends on what's left over. Sometimes a very fine dust, like those used for detailing, will smooth over what's left — other times, you volition withal need a heavy-duty grit after all y'all've already washed.

Alternatively, you tin skip all the steps and pays someone to remove the liner for you lot. Of grade, if you're going to pay a few hundred dollars to get a liner removed, why not just purchase a DualLiner to put on meridian of the ane you have?

Words of Wisdom

While researching this process, we were offered some specific tips by the detailers, body shop pros, and consumers we contacted. Here are their "words of wisdom":

E'er habiliment a mask and proper safety coverings when using chemicals, sanding, etc. Practice proper chemical safety procedures.
Bedliner removal is a very messy task, no matter what method you use. A few people suggested working somewhere other than your own garage.
Consult with a professional person body shop to go an guess on this work. Don't think that doing it yourself will save you whatever money — the chemical strippers solitary can interruption the bank.
Unless y'all intend to install some other spray-in liner, you lot will probably need to have your truck bed repainted afterward the removal process is completed.
Sadly, in that location is little run a risk of removing a damaged spray-in bed liner without doing some sort of "collateral" impairment. From melting plastic trim pieces to bed dents, harm is sort of inevitable. Fifty-fifty the pros say this.

Is Removing An One-time Bed Liner Worth It?

In a word, no…or at least that's what nosotros think based on talking to a handful of experts. Removing an old spray-in or DIY roll-on liner is necessary if you lot're trying to restore a manufacturing plant paint job, or if you really desire to install a new spray-in liner to replace the one yous removed.

Otherwise, you might think about covering up the tattered old spray-in liner yous have with DualLiner truck bed liner.

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