The most important aspect of long-term business success is the capability to diversify. Just as spray foam training is a vital part of starting any spray foam business, so is training for polyurea applications. However, the effort could dramatically enhance a company's capacity to thrive in a growing economy.

Endless Possibilities

Polyurea is a technology and not a product or a material. There are so many different formulations that are available that are useful in a variety of applications. There are specific products to certain application areas, and there's not one material used in all application areas. 

So when it comes to the possibilities for applications of Polyurea, they are virtually endless: Pipeline coatings and truck bed linings, bridges, railcar lining, and track containment, waterproofing, fuel storage, tank linings, wastewater treatment linings, manhole and sewer linings, flooring and parking decks, water parks, and playgrounds, boats, ships and barges to name a few.

Future Trends:

Many of the future trends of polyurea technology that will happen are related to some of the unique raw materials being introduced and us finding raw materials available for years. But we've never used them in polyurea systems. And now, looking at these products in Polyurea offers unique performance characteristics or allows Polyurea to get into application areas where they traditionally have not been used. So those are some of the future things that we see with technology. 

The Three C's

So now that you have an understanding of what Polyurea is and what you can do with it. Let's take a look at how you should run your business. One of the most brilliant minds behind Polyurea once said the way he has made it in the industry is by remembering the 3 C's. Number one is that there must be a commitment. (1)Commitment from the standpoint of investing in the equipment, the required equipment that you're going to have the competency. (2)Competency from the standpoint that you need to go to the training. It would help if you kept up with the technology advancements on the products and the equipment, and various surface preparation techniques. Last but not least is character. (3)Character means, don't just try to get a job, have a job, do the jobs right, keep up with the industry, keep up with the training, and develop those relationships with the suppliers.

DROP-IN VS SPRAY-IN BEDLINER

You just got a new truck, and it came with a beautiful, newly painted bed. That's great until you need to put something really big and heavy back there that can roll around and....well, you get the idea.

When it comes to protecting the bed of your vehicle, you have two possibilities: a drop-in or a spray-in bedliner. While they each have their pros and cons, both choices will do a fine job of preserving the bed of your truck.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

The main distinction between a drop-in and a spray-in bedliner is a plastic shell made to fit your bed and is placed in the back of your truck, while a spray-in bedliner is a thick rubber-like substance that is either sprayed or rolled onto your truck bed. 

PROS AND CONS

DROP-IN BEDLINER

Pros: 

• Removable: The beauty of a drop-in bedliner is that it is removable. If you want to swap it out or decide you don't need it anymore, you can remove it.
• Budget-Friendly: Drop-in bedliners tend to be a bit cheaper than the spray-in option.

Cons:

• Not as aesthetic: To some people, the drop-in bedliner doesn't look pleasing to the eye. However, this all comes down to what you think looks better.
• Water and dirt can get trapped: Because of the nature of drop-in bedliners, water, dirt, etc., can get trapped in the gap between the plastic shell and the bed of your truck. This can make for a messy situation if rust starts to form.

SPRAY-IN BEDLINER

Pros:

• Incredibly Durable: Made of a polyurea mixture, spray-in bedliners are known for being very durable. It can be hard to damage the liner.
• Reduces Cargo Sliding: The texture of spray-in bedliners is rougher and rubber-like compared to the plastic bedliners, which prevents your cargo from sliding across the bed.
• No-Gap Between the Liner and Bed: Since the spray-in liners are sprayed straight onto the bed you don't have to worry about water and dirt collecting under it.

Cons:

• Permanent: Spray-in bedliners are strong, so removing them would not be near as easy as a drop-in liner.
• Can be pricey: Often viewed as a premium choice, spray-in liners tend to be a little more expensive than drop-in liners.

SO WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Like I mentioned earlier, it all comes down to what you like and what you're trying to accomplish. If you want something that will get the job done, be budget-friendly, and easily-removable, then a drop-in bedliner is a solid choice. If you don't ever plan on removing the liner and need something to handle a lot of abuse, then the spray-in bedliner is a safe bet.

WHERE CAN I GET MY BEDLINER DONE?

We can only recommend one company because there is only one company with over 30 years of experience in the industry and the top quality bedliner products for the lowest prices. That company is ArmorThane, and they can be contacted here.

The most important aspect of long-lasting service success is the ability to diversify. Spray foam business can frequently adapt their existing spray foam devices for polyurea applications. Some standard foam devices can process hybrid polyureas at 2000 PSI. Other devices can process polyurea with an upgrade.

The polyurea market was valued at over 950 million dollars in 2014 and is expected to grow by more than 6% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) through 2022. It is significantly acquiring an advantage over epoxy finishings, paints, fiberglass, and vinyl esters due to its superior performance. It is utilized in construction for waterproofing of roofing, floors, parking decks, and walls, containment in swimming pools, playgrounds, and more. Linings represented over a fifth of the global polyurea market share, registering more than 220 million in 2014. These linings are utilized for providing resistance to chemicals, deterioration, and abrasion in pipelines, tanks, containments.

About Polyurea.

Polyurea is an elastomer made from the reaction of fragrant or aliphatic isocyanates and a synthetic resin. They have remarkable elongation residential or commercial properties along with high tensile strength and are resistant to tear. Because of its versatility and effect resistance, polyurea applications are in use in various sectors consisting of construction and commercial functions. Polyurea finishings are inherently superior to epoxy finishings and are gradually being utilized in industrial in addition to residential buildings and facilities. Polyurea is produced for three item variants: sealants, finishes, and linings.

Polyurea Applications.

Polyurea coverings are progressively used to offer a protective coating on roofs, external walls, floors, bridge decks, pipelines, containment, and so on due to their home of outliving paints and avoiding rust. They make strong bonds with concrete and supply good resistance against breaking in addition to chemicals, oils, and wetness. This multi-purpose material is used for joint- filling, caulking, and as a sealant product as it provides a versatile, long-lasting, deterioration resistant, and weather-tight seal for various structure joints consisting of control and growth joints in masonry floor, windows and doors panels, boundary joints, water tanks, and more. There is a growing demand for linings for waterproofing and rust resistance in metal pipelines, chemical tanks, fuel containments, and more will enhance its popularity as the material of choice. It is well known for enhancing the structural stability of the structures to which it is applied.

Over the past six months, spray applicators have replaced thousands of spray-in bedliners from the factory. After the most recent word on replacements, we decided to get the message out, STOP getting factory spray-in bedliners!

Most factory bedliner applications consist of inferior, non branded, Chinese imported hybrid polyurea/polyurethane blends, which is then mechanically spray-applied ultra-thin on to the bed of trucks. We have received dozens of complaints from consumers like you who have wasted hundreds of dollars to get this nasty, cheap material removed and then replaced with name brand polyurea spray-applied bedliners.

 

Intensifying the issue of lesser quality material is the lack of preparation of the truck beds before applying this nasty stuff. When removing the factory bedliners, we have come to find that there is very little preparation performed to the beds before application by these manufacturers. They are not prepping these beds for the best adhesion outcomes, nor are they removing factory items such as bolts, lights, etc.; these manufacturers are only using a simple bonding agent. This doesn't create a strong enough bond, and in many cases, these bedliners are not lasting longer than a few years of use. 

The question is...

Do you know what you're putting in your truck? 

The truth is, nobody knows what they are getting from the manufacturer when they are purchasing a "spray-applied bedliner from the factory." There are no options given such as a brand of bedliner product to be applied. 

This is why we suggest going with a known company such as ArmorThane. ArmorThane's ultra-tough product called ArmorLiner is known as the best bedliner product in the market. It is a stronger material that outlasts all other. It is applied with the proper preparation to ensure the lining does the job and remains durable.  

Want proof? 

Try peeling up your factory liner, then call ArmorThane to apply their material today.

Know the facts. What are you putting in your truck? ArmorThane's ultra-tough product called ArmorLiner continues to rank at the very top as the best possible bedliner material. It is a stronger material and is applied with the proper preparation to ensure the lining does the job and remains durable. Want proof? Try peeling up your factory liner, then call ArmorThane to apply their material today.

Majority of Liners Sprayed-In at Dealer

Over the past week, Chevrolet certainly stirred up a bees nest of controversy with its new series of videos and ad spots that drop a load of paver bricks and a metal toolbox in the separate beds of the Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150. According to the videos, the drops dented the Silverado bed but positively gouged and pierced the F-150 bed. While doing the visual presentation on bare metal beds is perhaps the fairest apples-to-apples comparison of the beds' toughness, we wondered how realistic the presentation was of trucks on the road and the Jobsite.

According to Mark Allen, sales director for Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Texas, the nation's largest-volume Chevrolet dealer, the staged video presentations are not representative of most trucks on the road, at least not those sold by the dealership. Allen said 80 percent of the new trucks sold by Classic is equipped with bedliners, and of those, the vast majority are spray in bedliners applied at the dealership. Of the customers that opt for bedliners, only 10 percent select a drop-in liner. The dealership uses the ArmorThane's ArmorLiner bedliner applied on-site.

Hank Strathman, manager for ArmorThane in Springfield, Missouri, which does the majority of spray-on liner applications for nearby dealerships, said he estimates more than 50 percent of the new trucks sold by the dealers get a spray liner at the time of purchase. Of those customers that don't opt for a liner at purchase, as many as 25 percent end up coming back to get one applied. As was the case with the other dealers we contacted, most trucks furnished by the dealership are not equipped with the factory-applied bedliner.

Strathman said he believed the factory-applied liners were an "inferior product" with a much thinner application and cost being the main factor for the OEMs. ArmorThane also does substantial business with the local Ford dealer and says a similar or greater percentage of Ford trucks are purchased with a spray liner applied at the dealer.

George Lezon, vice president of operations at Line-X, said whether you're purchasing new or used, a liner can help increase the truck's durability and utility. "Trucks are built to be workhorses, whether for work or pleasure, but protection is key for maintaining value over the life of the truck. Whether you've got a brand-new truck or a used truck, a liner can help extend the useful life of the vehicle."