I work for Specialty Products, Inc. We are a manufacturer of pure polyurea coatings for bedliner/commercial/industrial applications. We have been in business since 1976. I have been seeing the comments made on which material is the best for a bedliner. The choices out there are polyurethane, hybrid, or a pure polyurea.

The household names are generally Rhino Linings, and Line-x. Rhino Linings uses a polyurethane coating for their bedliners. Polyurethanes contain a catalyst that makes the material react. If you are an applicator, this could be a problem especially in high humidity. One drop of moisture like in the form of sweat drops onto what you are spraying, it could cause bubbling. Polyurethanes physical properties are not as strong as the hybrid or polyurea. If you go to anyone of the polyurethane websites, you will be lucky if you can pull off what we call in the industry a technical data sheet. This tech sheet tells you the physical properties such as the elongation and tensile strength of the material.

The hybrids are a mixture of polyurethane and polyurea. Typically 70% polyuethane, 30% polyuea. The hybrid still contains a catalyst and once again the physical properties are not as strong as a pure polyurea. There are a lot of bedliner companies that say their material is a polyurea and leave it at that. Upon closer examination of their tech data sheets, you will see that it is a hybrid, not a true pure polyurea. You should be able to get a tech data sheet on the material off their website without having to call and request one.

Both polyurethanes and hybrids are moisture sensitive.

You should be suspicious of the company if you cannot access their technical data on the product they claim is a polyurea. In claiming it is a polyurea they are not telling you a fib so to speak, but they are not telling you the entire truth of what type of product they have, (part polyurethane, part polyurea).

Both the polyurethane and the hybrid are typically a cheaper material to produce and more attractive to make based off that fact. In todays world the raw materials to make all three types of coatings are equalling out as far as costs are concerned.

Polyureas are the strongest and newest technology on the market today. Most people are not aware of the differences between the three coatings.

Do your homework before getting a bedliner put in your truck. Ask for the tech data sheet. See a sample of the actual product before having it installed.

We have collected samples from most of our competitors and what we do with them most people would not believe. We take their sample and rub it against ours. I am sure you can guess the outcome, especially with the polyurethanes. Try it yourself. Get a tech data sheet from us and get a tech data from them and start comparing physical properties.

Most companies rely on you not knowing the difference between products.

I hope this information helps someone.