So, here is the Dakota we took over for the color-matched bedliner. It is the factory silver and one of the hardest colors to match; we figured if Line-X can do this, it could do anything. From the close-up image, you can see this truck gets used, and the bed shows the wear.
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1. To start, all of the bed hooks and any other hardware were removed, and the thread holes were plugged so everything could be reinstalled. They take this stuff off, so when all is said and done, you can still service things without having to cut the liner up to get to the bolts. | 
2. Because the Line-X dries so fast and is so tough, normal tape won't work, so they use this special wire tape. Here, you can see Guillermo applying it around all the edges to cut a clean line. |
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3. After Guillermo had all the edges laid out nice and straight, he protected the rest of the bed to prevent Line-X overspray from sticking to it. | 
4. Here, you can see Javier, aka Cat-boy, sanding the tailgate with 80-grit sandpaper. This gives the area to be Line-X'ed the proper "tooth," so the cross-linking or chemical marriage will happen between the Line-X and the factory paint. |
5. Once all the areas were sanded, everything was blown off with compressed air. | 
6. Then, the truck was rolled in the booth. Here, Christian protected the rest of the truck from overspray with your typical plastic covering. | 
7a. Now it's go time. Guillermo grabbed the special gun and started spraying. The material comes out of the gun at 2,500 psi and is heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it dry in 3 to 5 seconds. In a normal Line-X treatment, this would be black, but because we are using the Xtra, it is almost clear. If we were spraying red, the Xtra would have been tinted with some red to create the basecoat, but because our truck is silver no tint was added. |
7b. After he had the proper coats over the entire bed, Guillermo applied the texture. To do this, he stepped back and misted the bed with the material, which sends small droplets floating down, in turn creating the proper texture. | 
8. So, here is the color-matched topcoat. What you see is the actual color of the truck and a bottle of activator, which is like a reducer and an accelerant that acts as a hardener and also promotes the chemical bond. | 
9. Marcel strapped on his safety gear and sprayed the silver topcoat. Much like when applying a traditional paint, he uses an HLPV gun, set at 40 psi. Unlike conventional paint, the chemicals that are in the Xtra topcoat create a much stronger bond. |
10. After a few minutes of dry time, we backed the truck out of the booth into the sun. The bed looks brand-new, and the color is dead-on. | 
11. Remember the wire tape? Here, you can see it in action. The wire cuts through the Line-X to leave a perfect edge. | 
12. Once the wire tape has been pulled, the rest of the masking paper comes off in big sheets to reveal the true look of the bed. |
The Final Word
Now this is no show truck, but it is a workhorse, and the bed does see a lot of action. A few days after this photo was taken, the truck was used to move a whole condo's worth of furniture. After the move day, the bed showed only a few small scuff marks that surprisingly wiped off with no problem. If you are in the market for a liner for your full-blown custom or just want the bed to match the truck, check out the Line-X website, where you can learn a little more and find a dealer near you.