Bumpers: Powder coat vs Rhino Liner

Going to build a couple of bumpers for my truck. Debating between having them powder coated or rhino lined.

Any thoughts?

 

Poweder coat looks better and is a bit more durable however you cannot touch it up unless u remove the bumper and pay big bucks to get it fixed. They will both hold up good to rocks and road debris hitting it. Both will get rubbed off by rocks and the like. the bedliner looks a little funny because its so thick but you can do it yourself.

 

Rattle Can.

 

X2

 

I vote Powder coating, its not as expensive as most would think. I had my ARB bumper powder coated and it was $300. That included sand blasting and burning off the old powder coating in their oven first.

But, truck bed liner will hide more imperfections. I went this route with a bumper I built for my old 4runner. I rattle canned it first, but didnt like all the grinder marks and other small imperfections that were visable, so I did the DIY truck be liner in a can. Turned out great, and held up well, but it was very hard to clean and keep clean with the texture.

 

Since they both will scratch anyway, I don't see a need for either. I would just do regular paint. If(when) it scratch it is easy to touch up or redo. The bedliner's rough texture is difficult to keep clean, unless you are not concerned about keeping it clean.

 

i had the avid bar line x'd. I just touch it up now with a rattlecan.

imo i dont find it that difficult to clean. but thats just me

 

Why does EVERYONE say powder coat can't be touched up?

It can be touched up just like any other finish and it's more durable so it requires less touch up.

All these people in here say you can't touch it up because they need to sand blast it then re-powder coat it...well lets think here...If I get a chip in my paint on my hood do I sand the entire car down and get it resprayed.....?..... no. I sand down the little spot, fill it, prime it, paint it and walla your all done. You can do the same shit with powder coated parts. Sand, prep, prime, paint...done.

Ends rant...

back on topic

Powder coat front bumper (it takes rock chips great and rarely rubs anything) Look at a 5 year old ARB for reference.

Spray rear (it always gets hung up and is dragging across shit)

 

Makes sense.

 

x2 .. take a heat gun or powerful hair dryer to powder coat to re-melt it and cover small dings and scratches. No sand, prime, spray required!

 

Duplicolor truck bed liner. I have my sliders and bumpers painted in it - has a slight texture so it's grippy (great for the sliders to step on!) plus it seems a bit tougher than regular paint.

Plus, it's a spray can - so touch-ups are a breeze.

It is more expensive than regular rattle can, but if it holds up longer I'm fine with it.

 

I'd like to revive this thread. I just got my C4 lo-pro front winch bumper. I'm also debating whether to rhino-line it or powder coat it. Black in color, either way. The rhino seems like it'll be more durable, but will have towel fuzz stuck to it every time I wash or dry it. Has anyone rhino-lined a bumper? Have pics?

 

Same bumper same question

 

The problem with line-x/rhino liner is that as durable as it is, it WILL get scratched when you tag rocks with your bumper, and it is a total PITA to repair.

At least with a rattle can, you just clean it, scuff it up a bit, and spray some paint on it. With the others you're talking about taking the bumpers off, removing ALL the coating and re-applying it.

At least with a powder coat, it's a thinner material, but you still need to do a lot of prep work to get a smooth finish (not to mention it's not really something your average shade tree mechanic can make look good).

IMO, for a mall crawler I see no reason not to power coat or rhino line your bumpers, but if you're actually using it off-road I would stick to a rattle can for anything that's going to see a lot of abuse (sliders, bumpers, skid plates).

So far, the flat black BBQ paint I used on my sliders is holding up well.

 

I just got my C4 Lo pro in yesterday and I am in the same boat...to powder coat or something else.

What did you end up doing? Pics?

 

My front and rear bumpers are Line-X'ed. I get almost all my parts from my truck used from here, craigslist and Facebook. The Line-X has been tough but I've never rubbed it on much.

 

Yep, that's what do. Just touch them up from time to time.