Start a spray-on coatings business
Spray bedliners for a living. Know the numbers first.
Equipment prices, what shops charge, franchise fees and payback, laid out with sources. Then run your own numbers in the calculator.
- $25,000ArmorThane low-pressure systems start here, training included
- $525-$700what most shops charge per bed (ArmorThane cost guide)
- 2-5 hrstypical install time per bed (CostInsightHub)
- $0franchise fees or royalties with an independent package
Payback calculator
How fast does a rig pay for itself?
Pick a business, then change jobs per week, price and material. The chart shows your cash position month by month.
What you can sell
One rig, several kinds of work.
Published prices for the jobs a coatings shop most often takes on. Confirm with your supplier which products your equipment can run.
Spray-in bedliners
$525-$700 per bed
ArmorThane cost guide; long beds $575-$750.
Jeep tubs, UTVs, trailers
Quoted per job
Shops price these individually by size and prep.
Whole-truck exteriors
$3,531-$4,490 full-size
ThePricer, June 2026. One source, so treat it as a rough guide.
RV roofs
$3,500-$7,000 for 30 ft
ArmorThane. Competitors charge about $130-$210 per foot.
Spray foam insulation
About $4,450 per attic
This Old House average attic job, April 2026.
Garage and shop floors
$2,500-$5,500 two-car
About $6-$12 per sq ft installed for polyurea.
Franchise or independent
Three ways in, three very different bills.
| LINE-X franchise | Rhino Linings dealer | ArmorThane applicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Franchise | Not a franchise | Not a franchise |
| Upfront fee | $50,000 franchise fee | $0 | $0 |
| Published starting cost | $401,815-$1,002,652 total investment | Packages from $12,000 | Systems from $25,000 |
| Ongoing fees | 6% royalty + 1.5% brand fund (2026 FDD listing) | $0 | No royalties |
| Territory | Per franchise agreement | Not stated in FAQ | Protected territory for fixed-location dealers |
The starter package
What $25,000 gets you, and what it doesn't.
ArmorThane lists what comes with its entry applicator system. Budget separately for the rest.
Equipment cost guideIncluded
- Proportioner (the machine that heats and meters both sides)
- Heated hose and spray gun
- First set of chemical
- Training and certification
- Prep and safety gear, consumables
- Lifetime tech support
Not included
- Air compressor and dryer
- Sander and lighting
- A vehicle to haul drums
- Generator and enclosed trailer, if you go mobile
- Shop setup from a bare building: $3,000-$8,000
Getting started
From first call to first bed.
- 01
Pick your market
Bedliners only, or bedliners plus RV roofs, floors or foam. Your mix decides the rig.
- 02
Choose shop or mobile
A 20x20 ft bay is the low end for a shop. Mobile rigs add a trailer and generator.
- 03
Train on the machine
ArmorThane offers several days of on-site training or a self-paced e-training course.
- 04
Line up first customers
Dealerships, fleets, off-road shops and word of mouth bring the first jobs.
Guides
Read before you buy a rig.
Startup guide · Calculator
How to start a spray-on bedliner business
Equipment starts around $25,000, the shop costs a few thousand more, and a standard bed sells for roughly $450 to $800. Here is how the numbers…
Read the guide
Equipment guide · Calculator
How much does spray-on bedliner equipment cost?
Published prices for low-pressure packages, high-pressure proportioners and full trailer rigs, plus the gear each one leaves out of the box.
Read the guideBusiness guide · Calculator
Running an RV roof coating business: what to charge per job
Spray-on RV roofs are priced by the foot and sell for thousands of dollars a job. This guide covers what owners pay, how much material a…
Read the guideStartup cost guide · Calculator
How much does it cost to start a spray foam business?
Most of the money goes into the rig. Here is what trailer rigs and starter packages list for, what homeowners pay per board foot, and how…
Read the guideBusiness comparison · Calculator
Bedliner franchise vs. independent dealer: what each one costs
LINE-X sells franchises. Rhino Linings and ArmorThane sell equipment packages with no royalties. Here are the published numbers side by side, and what they leave out.
Read the guideQuestions people ask before they start
How much does it cost to start a bedliner business?
ArmorThane says its applicator systems start at $25,000 for a low-pressure setup that includes the proportioner, heated hose, gun, first set of chemical and training. High-pressure systems run closer to $50,000, and a bare building needs $3,000 to $8,000 of shop setup on top. See the full startup guide.
What do shops charge for a spray-in bedliner?
ArmorThane's cost guide puts most beds at $525 to $700, and long beds at $575 to $750. Other price guides range from about $380 for a short bed to $900 for a long bed, with color matching and premium finishes costing more.
Do I need to buy a franchise?
No. LINE-X sells franchises with a $50,000 fee on its own site, while Rhino Linings and ArmorThane sell equipment and training without franchise fees or royalties. The franchise comparison lays out the numbers.
Can one rig do more than bedliners?
Often, yes. Many applicators add RV roofs, Jeep tubs, trailers and other coatings. Which products a given machine can run depends on the equipment, so confirm that with the supplier before you buy.
Who runs this site?
Bedliner Sprayers is sponsored by ArmorThane, a coatings manufacturer in Springfield, Missouri. About this site explains how we source numbers and keep competitor figures fair.