How to Prepare a Truck Bed to Paint

The bed of a truck takes a lot of abuse, and as such, gets a lot of dings and dents along the way, plus the paint can get chipped as well. To fix the problem, you need to repaint or recover the bed, but to do either of those, you need to first prep it for paint. This is a tedious task, and although it's technically easy, it's not a lot of fun and can take a long time to do properly, depending on the level of paint job you want to give the vehicle.

Instructions

1

Fill the bucket with water and place the sandpaper in the bucket to soak. Allow the sandpaper to soak for at least 10 minutes, as this will soften the paper.

2

Wrap the sandpaper around the sanding block. Open the tailgate and get in the bed, taking the bucket and sandpaper with you. Sand down the paint using the sandpaper, working from the back of the bed toward the front. Remove all the shine off of the paint until it's clean. Frequently dip the sandpaper into the water bucket to keep the sandpaper clean.

3

Scuff the bed a second time with the red scuffing pad, sanding down the rest of the truck bed. This is going to be a final prep for the bed, so make sure that it's got a uniform sheen.

4

Pour some of the automotive cleaner/degreaser onto a lint-free paper towel and wipe down the entire inside of the bed to clean all of the dirt and grime away from the surface. Frequently change the paper towel so you always have a clean surface. Make sure that its 100 percent clean before painting the vehicle. Once the paint is cleaned and degreased, the bed is ready for primer and paint.