Every Truck Owner faces some problems, as the truck start aging. My truck is now 5year old, I notice the signs of aging. Researching for hours I found the best solution to give my Truck a new young look. That is the Aluminum diamond plate which adds on other benefits also.
The aluminum diamond plate is a great product for Truck beds. If you are buying an aluminum diamond bed for your Truck, my suggestion is it will be the best choice for circumstances where durability and looking good are important. Diamond plate provides ideal protection for Truck bed rails and caps, bulkhead and tailgates from dents, scratches, and dings when hauling anything with a truck.
As resources, the diamond-plate finish is popular among many people who buy flatbeds or trailers, quite possibly because of benefits like rust and corrosion free, protection from all types of damage, adds strength and durability, give great dress up to the Truck and many more advantages.
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INSTALLATION OF ALUMINUM DIAMOND PLATE:
Keeping in mind the safety of those who use the surface of the Truck bed, the correct installation of flooring is an important step. Check uneven areas, turned up edges, sharp corners, and loose surfaces, you need to more care about this. How can you make sure the installation is correct irrespective of safety?
- Make sure you have the correct measurement (shape/size) of the area of your Truck bed. Carefully measure the length, width and accurately transfer those measurements to the back of the diamond plate. As a fact, the diamond plate metal has raised patterns, the back of the diamond plate is flat and is the best place to use a marker for your measurements outline.
- Use a wood cutting saw, appropriate to cut the aluminum. It is the easiest and most accurate. The sharp edges and burs can cause injury and will not be aesthetical, you should sand any edges that were cut in order to avoid this.
- Make sure that you drill even holes in the plate’s edge. Make good distance apart about every 10”. Or you can adjust this depending on the size or shape of your Truck bed. If using ¼” diameter drill is a good start.
- Place the diamond plate over the surface and mark the holes on the existing surface. Find holes and drill in the existing surface for ease of installation. If you are using ¼” drill, be sure to use a ⅛” self-tapping metal screws. Because the self-tapping metal screw is designed to tap their own mating thread into the surface they are driven into.
Make sure the plate you buy meets industry standards set by the ASTM( American Society for Testing and Materials).
Common Mistakes during Installation:
Installing an aluminum diamond plate correctly is a skill that does take time and repetition to master. When you layer sheets there is the opportunity to create moisture in the gaps, if you not extremely detail oriented. Water or grease can create moisture which is not good.
Using a 100+ pound roller while installing to ensure all moisture and air pockets to remove from the floor is a good idea. This will help to smooth out any air pockets or bubbles that might exist.
We can’t stress enough the importance of installing these sheets correctly to prevent bacteria and other bad stuff from seeping into the floors. If these sheets are installed incorrectly, moisture or bacteria can eventually rot out the floor of your truck.
Benefits of Aluminum Diamond Plate:
01. It is Anti Slip:
Diamond texture plates can also refer to anti-slip textures. Widely used in the US as decorative purpose, particularly highly polished aluminum variants. Raised patterns on the diamond plate that gives it its name and the result of anti-skid properties. Even while wet it provides a good grip as safety is the firstmost concern whatever the weather. You can also buy an embossed diamond plate, where the pattern is into the aluminum rather than raised on the surface. Though creating a non-slip effect. The diamond plate creates more friction as compared to flatbed on the surface of the truck bed, so while stepping up there is no chance to fall by slipping.
02. It Prevents Goods from Slipping Around:
While taking goods item we always need to tie or secure the goods that the haul of our flatbed with chain or rope. Flatbed with a smooth finish, can’t create friction for the items, so items slip around. Which can cause damage of items as well as to the truck bed!. Choosing a diamond plate finish is less slippery for us, though it creates friction so anything you put will not slip and slide. This can also add one more advantage, it will prevent things from falling off of the back of the truck, although tying is still very important.
03. It’s Durability:
These are made of hot-rolled aluminum sheets and available with a wide range of thicknesses. As aluminum has rust free property, unless like steel. And the sheets are remarkably resilient to wear. These mean we don’t have to worry about dirt and damp damaging it. It is easy to clean and maintain, only simple brushing it down and wiping with a cloth to remove any marks. It will last years.
04. Easy to Work:
Covering your truck bed with Aluminum diamond plate is an easy job, you can do it by yourself with a few tools. It is a great material to work with. I found aluminum plates precut in a wide range of sizes respective with thickness. So finding the right one according to the needs, and cut it down is easy. Note here while getting the sheet as a rough measure, bring the sheet with the length of twice of your truck bed, as the height you want to cover and the width also twice the width of your truck bed. As the aluminum sheet is easy to work, easy to cut, bend and drill, so it shouldn’t get you any problem in installing and forming the right surface of the right shape. It depends on you whether you want to cover only the floor or the whole.
05. Cost-Effective:
Aluminum is cheaper than alternatives like steel. Aluminum materials are convenient and easily maintained with less effort. In fact, you’ll probably be able to cover your truck bed for a couple of hundred dollars, depending on how large it is. You don’t need to pay for its maintenance. These are also known as checker plate and tread plate.
06. Looks Great:
Every truck owner wants to be proud of the way that their truck looks. Same as I. Truck Bed with flatbed isn’t known for being pretty. Aluminum bed with a diamond plate finish gives a nice and shiny look to my truck bed, which is easy on the eyes and attractive. The diamond finish gives a very distinctive appearance due to their raised pattern and the natural shine of the aluminum. The shine will not change over time. It won’t rust and is resistant to staining. Also Combines durability with aesthetic appeal.
Related Question:
What is the Commonly Diamond Plate Thickness suitable for Truck Bed?
⅛ inch is suitable for heavy-duty applications. It is also available in two grades. 3003-H22 and 6061-T6. 6061-T6 is the best for truck bed as it exhibits great strength and has great durability.
