Headliner Replacement: Some Tips Which May Assist You While Replacing Or Fixing Up The Headliner
Sometimes when you are contemplating a custom auto upholstery project for your car, you may decide to change or repair the headliner. The headliner is that part of fabric that is attached to a board on the inside roof. Moisture and heat can affect the foam binding the substance and this can result in sagging or falling fabric. This is particularly common in vehicles that were manufactured in the 1970's but can happen to any auto.
It could expense upwards of $200 to get the headliner changed (possibly less, if you do it as part of a larger custom auto upholstery project) so it's something you may want to consider doing yourself. It's not hard but can be tedious and may require two people. Don't attempt to do it on a day when the weather conditions is against you. You desire it to be warm but not excessively hot as that will make the glue too tacky.
Remove all the screws you can see i.e. these holding the lights and visors to the headliner. Keep these in a secure place as you will need them when you're putting it back together. You then remove the headliner which as we have seen is simply a board covered in fabric. You'll need to remove the existing cover and scrape off as much of the old glue as possible. If you don't do these steps you will affect the uniformity of the new finish.
When choosing your fabric, it would be a good idea to tell the fabric shop assistant what you want to use it for. Some materials just are not appropriate. You can alteration the color scheme but it would be wise not to change the texture of the fabric very much. Don't go from thin to very thick as this would make putting all the pieces back together that much more difficult! You also need to pick a covering that's suitable for use with glue adhesive.
Do not skimp on the fabric. It is always best to have too much rather than too little. Spray the board with glue adhesive and put the covering over it. Keep it taut to avoid any crinkles or gaps. You will have to pay attention to the corners and make them very neat. You then have to let it dry entirely before putting back into the car. If you would rather not chance doing it yourself and messing it up, but, any decent custom auto upholstery professional who's worth anything can do it fast and easily for you.