6 Tips From The Professionals: How Not To Fix Your Headliner Material
Your car’s exterior is looking topnotch but the interior has seen better days.
Rips, fades, and stains of your car’s upholstery can leave much to be desired and make the inside of your car feel old, worn, and unwelcoming.
Although, possibly the worst look is when the adhesive on your car’s roof starts to give up and the headliner material drops, giving that sagging roof look.
There are plenty of ways you may attempt to fix this, replacing the adhesive, employing specialized glue, using double-sided tape, or adhesive spray. Sure, these methods may give you a little reprieve.
If done correctly and using the correct technique you may get you headliner material to hold.
In the end, however, these methods will often fail so it sometimes is best to take your car and its sagging roof to get professionally fixed.
Having a professional auto upholsterer reupholster the sagging roof headliner material will give your entire car that much-desired new look feeling. Changing the way your car looks, from old and worn to fresh and new.
If you want to know what the professionals recommend to fix your car’s ceiling or you want to find out where to take your car when this occurs then simply read on.
What Is A Headliner Board?
First, let’s take a look at exactly what a headliner board is. A headliner board is simply a board, often made from fiberglass, that is covered it headliner material that has a foam backing.
The headliner board acts as an insulator, protecting the interior of the car from the heat and cold of the outside air. The headliner board also helps reduce the amount of traffic noise that enters the cabin.
The headliner material is stuck to the roof lining board of the car with the help of strong glue or adhesive. The problem here is as the car’s roof is subjected to heat over a long period of time the material foam backing deteriorates..
The fabric then separates from the backing board and kills the overall aesthetic feel of your car.
Sourcing A Replacement
You can try and source a replacement headliner board but this can be very hard to do. Often when removing a second-hand headliner board from a wreck the backing board will get damaged and you’ll be no better off than you were before. And the foam backing on the material is already old and may not last long.
If you can find a new headliner board, which is often not easy to do, they are unfortunately quite expensive, more expensive than it is to get your current headliner material repaired.
How You Should Not Amend This Yourself Without Having To Remove The Backing Board?
So, its probably not worth replacing the headliner board but there are ways that may help to amend the problem for a period of time. Sometimes these fixes will last a short period and some will last a long period of time. It really depends on the severity of the sagging and which method you choose to employ.
Before you start, however, be sure to pick the technique that you feel will best suit the job. There’s no use in using a glue gun to stick down a small portion of your roof and make things look worse, on the other hand, it is wise to use a little overkill if the sagging is really bad.
Listed below are some recommendations by professional reupholsters that may help you in achieving a temporary repair to your car’s roof lining.
- Do Not Use Glue Or Adhesive To Stick The Headliner Material Back Onto The Backing Board
The first method you can try is glue or adhesive. This method only works best if the headliner material has sagged partially in some areas.
You can use super glue or a hot glue gun but this will often leave marks and not really help the aesthetics of the interior of your car.
Employing the use of the adhesive spray is a much better option and is more likely to hold for a longer period of time. Any good auto or hardware store will have a fast-drying adhesive spray that is used for upholstery applications.
Simply spray the adhesive on and use your hands or a paint roller to push the material back onto the backing board. Smooth out any wrinkles and make sure you get all of the liner and tuck in any edges that may be sticking down.
It’s not a bad idea to start at the section that is sagging the worst and work towards the areas that aren’t so bad. This will ensure that there is ample material to cover the areas that have sagged down the most.
- Do Not Use Twist Pins To Hold The Headliner Material Up
This is a quick and easy method that will help fix your problem. It won’t look pretty but at least your car’s roof lining won’t be sitting on your head any longer.
There are specialised pins you can get for the job which can be found online or at any good automotive store. The pins have a sharp end that then goes to a curl before coming to a stop at the cap.
It’s simple enough to do, just stick the end in where the liner needs to be held up and twist the pins in. Be sure to stick the pins in all the way and line them up in a row so the job looks nice and neat when you’re done.
It’s not a bad idea to find clear pins or pins that are a similar color to the material of your car’s ceiling. This will make it harder to see them when the job is all finished.
- Do Not Use A Steam Cleaner To Reinvigorate The Existing Glue
Sometimes you can reinvigorate the glue or adhesive by using a steam cleaner. A steam cleaner will melt the glue that still remains on the liner and may just give back some of its stickiness.
Simply heat a selected area with the steam cleaner and run your hand over the backing board to reattach the material.
Work your way from one end of the car to the other, being sure to stick every little bit down along the way. Be careful not to miss any as it can be hard to reattach without causing any wrinkles, almost like when you stick a phone screen protector down. If you get a bubble it’s almost impossible to get out.
- Do Not Use Double-sided Tape To Stick Your Liner To The Backing Board
Grab yourself some double-side tape and start sticking. This method is best used when the headliner material is particularly saggy and you can easily get your hands between the liner and the backing board.
Use the double-sided tape to stick down any loose liner, edges, or surfaces that need to be reattached. Paying special attention to the areas around the rearview mirror, grab handles, and edges.
Use a razor blade if needed to cut the tape and any edges that are particularly saggy or rough.
- Do Not Use A Staple Gun And Hair Spray
This may seem a little unusual but it can work quite well. First, get yourself a staple gun, a conventional stapler won’t be strong enough, then staple the liner back onto the backing board.
Once the stapling is finished, spray the headliner with hair spray and let it dry. Once it is dry, pry the staples out with a flat head screwdriver.
A little agricultural but it can be very effective.
- However, If You Really Want The Best Result Call In The Professionals
When it comes to getting your headliner material fixed there’s really no comparison to a professional repair. Car roof lining repair isn’t an easy job. And, if you’re wanting the best result to get your car looking as good as new it’s best to leave it in the hands of the professionals.
The team at Repairbull.com.au have got your back when it comes to those pesky sagging car ceilings. We understand there is nothing worse than jumping in your car and the roof lining wrapping around the top of your head. It looks ugly and can even be unsafe.
Here at Repairbull.com.au, we have over 10 years of industry experience specializing in car roof lining repairs. We only use the best materials and top-grade adhesives when repairing your car’s roof lining.
All our repairs come with a warranty so you can be sure the work and repairs carried out are of the highest quality.
Our friendly team will even come to you. Saving you the hassle of driving into one of our workshops from your home or workplace, saving you precious time and reducing inconvenience to a minimum.
We also specialize in marine repairs, marine and auto reupholster, auto trimming repairs, hood lining repairs, mobile car dent repairs, spray painting, and bumper repairs. So, no matter what the problem is we can help you out.
Repairbull.com.au operate out of most states throughout Australia. Our service locations are Wollongong, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas. So, wherever you are you can be assured we are somewhere close by to help you out.