Automotive Headliner Repair
Lets face it, it is embarrassing and irritating to have the headliner of your truck, car or suv sagging or drooping. This is a common problem in new and older vehicles. There are many online do-it-yourself tips for repairing this fabric ceiling in a car, however most of them steer you in the wrong direction. The experience of an upholstery professional will save you time and money.
Online headliner repair tips tell you how to use inferior products and techniques. Most of these will actually cause more damage to your headliner and in the end cost more to have professionally repaired.
Consider the following when deciding on DIY headliner repair or using a professional service:
Headliner Substrate Board Damage
The headliner substrate board will be made of fiberglass, plastic, or cardboard, or free floated. Headliner substrate boards when damaged will need to be repaired before the installation of the fabric, vinyl or suede.
Traditional headliner fabric already contains a foam backing. Pre-fab headliner repair kits available on the market usually contain a slim selection of fabric colors and types, custom headliners in most cases will have to have a thin foam laminated to the board prior installation.
Custom headliners can be developed with specialized fabric adhered to foam rubber sheeting. A professional upholstery expert knows the best types of material, proper color match and patterns to use in a vehicle.
What To Know before Attempting Disassembly of headliner.
If you improperly remove headliners you will cause more damage that needs to be repair, some headliners actually have a specific procedure that if followed make it easier to reinstall. If the procedure of bow style headliners for instance are not followed it will cost two to three times more to reinstall.
Here are some recommended steps before disassembly.
First always take pictures of your headliner and trim prior removal.
Second always label an properly store all screws and trim. On Bow style headliners make sure not to bend the bows and always label each bow location with the corresponding insert hold on the vehicle Cantrell. .
YouTube and DIY Videos.
Many videos show basic steps however jump over some of the important steps and specialty tools that are needed.Not using professional tools and techniques will result in broken clips, plastic trim and more .
Why Replacing Car Headliner Fabric Correctly Is Important.
Sometimes watching people install a headliner seems easy however there are many things you need to know. Glue can soak through some thin fabrics, parts stores glues usually do not stick well, last long and sometimes remain sticky.Different materials have different stretch to them.
On a lot of modern vehicles the basic steps include removing the old fabric, using a brush to scrape remaining foam from the board, positioning the new fabric over the headliner board and adhering it with a spray adhesive that is specific for high temperatures that are found in closed vehicles. Carefully trim and overlap fabric edges in the right places before installing the headliner back inside the vehicle. When ready to re-install the headliner in the car, re-connect any wires needed, and install all clips and trim.
