Okay so I decided to tackle a job this weekend and to reupholster my headliner.
Problem is, the carpet on our headliners is connected damn well to the cardboard mold.
Is there a way to take that off?
Or should I just reupholster over it?
Also,
the headliner has many deep ridges that cause trouble for getting it wrinkle free, what is the best method to get around that?
Lots and lots of patience.
Sorry friends,
I should have searched harder.
but i see that the stock material is okay to leave on.
The second question still stands though,
How did you get those ridges (such as where the dome light is) wrinkle free?
Depending what kind of matterial you are planning on using its just a matter of trimming. lay out the fabric, measure and mark where to make your cuts for fitment and double even tripple check to make sure youre happy with everything before starting to cut.
you will notice where the wrinkles show,mark measure ect ect.. like i was saying its a matter of what material you are using that will determine how easily you can blend it. but you basicly cut down the center of the wrikle then over lap the two sides of the cut so it lays flat.. then trim both sides a little at a time untill they meet without exposing the original fabric underneth it.
like i said, some materials work easier then others, no patterns ect ect.. if it has a bit of plush two it you can sorta pluck and comb the fibers over to help hide the cut, if you trimmed it right it will be pretty hard to notice unless your up close and looking for it.
before you start working on the wrinkles make sure the reas of the headliner is measured,fit,trimmed and secured first..leave just enough area by the dome lite without clue so you can still work the fabric in that area.. start to trim just enough that you can get your hand in and out easily enough to still be able to get the glue (or whatever youre choosing to keep it in place, then begin working on the wrinkles.. once your happy with the result add a bit more glue and resucure the area..
Ive redone several headliners for friends ,none of them were cavaliers or sunfires and most didnt have the little dome bump to worry about..but when i worked atthe shop thats pretty close to how it was done ( i didnt work in that section so i dfont have the exact method but the above is about 90+ percent of how it went)
for our cars the curves on the headliner are pretty simple toughest is if u have a sunroof and the switch area can be a real pain, but if you dont then its pretty easy you can lay vynal on them without getting wrinkles if your careful. just start in the middle around the dome, spray that area and work out from that point. always work out just dont go in one direction because you may come back to go the other way and have a wrinkle you can't get out.
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right on,
Thanks for the great advice guys,
It's greatly appreciated.
What type of material do you plan on wrapping it with?
If you're using a spray adhesive, make sure it can withstand the heat. If you use a cheap spray glue you will have areas where the glue loosens and the newly wrapped headliner will start to come off.
I used a water base contact cement (at least I think it was water based, I'd have to double check that) when I wrapped mine. Read the directions on the can carefully and go from there. Mine lasted 2 years and it seems to be on there for good.
I was considering vinyl,
But I tried with that and the stuff I got was cheap vinyl from fabricland and did not have very much give to it at all.
Now I'm considering a suede, Although I really want to give vinyl another shot.
I will pick up some 3m 90.
So you spray it on both surfaces, let it sit for 30 seconds and then put the surfaces together? That's what I got out of the directions....
3M 90 wasn't strong enough for vinyl when I did my headliner last summer. I redid it in a tweed like material and it still wasn't quite enough.
* * BIG FOR SALE POST * *
ahhhhhh balls.
I saw some "permanent spray adhesive" that was meant for reupholstery at wal-mart....
maybe we'll see that goes over.
Auto parts stores sell headliner spray adhesive. It's for heat and high humidity. You will need a couple of cans. I also use the 3M spray 90 with good results.
