Headliner Glue

[dkryan]

My friends have a 2012 Altima and the headliner is dropping down from the back window forward about two inches.

Is there a glue that can be used to reattach the headliner? And does the old glue need to be cleaned off first?

Thanks

 

[zzyzzx]

 

[brages]

You have to remove the headliner from the car, tear off the fabric and scrub off all the rotten foam, then apply new fabric.

3M sells a headliner adhesive. But if you just try to glue rotten foam back up, it won't stick.

 

[dkryan]

You have to remove the headliner from the car, tear off the fabric and scrub off all the rotten foam, then apply new fabric.

3M sells a headliner adhesive. But if you just try to glue rotten foam back up, it won't stick.

Basically, a total “uninstall and reinstall?”

So, in addition to a quality 3M product, you need to find a quality replacement headliner.(?)

My friends thought cleaning off the old foam in the affected area, then using an adhesive to re-attach the the sagging two inch strip across the the width of the headliner would work.

My question was, “if you remove the old foam from that area, what do you re-attach the headliner to?” Can you buy headliner foam separately?

I think they’d prefer a “cut and paste” versus an entire liner replacement.

The downside to the cut and paste is it may start sagging elsewhere, later.

 

[brages]

The headliner is foam-backed fabric glued to a heavy cardboard form. The video in another post shows it well.

The foam rots and the fabric droops. On my car, it was just on a corner at first, and quickly spread over the whole headliner.

I have read that Joann Fabrics sells foam-backed headliner fabric. On my car, I removed the headliner and took it to an upholstery shop to be recovered.

Push pins are sometimes used as a "cheap fix".

 

[Kestas]

I've done proper repairs with material from JoAnn Fabrics. The difficulty of the job depends on how difficult it is to remove the headliner out of the vehicle. Once out, it's a straightforward repair.

I've also used pushpins or a staple gun on a car I don't care about.

There is no quick fix that looks good.

 

[Duffyjr]

How about some paint sticks. I tried the glue without taking it out and it didn't last very long.

 

[nthach]

3M 77 tends to be the old standby in upholstery shops for attaching fabric or leather to foam or other backing materials. Some shops use DAP contact cement for marine use.

but if the foam is crumbling apart, you need to recover the headliner.

 

[Carmudgeon]

3M 77 tends to be the old standby in upholstery shops for attaching fabric or leather to foam or other backing materials. Some shops use DAP contact cement for marine use.

but if the foam is crumbling apart, you need to recover the headliner.

77 isn't strong enough for headliners. 90 might be, but in usual 3M fashion, they make an adhesive specifically for headliners, 38808.

But, as noted, once the foam has lost its integrity, it's moot, and only a matter of time before total failure. Better to do it once, and do it right.

 

[dkryan]

Thanks for the advice, BITOGers.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

J. Ennis Fabrics... 1 800 663 6647. www.jennisfabrics.com This is a Cdn firm... - based in Edmonton - but they may have a presence in the US.

The question I have is how you go about applying the fabric to compound curves without creating wrinkles, etc. Re a simple "bowl"... a concave surface - start at the "rim" (????) and do not have the fabric 'real taut there... but presumably there is some stretch to the fabric and at the centre of the bowl it will contact the cement and stay attached despite the tension while you adhere the adjacent fabric. I have heard that there are some heat-cured adhesives that you take a hot air gun to.

Re complex shapes like headliners that have sunroof mechanism bulges in them... seems like it'd be difficult...

 

[Kestas]

The technique would be to roll it on. After dry fit, fold over one half, apply glue, and roll it on. Follow the curves much as you can.

 

[Gimpy1]

Get real headliner material at www.headliners4cars.com I had mine done at a shop for 100 bucks. The material was exact match for my car. For 100 buck it's not worth the r&,I, plus the shop can do it 1000% better than i could and have it last.