damaged headliner repair or replace?

[Kyler Skovbo]

the headliner out of my 91 ranger has some water damage in one of the corners, is there a way to fix the separating layers before I put suede down on the foam or will I need a new headliner?

 

[franklin2]

I often use duct tape to piece broken headliners together. You only need it to hold together long enough for your new material and it's glue to hold it. I bet aluminum tape would work well also. You won't see it when the fabric is on it.

 

[55trucker]

Purchase replacement headliner material, strip off all of the original material, prep the backboard & refinsh the headliner.
There are various online locations to order material from, Graham Fabrics is one.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I took mine to an upholstery shop for a headliner. Guy said $100 but then only charged me $80 because there was a slight blemish, which he pointed out. I plan to get my visors done next. Turn around was same day.

 

[dvdswan]

I took mine to an upholstery shop for a headliner. Guy said $100 but then only charged me $80 because there was a slight blemish, which he pointed out. I plan to get my visors done next. Turn around was same day.

That's cheap, figuring 2 cans of 3M spray glue ($20), headliner material ($35-40), and labor.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

That's cheap, figuring 2 cans of 3M spray glue ($20), headliner material ($35-40), and labor.

Yea I got lucky, it was leftover material from a boat he was doing, and I'm sure he gets the glue for wholesale nothin. So it was probably 90% profit for him.

This is where it pays to pay someone else to do it lol. I made more than that using those hours to work.

 

[Lefty]

I picked up a very nice headliner at the U Pull yard for $11.00. Ford wants about $450. Most are no longer made. I washed mine down with a sponge damped with rubbing alcohol to brighten it up. Here it is coming out from n old klunker. It's not hard to do.

 

[franklin2]

Yea I got lucky, it was leftover material from a boat he was doing, and I'm sure he gets the glue for wholesale nothin. So it was probably 90% profit for him.

This is where it pays to pay someone else to do it lol. I made more than that using those hours to work.

All the work is pulling it out of the vehicle. I used to get mine done for $75 when I would pull it myself and that included the proper headliner material. I am sure it's more now, that was 10 years ago.
I always took the GM headliners to the shop because they use Styrofoam for the headliner shell. If you use a strong glue it shrivels the Styrofoam up and ruins it, been there, done that.

All the Fords I have done so far have been cardboard shells. That holds up to the stronger glues you can get at the hardware store, and I either go to a local fabric store, or some Walmarts have a fabric section where they sell vinyl. I found some tan colored vinyl a couple of years ago at my local Walmart and that is what I glued into my Bronco II.

 

[dvdswan]

Yea I got lucky, it was leftover material from a boat he was doing, and I'm sure he gets the glue for wholesale nothin. So it was probably 90% profit for him.

This is where it pays to pay someone else to do it lol. I made more than that using those hours to work.

I tend to price stuff out and if it is more cost and time effective to have the "professional" do it, I'll pay the price. Gladly. Plus, 90% of the time it will be a lot nicer.