How To Repair A Car Roof Lining

The roof lining is a fabric installed on the underside of the ceiling of a car. The roof lining of a car starts sagging after a few years due to several reasons. The most common reason for a sagging liner is that the glue starts melting due to excessive heat and loses the fabric.

Also known as a headliner, the fabric needs repair to prevent further sagging. If the fabric is sagging from the corners or edges, you can repair it yourself. However, if it is sagging from multiple areas, you need a professional for the repair. This post shares the tips and process to repair a sagging headliner.

Gluing

If the lining is sagging from corners or edges of the ceiling, you can fix it quickly using upholstery glue. Spray glue is easy to use around the corners and small edges and spreads uniformly across any surface. Hold the sagging edges gently and spray the glue on the inner side of the fabric and press it gently to make it stick to the board under the headliner.

Sequin Pins

If a small area of roof liner is sagging somewhere in the middle of the ceiling, you can quickly fix it using the sequin pins. These pins are readily available at the stationery stores, and you can buy them to fix small areas of your headliner. All you need is to push the pins in the fabric so that the head of the pins stay outside.

Clear-Headed Twisted Pins

Clear-Headed Twisted Pins

Also known as saggy stoppers, the clear-headed twisted pins are perfect for fixing multiple areas of a sagging headliner. These pins are similar to sequin pins with the only difference that you need to twist them while pinning the fabric.

Repairing The Entire Lining

If the fabric is sagging from multiple areas or more than half the roof, it is best to repair the whole headliner. To fix the complete headliner, you need to remove the entire lining and replace it with a new fabric. You can do it yourself with the help of a friend or call a professional for the same.

Gather The Tools

The first step to replace a roof liner is to gather the tools required to remove it. Get a spanner of suitable size that fits the nuts on the lining and accessories on the headliner of your car. You might need a spanner with multiple heads if the screws are of different sizes.

Remove The Accessories

There are many accessories fitted in the ceiling of a car. You need to remove them before removing the headliner board. Remove the sunshades, AC vents (if any), grab handles, cabin lights and any other accessories on the ceiling carefully.  Also, remover the seat belt holders, and speakers if you have them in the ceiling. Make sure you don’t cut any wires or mess with the internal parts.

Take Out The Roof Liner

Take Out The Roof Liner

After removing all the accessories, you need to remove the roof liner from the ceiling. You need to remove the full lining with the board under it. Make sure all the nuts are removed before you pull it out from the edges of your car ceiling.  Take the help of a friend, to take it out carefully from your car. The best way to take it out is from the back side of your car as the boot opening is larger than doors.

Examine The Fabric

Lay the board on a large table or flat surface and examine the fabric. Sometimes the foam board under the material is also damaged. In such a case it is essential to repair or replace the foam board. Usually, the reason behind a sagging headliner is the weakening of glue that holds it in its place.

Replace The Lining

You need to remove the lining using a knife or sharp blade and peel it off from the board. Remove it steadily starting from a corner and moving to other areas of the fabric. After removing the entire fabric clean the form board with sandpaper. Now put the new material on the board and fold it half to apply the glue.

Spray the upholstery glue on half of the fabric and paste it correctly on half the area of foam board. Paste the material accurately and steadily as an incorrect placement will mess up everything. Repeat the same with another half of the fabric and fold it on the edges. Allow the glue to dry before installing it on your car.

Reinstalling The Headliner

After drying, you need to reinstall the headliner with a board with the help of another person. Put the board on the ceiling carefully to fit the edges correctly and start putting all the screws back. Install all the accessories one by one while another person holds the board in its place. Examine the headliner thoroughly to install it correctly.

Final Words

These were the steps to fix the sagging headliner of a car. Fixing it with glue and pins is easy, and anyone can do it themselves. However, removing and replacing the entire fabric is tough and takes time, and you should do it only if you have some knowledge or experience. If you are not confident enough to replace the roof liner, you must call a professional service like mobile car roof lining repairs Ipswich to come and fix your headliner.