Well looks like I have a problem with my headliner. I took
out the headliner because it was sagging. I was going to
replace and glue it myself, but thought better of it after I
removed the old liner. I took it into an upholster and they
glued the new fabric on and everything was peachy until the
first hot day when of course the headliner sagged onto my
head.Evidently they didn’t use a high temp glue.What I need
to know is if I remove the headliner can I spray the proper
high temp glue and instal new fabric, or is it necessary to
remove or otherwise deal with the other glue. If anyone has
been down this road I could really use some insight as to
what my options are.I don’t really want to do this all over
only to find that the high temp glue won’t bond to the old
glue. TIA–
jnorton
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In reply to a message from jnorton sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
Aside from getting the original shop to completely redo it,
you need to start from scratch. I don’t see much chance of a
home fix.–
The original message included these comments:
Well looks like I have a problem with my headliner. I took
out the headliner because it was sagging. I was going to
removed the old liner. I took it into an upholster and they
glued the new fabric on and everything was peachy until the
first hot day when of course the headliner sagged onto my
head.Evidently they didn’t use a high temp glue.What I need
only to find that the high temp glue won’t bond to the old
Just as in doing a paint job, proper surface preparation is essential
to a satisfactory result which lasts. Either the shop you took it to
didn’t clean all the old foam residue off the surface of the board
before applying the new foam-backed fabric, used the wrong glue (or
used the glue wrong ;-), or wrong fabric.
The reason that the original headliners ultimately sag is that the foam
material that was originally on the back of the fabric has turned to
dust, causing the fabric to fall away. The glue on the original
applications doesn’t fail. If your material fell in just a few
weeks/months, likely the glue did not bond the new foam/material to the
board because the dust-like residue of the old foam was not properly
removed from the board, giving a good surface to bond to.
Did you take it to an AUTO upholstery shop? If they are reputable at
all, they should redo it if you show them what it looks like now, and
then remove the board and take it back to them. Ask them what glue
they used before, what they did to prepare the surface, and what they
intend to do differently this time. Post that information here so
someone with knowledge on that procedure can tell you if they seem to
know what they are doing.
Did you use 1/8" foam-backed fabric? There are different headliner
materials, and even different foam thicknesses (such as 1/4") on the
foam-backed fabric.
George Balthrop, Clifton, VA USA
85 & 89 XJ-S Coupes; 89 XJ40 VDP-----Original Message-----
From: jnorton jnorton@gmx.net
Well looks like I have a problem with my headliner. I took
out the headliner because it was sagging. I was going to
replace and glue it myself, but thought better of it after I
removed the old liner. I took it into an upholster and they
glued the new fabric on and everything was peachy until the
first hot day when of course the headliner sagged onto my
head.Evidently they didn’t use a high temp glue.What I need
to know is if I remove the headliner can I spray the proper
high temp glue and instal new fabric, or is it necessary to
remove or otherwise deal with the other glue.
In reply to a message from George Balthrop sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
Let me rephrase my problem. I need to know what, if
anything, I can do in the way of surface preparation to get
the proper high temp adhesive to stick. I will be using new
1’8’’ foam back headliner fabric.–
The original message included these comments:
Just as in doing a paint job, proper surface preparation is essential
In reply to a message from jnorton sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
You can rub away all the powdered old foam if it wasn’t done
before. Trouble is, the board is delicate so you have to be gentle.
Having had one screw-up I would be tempted to seal the board with
some kind of hard lacquer to be sure this time that the glue gets a
good key. Don’t ask me what, or how it will affect flex for re-
installation…
Pete–
The original message included these comments:
Let me rephrase my problem. I need to know what, if
anything, I can do in the way of surface preparation to get
the proper high temp adhesive to stick. I will be using new
In reply to a message from PeterCrespin sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
I did rub away all the old foam. The problem was the
improper type of glue. The upholsterer used a spray glue
designed for indoor furniture. My bad for not clarifying. I
assumed he knew what he was doing. I got a refund but still
need to know if I need to do anything to prepare the surface
for the right glue.–
The original message included these comments:
You can rub away all the powdered old foam if it wasn’t done
In reply to a message from jnorton sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
Once you have removed all the old foam and you have a clean
board, you should get a few cans of 3M automotive trim
adhesive an spray both surfaces. Wait until dry and then
apply the new material.–
equiprx
Pacifica, CA, United States
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In reply to a message from equiprx sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
I bought my headliner material and glue at JoAnne’s. I covered
it last summer and it looks great. They sell ‘‘headliner glue’’
there.–
Greg 1985 XJS HE DANA rear
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In reply to a message from jnorton sent Sat 13 Jun 2009:
I have done a couple of headliners, on two of my Jaguars and one on
my BMW. Of course, it is not the glue that fails, but the foam
backing.
Perhaps they did use the worng glue that prompted the foam to fail.
But, the correct glue is of the contact cement family, so it can be
applied over.
I have used a couple of different brands, including 3M which is the
most expensive. The brand I like the best is the one from
Permatex. It is also inexpensive.–
The original message included these comments:
head.Evidently they didn’t use a high temp glue.What I need
to know is if I remove the headliner can I spray the proper
remove or otherwise deal with the other glue. If anyone has
been down this road I could really use some insight as to