Lazy Man’s Repair w/ Spray Adhesive
by Matt Kurlan, San Diego
Why not remove & replace the entire headliner?
1) You’re too lazy
2) this way is faster (~2 hrs. once you get supplies)
3) a used one from the junk yard may sag too
4) the clips may break, making it hard to re-install
5) By the time this problem arises, your car’s probably 20 yrs. old with ~200K miles on the odometer, & not worth the hassle !
What you need:
a tolerance for imperfection (it won’t look perfect!)
long sharp scissors (to cut a long slit)
small (not medium) hand brush for cleaning 
1 large can of spray headliner adhesive (eg- Permatex or 3M)
3-4″ smooth cylinder (to roll it flat) such as PVC pipe connector or empty salsa jar. Also a D-size flashlight battery.
headlamp or a friend holding a flashlight
wide masking tape & firm cardboard (eg- Priority Mailer) to shield from over-spray
vacuum cleaner, goggles, & mask 
roll of duct tape (check Wal-Mart for best variety of colors)
optional- towel to keep the seats clean
Warnings: Use goggles to keep junk out of your eyes. Try to park out of the sun. When using spray, make sure your windows are down & there’s good ventilation. Mask recommended. Don’t use the spray while smoking or if you have asthma or are prone to heart palpitations. Not ideal for professional restoration!
Here’s how to do it:
1) Optional: lay a towel over the seats to keep them clean.
2) Poke a hole in the very center of the headliner.
Use long sharp scissors to make a slit straight down the middle of the sagging headliner. Going back, aim for the middle of the cyclops brake lamp. Going forward, aim for the middle of the rear view mirror. Leave ~3-4″ un-cut at each end, do not go all the way to the edge.
3) Put on goggles & pop your head & flashlight up thru the slit & inspect the surface that the headliner was glued onto. You’ll see it looks like it’s coated with ‘Shake & Bake’ crumbs. When you touch it, the crumbs fall off. Those crumbs must be removed for the adhesive to work properly!!
Work on 1 quadrant at a time- Take your small hand brush, facing up, slide your hand above the headliner, & brush off all the crumbs, trying not to pull the headliner away from the edges. (You’ll see how to repair if you pull out the edge). When done, it should look smooth.
4) When 1 quadrant is done, use the vacuum to suck up all the crumbs laying on the surface of the headliner. If crumbs adhere to the fabric, use your hands to carefully wipe them off & vacuum. Empty the vacuum filter & then repeat step 2 & 3 for the other quadrants.
Crumbs on seat. 
Dirty vacuum filter.
5) Remove the towels & vacuum your seats. Now apply wide masking tape to the front & rear windshield where it borders the headliner. This is to prevent spraying glue onto the glass. If there is a dome lamp, cover that with masking tape too. If any edge of the headliner has pulled out of the groove where it’s tucked in, use a square of stiff cardboard to tuck it back into the groove so it looks nice. (see photo). Now you’re ready to spray.
Use cardboard to tuck in edges.
6) Lower the windows & confirm good ventilation & proper temperature for spraying. Use goggles, mask, flashlight. You will spray both the hidden side of the headliner fabric & the surface that it will stick to. [Stop spraying & get fresh air if you have trouble breathing or feel your heart skipping beats!]
Do 1 side at a time. Start by spraying the adhesive into deep pockets where the sun visors fold up in front, then work your way back. When done, inspect & touch-up to make sure of good coverage with adhesive over both top & bottom surfaces.
Now exit the vehicle & breath some fresh air for 10-15 minutes while the glue gets tacky.
7) Take your roller (PVC pipe or salsa jar) & start above the post between the front & back doors (usually there’s a roll bar across the mid-roof). Roll slowly from the side towards the middle so that the fabric adheres flat against the roof. Try not to stretch the fabric to prevent it from bunching up into folds.
Now advancing forward or back, repeat the same rolling pattern (from side to middle) in parallel rows until you’ve flattened the entire side of headliner onto the roof.
Then repeat this process for the other half of the roof.
Use a D-size battery to roll the fabric smoothly onto the pockets where the sun visors fold up. Use a square of stiff cardboard to tuck in any loose fabric around the edges. [photo above]
to be peeled, resprayed, & rolled flat again.) Note blue tape on glass.
7) You will end up with a gap down the middle of the ceiling where you slit it into 2 halves. Peel & tear off a strip of duct tape long enough to go from the cyclops brake lamp to the mid-point of the roof (roll bar). Carefully line it up along the middle to cover the gap & gently press into place. Starting at the back & going towards the middle, use your roller again to firmly press the tape against the roof, so it doesn’t peel off.
Tear off another strip of duct tape long enough to go from the rear-view mirror to the mid-point (roll bar). Again, carefully line it up along the middle to cover the gap & gently press into place. Use the roller again to firmly press it against the roof starting at the front & ending in the middle, where it should slightly overlap the other tape.
8) Carefully remove the masking tape from the windows. Now sit in the driver’s seat & look in the rear-view mirror… if you can see out the back window without the headliner blocking your view, then you may congratulate yourself for a job well done.
