Headliner Options pics

nola000 · Aug 29, 2017

I know this has been beatin' to death and yes, I did search but I didnt find any specific answers to my main question.

1. My headliner backer seem to be(working from the roof side to the passenger side) a thin layer of fiberglass, a 1/4" thick layer of low-density foam, a thin layer of fiberglass again, some sort of sticky greenish fabric, a thin layer of backer foam then the actual headliner fabric. Im in the process of deciding whether I want to paint it with enamel(HVLP rig), bedliner spray (rattlecan, like duplicolor) or have it done professionally with the thick bedliner or undercarriage coatings and Im not sure how far to strip this backerboard down to for the coating. I obviously tore the headliner fabric off that was falling down and scraped off all the backer foam behind it but now Im wondering if I should peel off that sticky greenish fabric. Behind it is just a loose thin layer of fiberglass that seems like it would produce a terrible finish. There are plenty of pictures of painted headliners for our Discos but no one makes any mention of whether or not they stripped off the greenish fabric with the glue on it or just cleaned it up. There was one close up picture and I could tell that the person stripped this fabric layer off because the you could see the individual fiberglass strands through the paint.

2. Secondary question. What is everybodys opinion on a finish? Any experiences with the thicker bedliner like the Rhino Liner or under carriage coatings? My concern is flexibility since I have to bend the headliner to get it in or out.

Paint it with enamel(HVLP rig)
Bedliner spray (rattlecan, like duplicolor)
Done professionally with the thick bedliner or undercarriage coatings

stu454 · Aug 29, 2017

My D1 came with bedliner on the headliner. While not kosher with my purist streak, it worked well and I kinda dug the look.

WaltNYC · Aug 30, 2017

Take the fabric off and use a brush that you would find to clean an out door grill to get the bulk of the old headliner off. Then hit it with sand paper to take out the roughest parts. You don't want to paint over the fabric. Most of the texture of the fiberglass disappears with good primer.

luckyjoe · Aug 30, 2017

Also, use one of the "Vinyl" spray paints in the color of your choice (this is the flexible paint for use on plastics, among other surfaces). Once you get a few coats on you can knock down any rough areas with fine sand paper - but go easy or you'll destroy whatever finish you've built up.

robert.juric · Aug 30, 2017

I borrowed this advice from someone else. I pulled the fabric and used a wirebrush to remove the foam. When all the foam was removed I sprayed 2 layers. The first layer I sprayed was one of the "stone" texture rattle cans. I then painted over that with a color closer to my interior. I like this approach mostly because of the color options. I couldn't find much bedliner color in a light tan.

KngTgr · Aug 30, 2017

Why not just cover it with leather headliner?

Frobisher · Aug 30, 2017

I did mine this past Spring and it was remarkably easy. Since most of the fabric was barely attached, I pulled it off in one big sheet. The adhesive and foam mix underneath was pretty ratty, so it only took a little effort to get all the glue off. I didn't have to brush or sand very much. It was kind of like rubber cement that peeled off as I rubbed my hand over it. Easy but time-consuming.

Careful with the sanding since you can easily get down to the fibers of the backing and they'll show through the paint.

I primed it with some leftover interior house paint - and it just soaked that up like crazy. Afterwards, an easy brush coat or two of Rust Oleum "stone white" and it was good to go. The quart of roll on paint seemed cheaper and neater than spraying it. Overall, I'm quite pleased. Take the time to check your sunroof drains as well. That alone was worth taking the headliner off.

1920SF · Aug 30, 2017

I did the bedliner a long time ago mostly b/c I knew I didn't want to get it recovered given the vehicle's purpose. Had intended to paint the black tan to better match the interior but the wife liked the contrast so I declared victory and have been happy ever since.
r-
Ray

nola000 · Aug 30, 2017

stu454 said:
My D1 came with bedliner on the headliner. While not kosher with my purist streak, it worked well and I kinda dug the look.

robert.juric said:
I pulled the fabric and used a wirebrush to remove the foam. When all the foam was removed I sprayed 2 layers.

Frobisher said:
Careful with the sanding since you can easily get down to the fibers of the backing and they'll show through the paint.

WaltNYC said:
Take the fabric off and use a brush that you would find to clean an out door grill to get the bulk of the old headliner off. Then hit it with sand paper to take out the roughest parts. You don't want to paint over the fabric. Most of the texture of the fiberglass disappears with good primer.

You say hit it with sandpaper. Are you suggesting I sand the fabric under the visible headliner fabric? I cant imagine you mean sand the loose fiberglass. Its just strands so its not really going to sand. it will shred.

Look closely at my picture in the OP. I think maybe yall have a different headliner board. I have a 2004 and Im wondering if they made a change to the headliner construction or changed suppliers for the 03-04 years. There were a bunch of very minor changes for the 03-04 model years. The airbox is ever so slightly different, for example.

Just to clarify. My headliner is laminated in this order...

From metal roof side to passenger side = smooth fiberglass tissue mat > 1/4" low-density gray foam > rough, loose-strand, chopped fiberglass mat > black/greenish fabric with gooey shit on it (I think its black fabric and the green stuff IS the glue. See far right side of my pic in OP) > thin (1/8"?) yellow-orange foam > beige headliner fabric.

Smooth fiberglass tissue mat:

Rough, loose-strand, chopped fiberglass mat:

luckyjoe said:
Also, use one of the "Vinyl" spray paints in the color of your choice (this is the flexible paint for use on plastics, among other surfaces). Once you get a few coats on you can knock down any rough areas with fine sand paper - but go easy or you'll destroy whatever finish you've built up.

You have a favorite brand/model? Why the need to sand it? Does it not lay flat?

robert.juric said:
I couldn't find much bedliner color in a light tan.

Well that will certainly rule-out bedliner for me. I want the original color or close to it. I was under the impression that bedliner could be had in all sorts of colors these days.

KngTgr said:
Why not just cover it with leather headliner?

I thought about going back with fabric but I want a permanent solution not an aesthetic solution.

Frobisher said:
The adhesive and foam mix underneath was pretty ratty, so it only took a little effort to get all the glue off. I didn't have to brush or sand very much. It was kind of like rubber cement that peeled off as I rubbed my hand over it. Easy but time-consuming.

My headliner is nothing like that. There is no "rubber cement" layer that I can roll off with my fingers. I know what your talking about as I do this all the time with gooey crap on surfaces(especially plastic) so I dont damage the surface texture with chemicals like acetone.

Frobisher said:
Take the time to check your sunroof drains as well. That alone was worth taking the headliner off.

This is why I started on this. I had it down once before many moons ago to fix those shitty collection cups and I reinforced the non-broken cups to prevent future problems but it didnt seem to have worked. That or the drain tubes are clogged since I park under a dirty tree. I havent taken a close look at it yet.

ERover82 · Aug 30, 2017

Remove fabric, remove glue, spray and sand several layers of primer, spray desired paint material.

K-rover · Aug 30, 2017

I removed the old fabric. scrubbed the old glue and fuzz off with a wire brush. Used some filler primer (spray can) sanded, then did 4-5 coats of color matched house paint with a foam roller.
Really pleased with the way it turned out.. Ill see if I can find pics..

Found a pic

nola000 · Aug 30, 2017

K-rover said:
I removed the old fabric. scrubbed the old glue and fuzz off with a wire brush. Used some filler primer (spray can) sanded, then did 4-5 coats of color matched house paint with a foam roller.
Really pleased with the way it turned out.. Ill see if I can find pics..

Found a pic

Nice. A high-res close up would be nicer though.

ERover82 · Aug 30, 2017

nola000 said:
Nice. A high-res close up would be nicer though.

Close enough?

jymmiejamz · Aug 30, 2017

Why not just get it recovered? When I was in Virginia it cost about $100-150 for an upholstery shop to recover it, assuming you pull it yourself.

The bed-lined ones look pretty janky to me. That also sounds like a lot of work.

K-rover · Aug 30, 2017

nola000 said:
Nice. A high-res close up would be nicer though.

K-rover · Aug 30, 2017

jymmiejamz said:
Why not just get it recovered? When I was in Virginia it cost about $100-150 for an upholstery shop to recover it, assuming you pull it yourself.

The bed-lined ones look pretty janky to me. That also sounds like a lot of work.

I wouldnt bed line it. I think color matching house paint is the way to go.. I painted it because its a trail truck and can be touched up with a foam brush WHEN it gets dirty..

XCELLER8 · Aug 30, 2017

:rofl::applause:

ERover82 said:
Close enough?

nola000 · Aug 31, 2017

ERover82 said:
Close enough?

Hold on. Let me get my magnifying lens.

jymmiejamz said:
Why not just get it recovered? When I was in Virginia it cost about $100-150 for an upholstery shop to recover it, assuming you pull it yourself.

The bed-lined ones look pretty janky to me. That also sounds like a lot of work.

Didnt want to have to deal with it again in the future.

Awesome K-rover. Looks pretty good.

K-rover said:
I wouldnt bed line it. I think color matching house paint is the way to go.. I painted it because its a trail truck and can be touched up with a foam brush WHEN it gets dirty..

Good point.

Blue · Aug 31, 2017

K-rover said:

That looks really clean, I like it.

jymmiejamz · Aug 31, 2017

I am legitimately impressed with the house paint

Headliner Options *pics*

Headliner Finish

Paint it(HVLP rig)

Bedliner spray (rattlecan, like duplicolor)

Done professionally with the thick bedliner or undercarriage coatings

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Headliner Options pics