Headliner coming loose. Any ideas?

Has anyone had success reattaching a loose headliner? The thin mouse-fur fabric has separated from the foam backing at the edges.

Thumb tacks worked for me. They have held for three years now. Cheap fix.

Umm… Keith, how many times have passengers commented “too tacky”?

Funny

I use staples from a normal desktop stapler to fix mine.

What are you all driving that you have headliner issues? I have never had that happen in any of my cars…

Do a quick search on this site and you’ll see all the options ranging from staples, thumb tacks, screw in buttons from an auto supply store, bows holding it up, or replacement. The foam backing deteriorates and separates from the cloth. There is no way to save it or reglue it. If you do it yourself, you can replace it for under $100. Matching material is available from Atrim.com or other. If you don’t want to replace it, one of the other methods to hold it up.

3M #77 Spray Contact Adhesive. Insist on that product only to avoid disappointment…Follow the directions.

eraser1998, just about any car, if you keep it long enough, will have headliner issues. I’ve had this issue with my 1985 Buick Skyhawk where the whole thing pretty much started to sag. That’s when I discovered how well staples do the job. On my 1998 Honda Civic, the front of the headliner that is exposed to sunlight started to peel before I stapled and glued it to keep it from peeling further. The headliner in my girlfriend’s 1999 Chevy Cavalier is starting to sag a little.

Update – If this car were a thing of beauty I’d go with Caddyman’s sticky solution. But considering that the vehicle is old enough to drive itself, I think Keith’s tacky solution suits it best. Thanks to all who posted.

I have to admit, I hate tacky headliners and replaced a couple, but when my air conditioner went out and I had the windows open, my headliner started to flap in the breeze. I used the wooden bows idea to hold it up until I finally junked it. It was tacky but at least it didn’t hang down on my head and you couldn’t see it through the window from the outside.

Whitey -

I tend to keep cars 14-15 years… and still have never had a single headliner issue.

I have had that problem on cars. One was a 1983 Meecury Marquis and the other a 1978 Oldsmobile. I “repaired” the Mercury with wood strips that I could bend into an arc and place under the side molding. I used the buttons available in auto parts stores for the Oldsmobile.
I liked the headliner in my inexpensive 1965 Rambler Classic 550. It was a piece of molded fiberglass. It did the job and there was no mouse fur to separate from a foam backing.

Now that I think of it, when I was in school, I replaced the headliner in my 59 VW. I replaced the cloth with the updated perforated vinyl. It had metal rods on the underside that held it all up. No way was that going to droop.

If you have access to a tablesaw rip several strips of Cedar and cut long enough for them to bow up and retain the fabric