Painting Headliner (with pics)

[ElJefe125]

Hey gang,

I recently picked up a parts car, and will be swapping its black sports interior into my car. I decided while I had the seats out to paint my headliner as it has the typical glue stains. I started by pulling the front and rear seats, parcel shelf, and unbolting the rear seat belts. I also pulled the dome lights. I could not figure out how to remove the oh crap handles, so I masked them off with masking tape.

I did not have any newspaper handy, so I ended up using some garbage bags. Masking off everything on the interior was a bit of a chore. I'm guessing that it took me 3-4 hours to mask everything off. I used a drop cloth to protect the floor and dash. I used Duplicolor flat black paint, and hit the headliner with two coats. Overall I'm pretty happy with the results. Its much better looking to my eye than the factory color, especially with all of the staining I had on mine. There were a couple of areas around the edges of the liner that I had to touch up post-paint with a black sharpie, and I did not get full coverage under one of the handles, but other than that it turned out well.

I also painted my parcel shelf with the same paint that I used with the headliner. It turned out ok, but the carpet is a bit crunchy feeling now. I don't really care, as I never put anything back there anyway. Hopefully it will hold up over time.

Here are some pictures that I snapped during the process:

[mooseheadm5]

That looks great. I would have removed the O shit handles vs. masking them, but it looks like it turned out really well.

[Scottinva]

hmmm I may do this.

[Snakeyestx]

[aaront]

That turned out better than I had expected. Looks good!

[CSBolger]

Alright, I'm doin' it.

[skip535i]

This is 'da best interior Mod I ever did done...

Funny thing actually, I used the EXACT same spraypaint and process as you...NICE JOB!

[foamy]

thanks for the pics this looks like exactly what i wanted to do and have it look like im doing this

[ElJefe125]

Thanks guys. For future reference, how do you remove the handles? It was not immediately obvious to me, so I just moved on. This would have made the job go a bit smoother, as it was difficult to put down an even coat of paint in these areas.

[ElJefe125]

thanks for the pics this looks like exactly what i wanted to do and have it look like im doing this

No problem. I did some digging around on the forum but I could not find any pictures of the process. I thought it may be useful to others that were considering taking the plunge.

[skip535i]

Thanks guys. For future reference, how do you remove the handles? It was not immediately obvious to me, so I just moved on. This would have made the job go a bit smoother, as it was difficult to put down an even coat of paint in these areas.

Pull/slide the plastic covers on the ends of the handles and the bolt is underneath...pretty straightforward actually.

[ElJefe125]

Thanks, now I know. I tried prying up that area on one of my handles, but I guess I was not persistant enough. Oh, and thanks Skip for writing up your experiance. It was one of the posts I read before starting the project and it sounded like the duplicolor worked out well on yours.

[skip535i]

Thanks, now I know. I tried prying up that area on one of my handles, but I guess I was not persistant enough. Oh, and thanks Skip for writing up your experiance. It was one of the posts I read before starting the project and it sounded like the duplicolor worked out well on yours.

You're very welcome!

[sixeye]

That looks REALLY good! I may have to do this since my headliner is in good shape besides some discoloration.

[ElJefe125]

That looks REALLY good! I may have to do this since my headliner is in good shape besides some discoloration.

You should give it a shot. You could probably knock it out in an afternoon depending on how quick you can mask things off. Cost me 14 bucks in paint, so a pretty cheap upgrade.

FYI, it took one can to do the first coat of the headliner, and a 2nd can to do a 2nd coat on the headliner and two coats on the parcel shelf. I still have a bit of paint left in the 2nd can.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

That turned out a lot better than i was expecting also. Very nice!

[Brad D.]

That looks really good. I have contemplated doing this and now I really want to.

[wkohler]

Looks great. I'd use the SEM if I did it though. I think it covers better though the duplicolor nozzles are the best.

[Nanajoth]

I think I might go pick up some paint to do this today since my interior is all out anyhow.

[ElJefe125]

Looks great. I'd use the SEM if I did it though. I think it covers better though the duplicolor nozzles are the best.

I've heard good things about SEM. It seems like it may be a superior product to the Duplicolor, but I'm happy with the results I got. Time will tell how well it holds up. I could not find SEM at my local auto parts store, so I decided to take a chance. I figure if it fades over time I can always coat over with SEM down the road.

Like others have observed, I did notice that my parcel shelf took on a bit of a crunchy feel after being painted. I knew this would happen with Duplicolor. It sounds like SEM will do a better job of retaining that soft carpet feel. I was only concerned with aesthetics, so the crunchy feel does not bother me.

I'm glad this thread seems to be motivating people to give this a shot!

[Jory]

How does the headliner feel now? Pretty crunchy as well?
Looks good

[ElJefe125]

How does the headliner feel now? Pretty crunchy as well?
Looks good

I don't think the feel of the headliner really changed all that much. It may not be as "slick" feeling, but if there is a difference it is pretty minor. I can compair with the unpainted liner on my parts car and get back to you.

[1st 5er]

This has been on my "To Do" list for quite some time.

One day...

Looks good and glad you're happy with your results.

[Parts Dept]

What, if any type of cleaner did you use for prep?

[ElJefe125]

What, if any type of cleaner did you use for prep?

I'm glad you asked, as it totally slipped my mind when I was writing this up. I wiped the headliner down with isopropal alcohol prior to painting. Its fairly gentle as solvents go, and I figured it would take off any oils that had built up over time. It also dries fast, which is a good thing. I'm sure there is something better out there, but it was handy.

[Parts Dept]

Cool. Short of doing this and blacking out the lock cylinders, Deiter will be fully murdered out.

Nice writeup BTW.

[rogier]

How does it hold up? It's now about 6 years later and I was wondering if it still looks as good as it did on the pictures.

[dsw99a]

Good question "rogier". Id like to know how it held up also. I did a stain job on my headliner that is tits after about 2 years now. Now i have another car that will need some tlc, and this maybe the remedy. keep up the good work.

[darbyhood]

That looks really good! I also have tonnes of stains on my headliner from a questionable history, I'll probably do the same!!

[bigwave]

May bump to see if there are any out there who can report how the headliner paint has held up. Also, how long does the paint smell last after spraying? I'm a week or so out from picking up an 86 535is with a badly stained headliner.