So I have been meaning to repair my headliner - which I removed a while a go to sort a leaking sunroof.
I dont want to go back to the same foam backed material if reasonably possible. - mainly b/c it is 3x the cost of regular headliner and will fail again in a few years.

considering:
vinyl
spray on (like bed liner)

anyone have any success with an alternate and it not looking like total crap

 

Bedliner works, and so does paint.
Headliner board has a rough surface, to help clothe stick, which is another reason for foam backing(to absorb glue and help adhesion, and allow the visible clothe to be smooth).
Vinyl will be full of wrinkles if you use that.
Not alot of options.

 

Why would it fail again in 3 years?

I think ive got a decade on mine since the repair

Bedliner looks like garbage on the headliner, but some people like that look

 

thanks guys - you pretty much confirmed what I figured I would get with either situation - to many bends for vinyl and if I dont like the bed liner it will be to late to go to fabric.

 

you can get very inexpensive headliner material on amazon in the correct width

 

I went to a fabric store and picked up a weave material on sale. Looks very cool and far less expensive plus I did it. Brushed on contact cement on both, waited until skinned and voila' a headliner was born. I used a close nap paint cover to roll it out with.

 

I used a wire brush to remove the foam, then painted with tan paint for vinyl or leather, but I think any paint will work. The headliner naturally has a texture to it, so no need for bedliner if you like that look. The final outcome looks great imo, but it's really rough and prone to scuffing and dents or holes if you're not careful. But what headliner isn't? Easiest way to go imo, but some get creative with different fabrics glued on. You can get spray glue just for that application. Saw it in Pepboys the other day.

 

If you’ve never had the sunroofs out, I would pull them and reseal them both with Silicon. The factory seal breaks down and becomes a gooey mess that doesn’t seal very well. I chased a leak for a long time and until I did what I just mentioned did I correct the problem. The hardest part of the job is cleaning the old seal off the plastic sunroof piece. Also, before you remove the sunroof, mask around the flange where it meets the metal roof with blue painters tape. This way, when you install the sunroof with the silicon and it squeezes out onto the tape, it’s now easier to clean than the silicon being on the painted roof.