5 replies to this topic

[skoughi]

So I dug out the headliner today and straight away thought about dumping it, but decided to try and clean it first. I started by washing it under the shower then soaking in vanish stain remover. This got rid of most of the muck, then I wiped it with a rag soaked in celly thinners. I started using this very carefully as I thought it would wreck the vinyl but it seemed to cope with it nicely. This meant I could clean all the stubborn marks off, now however I'm left with the remaining yellow staining. I'm soaking it in a strong solution of bleach just now, I'm not too sure this will do any good regarding removing the stains, then will give it a wash with soapy water. Anyone know of any products on the market that can remove most or all of the yellow staining? I want to leave the painting option to last.

[corrado vr6]

Not sure if it would work but you could always try a leather dye kit, from reading what you have done I think you have tried most cleaning options already

[Daz1968]

not sure what year car it is but on mk1 and mk2 cars it is very common for the glue to stain the headlining and don't know of any way to remove this

[newenglandmini]

Don't try the method I used!  My 1974 headliner was grimy and stained.  I washed it thoroughly and painted it with a plastic-compatible enamel spray paint.  The paint would not provide complete coverage, even after multiple coats.  In addition, the vinyl reacted to the paint and became soft and sticky.  I finally tore the headliner out and ordered a replacement.

[1984mini25]

As daft as it sound, WD40 and cloth.

[skoughi]

It's sorted guys! I painted it with some oil based satin gloss applied with a roller. One coat seems to have covered up the staining which as Daz has suggested was probably come from spray adhesive. Hopefully with it being oil based then it'll adhere to the lining and be flexible enough to not crack. I'll post some pics up on my build thread later this evening.

Edited by skoughi, 10 April 2015 - 05:23 PM.