Painting Cloth Headliner. Tips or Suggestions ? ?

[dartman59]

Hi folks. ‘71 Dart, with a blue interior that I have gradually been converting to black. I was going to replace my original blue cloth (perforated) headliner with a new black one. Replacing would also allow for me to weld in some new seat belt attachment points that are a few inches forward to avoid that annoying chafe on the neck. But lately I’ve been scratching my head on that because the original headliner is in really good condition for 50+ years of age. If I could paint it and have it come out good, I think I could put up with the seat belt issue. About 10-12 years ago, I painted the door panels black using the SEM products, and I have been very happy with how that came out and how it’s held up over the years. I was meticulous in my prep. Anyways, I’d appreciate hearing folks’ thoughts and advice On the headliner. Cheers!

 

[Kendog 170]

This looks interesting. Says material will remain soft. (I've never used it.)
Amazon product ASIN B094R46PT9
or maybe

VHT SP942 VHT Vinyl Dye, Won't Fade Or Flake Off, 11 Ounce/312g | eBay

 

[harrisonm]

I'll give you my $0.02 worth. You certainly can paint your headliner, but it is very different that painting door panels. The headliner is porous, so the paint will have a tendency streak. You will want to spray in light coats with a cross pattern to help eliminate the striping. Plus, you are going to have to mask, mask, mask. The overspray will get EVERYWHERE. I would also suggest taking out the front seat(s). This will give you MUCH improved mobility when moving around spraying the headliner, and I can guarantee you your end result will be better. One more thing. I also always use SEM paint on interior parts. It is good stuff, but as with most spray cans, the spray pattern starts getting a bit splotchy towards the bottom of the can. Add that to the fact that you will be holding the can at a rather steep angle, and you may find that you'll want to switch to a new can even if there is still some paint left. You should consider having an extra can or two so you can switch if the pattern starts to deteriorate. You can always use the paint at the bottom of the cans another time when holding the can upright will improve the spray pattern.
FWIW, installing headliners is not that difficult. I have done several.