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bheck Samba Member
Joined: July 31, 2005 Posts: 101 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:56 am Post subject: Painting the headliner |
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The headliner in my 84 Westy is old and dirty looking. I was wondering if I could paint it white? If so, should I use a product like Kilz first or just prime and paint it? Should I use latex or oil base paint? I think this would be easier and cheaper than replacing the headliner. I saw a Westy on e-bay that had a brightly colored design painted on the headliner so I think it could be done. |
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Paintedbus Samba Member
Joined: September 14, 2003 Posts: 679 Location: salem, ma
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:35 am Post subject: |
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my friend tracy did that, but she painted it blue with moons and stars etc. i will see if she remembers the brand of paint. _________________ Champagne Edition Roadtrip monster "Juakali"
~"Paintedbus" Ken~
The Mobile Muralist
WWW.PAINTEDBUSART.COM |
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weinerwagen Samba Member
Joined: May 10, 2004 Posts: 1548 Location: Monterey, CA -Laguna Seca--Coats, Kansas
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:01 am Post subject: |
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Or, find a junk yard and buy the complete headliner. Replace the fabric.
If you are bent on painting may I recommend florescent green or pink? _________________ Retired attorney--Tort King. |
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Paintedbus Samba Member
Joined: September 14, 2003 Posts: 679 Location: salem, ma
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:43 am Post subject: |
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or (again), you could try cleaning it. my dad and i cleaned the headliner in his 78 when i was younger with terrific results.
i am pretty sure we just used some diluted bleach and a couple of hours of hard work. came out pristine. _________________ Champagne Edition Roadtrip monster "Juakali"
~"Paintedbus" Ken~
The Mobile Muralist
WWW.PAINTEDBUSART.COM |
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mightyart Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 6188 Location: Portland, Oregon
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:55 am Post subject: |
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In the early Westy's with the thin vinyl covering over partical board painting is an easy way to go. The vinyl is easy to remove with a heat gun or iron. When you remove the vinyl the pattern of it is left in the glue that was used to hold it on. If you paint the board white over the pattern you really can't tell that it is not still vinyl and it blends in quite well. I did the front part in my 81 because someone had pealed parts of it off.
I primed it and then used 2 coats of cheap white paint. I used on of them mini paint rollers. If I decide I want to cover it with something else in the future, it will not be a problem.
before, kind of a dark picture but you can see where in is missing in the front.
After
_________________ My Art:
http://www.instagram.com/flynn8552/ |
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msinabottle Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005 Posts: 3492 Location: Denver Area, Colorado
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject: I'm With Mighty Art |
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When I re-did that rear cabinet, the glue was precisely patterned like the vinyl and could have been painted, instead I wasted an entire day using the heat gun still further and scraping THAT stuff off. I didn't need to.
The stuff I'd use to paint the glue is what I used to paint the wood on which the glue had been--Krylon Fusion. Their almond color blends in nicely with Winston's '84 Westy coloring.
I'm going to gut Winston in a couple of years, de-fiberglass him and put in new insulation and body panels... Then I'll do Mighty Art's bit with the interior panels.
Best! |
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atarasi Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2004 Posts: 320 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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If you do decide to just paint it, Duplicolor has vinyl paint which doesn't get hard. Not sure if I would prime and use regular paint that could just flake/chip off. |
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mightyart Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 6188 Location: Portland, Oregon
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 7:05 am Post subject: |
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atarasi wrote: |
If you do decide to just paint it, Duplicolor has vinyl paint which doesn't get hard. Not sure if I would prime and use regular paint that could just flake/chip off. |
You take the vinyl off before you paint, so the paint sticks very well, I did make a small scratch in mine by accident, so I just took a brush and painted it, can't tell it was fixed. _________________ My Art:
http://www.instagram.com/flynn8552/ |
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Beaker Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2005 Posts: 133 Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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I did what Art did (removed the vinyl, left the glue) but used white oil based melamine (kitchen/bath paint) with a foam roller. It looks like new. |
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vanagonforever Samba Member
Joined: July 29, 2007 Posts: 211 Location: Baltimore, MD
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:29 am Post subject: |
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Sorry to bring up such an old thread but I've got a silly question. Did you guys that painted your headliner do it WITHOUT removing it from the van? I'm interested in trying this but I don't really want to take my headliner out at this point. |
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vwlovr Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2006 Posts: 1122 Location: on the road
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:37 am Post subject: |
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bikenerd wrote: |
Sorry to bring up such an old thread but I've got a silly question. Did you guys that painted your headliner do it WITHOUT removing it from the van? I'm interested in trying this but I don't really want to take my headliner out at this point. |
i would second cleaning it. i removed and bleached the crap out of a headliner from a 71 bus when i was 17yo and had no money. it came out really well. not like new, but considering the smokers stain over the driver seat it looked much better. |
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smokeymountaindub Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 44 Location: Swannanowhere
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:45 am Post subject: |
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I'm in the process of painting the headliner with Dupli-color vinyl paint. I left the headliner in and masked everything off.
I guess it depends on what you consider more work. It seems easier to mask off than to remove the headliner to me.
I did pull the A/C tunnel and components first and paint them with the Dupli-color gloss black... it turned out great.
I'll post some pics after I'm finished with the rest. _________________ 1985 Vanagon GL
1996 Golf GL |
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Beaker Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2005 Posts: 133 Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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I left mine in, masked around it, and used a foam roller. Taking it out is NOT fun (well, taking it out is okay, but getting it back in is a job....). |
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coolwind57 Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2008 Posts: 79 Location: S. Indiana
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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I used the duplicolor vinyl paint and it scared the heck out of me when it didn't try within a couple hour...in fact, it took about 2 freakin' weeks, man. It did eventually dry though and I'm happy with the results.
I sprayed without taking it down. Just masked around it and went for it. No prob. _________________ 1983 Vanagon Diesel L
NA 1.6, 5-speed Manual
Burning Waste Vegetable Oil, baby!! |
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Sheesh Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2007 Posts: 394 Location: New Pine Creek, Orygun
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:26 am Post subject: |
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I chose to heat gun all the vinyl and then use acetone (applied with a paint brush and scraped with an old putty knife) to remove the glue throughout my van, including the interior cabinets. I removed all but the sink cabinet to do the job.
I then painted the interior with three coats of tinted patio and floor paint. Very hard, washable.
Everything looks clean, smooth - great!
My headliner is not vinyl/pressboard/birch. Instead, it appears to be the "diamond" patterned white lexan (?) that I've seen used as a backsplash in restaurants. Looks great, not out of place.
So, that may be another option. Cut a new one out of a different material! |
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