Refurbishing the car’s interior yourself

No matter how careful a driver you are, your car’s interior will inevitably fall into disrepair over time: dirty smears, stubborn stains, dust, faded fabric, and sometimes scratches and even damage to the headliner.

If your ‘little swallow’ has problems like these, the diagnosis is obvious – it’s time to reupholster the interior. After all, to paraphrase Chekhov, one might say that ‘in a car, as in a person, everything must be perfect’.

Another common problem in Cyprus is sagging headlining – the adhesive dries out in high temperatures, leading to air bubbles forming on the headliner.

Second-hand cars are in high demand on the island. It’s entirely possible that when you buy such a car, you’ll inherit a sagging headliner from the previous owner.

If you’re fed up with driving around with a sagging headliner or have simply grown tired of the colour of the interior, then it’s time to have your car’s headliner reupholstered.

Prices for reupholstering a car’s headliner at a garage

We contacted several specialist garages in Cyprus. The average cost of reupholstering a car headliner in Limassol is between 140 and 150 euros. This sum already includes the cost of materials, adhesive and the labour of the technicians.

However, you can also do it yourself. To cut a long story short, by reupholstering the interior yourself, you can save almost half the cost, spending money only on the materials. You can find detailed instructions on how to reupholster your car’s headliner yourself HERE.

What do you need to buy?

Material

So, if you’ve decided to reupholster your car’s headliner yourself, you’ll need to choose the right material. You can use Alcantara, faux suede or genuine leather. But in that case, you’ll also need to buy foam padding, otherwise the fabric won’t stay in place.

However, local professionals advise against experimenting with such materials. It’s better to use a special foam-backed upholstery material.

Whichever material you choose, remember: it must be elastic, otherwise the fabric won’t be able to follow all the curves of the headliner when you’re fitting it.

Colour

As for colour, drivers tend to prefer darker shades – this type of fabric shows marks less easily. When choosing the colour of the upholstery, remember that it should complement the colour of the entire interior.

Price: 12 euros per running metre (width: 1.5 m). When calculating the required length, also take into account the need to cover the B-pillars.

Adhesive

You can use spray adhesive (580). However, if you want to stick it down once and for all, local experts recommend using rubber adhesive 588.

Price: 10 euros per tin of adhesive.

Additional materials:

• Foam
  You’ll need this if you’ve decided to reupholster the roof with Alcantara, imitation leather or faux suede.
• Craft knife
  For neatly trimming off excess material after applying the covering.
• Brushes
  Only required when using rubber adhesive. If you’ve bought spray adhesive, you won’t need them.
• Plastic gloves
  To keep things clean 🙂

Where to buy?

Upholstery fabric, foam and special adhesive are available at any car upholstery shop. Any fabric shop can help you choose Alcantara or other original upholstery fabrics. Adhesive and related materials can be found in specialist DIY shops.

Important!

Most shops and garages in Cyprus are closed on Sundays. On Saturdays, they close at 1 pm.
Therefore, if you’re planning to work on your car at the weekend, buy everything you need in advance during the working week.

Please note that this sort of work would cost around €140 at a garage. By reupholstering the headliner yourself, you’ll save exactly half the cost.

Save money, have fun, and look after your cars!