I have a lovely 2003 Mini Cooper 5 speed, Chili Red and Black. My only problem with this car is the headliner.

I live in the south, hot humid, and not very nice to adhesives in general...
I need... and want an alternative to that ugly fabric headliner! I love riding with my windows open, and don't want to have this hassle again.

One day i plan to mod out my mini when it comes to the decor. Any suggestions or ideas that do not include any kind of fabric (and no... no vinyl either.)

 

think its going to be tough to do without any kind of fabric. so your next real option may be paint; perhaps a textured paint of sorts, or plasti dip?

youll still have to rip out the old headliner, then rip off the fabric, then clean the cardboard crap so that other crap sticks to it. it its not smooth, youll see whatever you paint over it, obviously.

not sure why car manufacturers still use crappy foam and glue with fabric like that. my old celica had a plastic type headliner; like it was all one piece somehow that would never fall like ours are.

my coop is starting to get droop in some places :( hoping to not have to do the headliner for a long time yet; looks like a real pita.

 

This should help in regards to a diy repair/replacement

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176665

 

I really dont want to repair. I mean, i live in the dirty south, humidity is all year round, as well as heat, but add my addiction to having the pano roof open as well as the windows when i cruise, fabric is just retarded.... I plan to one day customize my baby boy out something fierce.

Astro: i like the idea of carefully pulling it down and painting it. I have the Pano roof, so i think with some help i can easily wiggle it out. I have done tons of wood work (i.e. laying hard wood floors etc) so sanding and getting a nice smooth finish wont be a big deal. The interior is black and tan, and i love it. (would loooooove to rip up the carpets and lay actual hardwood floor in this thing. i am weird, i know)

What type of paint do you think would work best? I know there are all sorts, I might go crazy and either put in red (thats if i dont repaint it like i want to with a custom color) or maybe just either tan or black...

 

dude. i LOVE the wood floor idea! you should totally do it! and do wood roof to match! can you get really thin wood slats, make them soft somehow and glue them to the headliner, then do a stain and polyurethane protective coat? how sweet would that be! then maybe do some interior trim to match! or maybe even the dash board! and little wood trim pieces on the steering wheel!

 

yesss! quite reading my mind! yeah, remnant wood is SO easy to find where i live! i can find thin white oak planks that are thin, layer them like you would a hardwood floor. Love the roof idea! thats so much better than paint (steaming wood is very very very easy.) Oh hell now i might get it painted to a different idea now! I will have to draw it up and play with the colors to show ya...

Gosh.... i cant wait now haha! i would have one badass mini. I love the wooden dash idea, i can put some design work into it too. sooo many ideas flooding in right now!

 

this is reclaimed wood in a custom car.... thats just awesome.

 

yes! that! on the floor and roof!
so badass!

the dash or trim on the dash face would be challenging, but if you could pull it off, wow. you could even do wood pedals, and a wood shift ****!

 

Wood shift ****, remodel the steering wheel with new leather and wood as well? gosh.... starting to save right now!

Wooden pedals! thats badass! or even just metal ones Also replace the plastic frames around the instuments with wooden ones?! I could probably make a custom mini emblem with wood inlay using an ebony stain on the steering wheel....

sooo many ideas.
Just not sure if i would want to make it a wooden side. i have seen a few minis custom like that, not a huge fan.

 

If you're not concerned about adding weight (going with your wood route idea), you could fiberglass a roof skin, with a 3D pattern (ie flames, checkered, etc), or smooth everything out. Not sure what's being done today, but look into the minitruck/street truck scene back in the 90s/early 2k. Some elaborate and exotic ideas. Lot has been borrowed from hot rods.

 

almost as if on cue, i look back the other day and notice my headliner is sagging at the back of the car :(

i thought i was special for a while, since i hadnt had this issue yet. looks like im going to join the ranks of others whom have had to rip this thing out and fix it.

 

like English Oak on the 07? Dash, wheel and **** . . .

 

kinda, ya!
i was thinking more a nice big ball made of wood, very glossy. maybe made out of a knot of wood or something.

not so crazy about the wood "around" the steering wheel, i would think it would be cooler in just the trim pieces.

i also really prefer the lighter colored wood in small panels like in the previous posted pic. i like the idea of wood surround pieces for the gauges, that could be a bit easier than paneling the trim face pieces actually, bc you could use a lathe since those bits are round.

 

The beautiful thing about wood, and knowing how to lay hardwood floor, is that you can get it very thin if you have the right tongue and grove, a good adhesive, and a small nail gun (which we have all. we put wood on our ceiling some years ago in the house i grew up in, looks awesome!)

I do like the lighter wood, especially considering that the color of the interior is black and tan, so white oak with a coat or two of walnut will work perfectly.

Not crazy about most of the kits i have seen online, and in the luxury cars i photograph every day. it doesnt look like real wood! it looks so weird! i want grain, the long clean lines that show off knots beautifully.

Plus with all the tools i have access to? oh this is going to be a fun and relatively easy DIY.