How to Reupholster a Sagging Volvo 850 Headliner (DIY Guide)

Hi friends! Today I’m back in the garage, and with my Volvo 850R temporarily out of the way, I finally had the space to tackle a project that’s been on my list for a while—redoing the headliner.

If you own a Volvo 850, chances are you’ve run into the same issue: the fabric on the headliner starts sagging and peeling over time. It looks bad, it’s annoying, but the good news is—it’s not that hard to fix yourself. In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to remove the old fabric, prep the surface, and install a fresh, clean headliner with a professional finish.

Step 1: Remove the Old Fabric

Start by stripping away the old headliner fabric. You can throw it out since you’ll be replacing it entirely.

Pro tip: I already redid my sunshade liner with the same new material, so everything will match once the headliner is complete.

Step 2: Clean Off the Foam

Under the fabric is a sticky layer of foam. You’ll want to remove this completely or your new fabric won’t adhere properly.

You can scrape it by hand, but it’s messy and time-consuming. I recommend using a drill brush attachment—it speeds up the process and makes cleanup easier (well, less terrible). Be prepared for dust and debris, though—it gets everywhere!

Step 3: Degrease the Surface

Once the foam is gone, degrease the headliner board. This helps the glue stick better. On the Volvo 850, the surface has a textured finish, which makes this step a bit more tedious, but it’s worth doing.

Any mild degreaser works fine here.

Step 4: Prepare Your Fabric

For this project, I used a beige Alcantara fabric with foam backing. The stretchiness makes it much easier to apply smoothly and avoids wrinkles.

Lay out the fabric, measure, and cut it with a little extra margin so you don’t come up short when wrapping edges.

Step 5: Gluing the Fabric

Here’s where things can go wrong if you rush. Don’t try to glue the whole headliner at once. Instead:

1. Fold the fabric halfway.

2. Spray glue on both the headliner and fabric (I used 3M aerosol adhesive).

3. Wait about 3 minutes for the glue to get tacky.

4. Press the fabric firmly in place, working section by section.

Repeat this for each quarter of the headliner. This method reduces mistakes and makes it easier to smooth out wrinkles.

Note: The Volvo 850 headliner soaks up a surprising amount of glue. I ended up needing about three cans for the job.

Step 6: Cutting the Edges and Openings

Once the fabric is secure, flip the headliner over and carefully trim the excess using a sharp scalpel. Replace the blade often for clean cuts.

• For the sides, cut tightly since trim pieces will cover them.

• For the front and rear edges, leave extra fabric to fold over, since those areas are visible.

• Cut clean openings for handles, visors, and the sunroof trim.

Step 7: Finishing Touches

I also removed some extra foam from the front and back folds to make the fit cleaner. After trimming and gluing everything down, the headliner was ready to go.

I couldn’t install it right away since my Volvo wasn’t at the garage, but next time I bring it over, I’ll mount it and share the final look. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and the lighter fabric color will brighten up the interior.

Final Thoughts

Redoing the headliner on a Volvo 850R takes patience, a few tools, and more glue than you might expect—but it’s definitely a DIY-friendly job. The end result transforms the car’s interior and saves you a big repair bill at the upholstery shop.

If you’re tackling this project yourself, drop your questions in the comments or over on Instagram—I’m planning a Q&A soon and would love to include them while I wrench on my cars.

Thanks for following along! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and stay tuned for updates when I get this headliner back in the car (and for more Volvo 850R adventures).

Check out the full tutorial on my YouTube!