You accidentally had your car headliner burnt by a cigarette when smoking? Maybe it was done by your friends or customers? Or a brand-new car is something that you cannot afford, so you decided to choose an old car with a few cigarette burns on its ceiling? This situation is not only yours but also many others’ problems. People usually find cigarette burns in car seats on car ceilings. This article is what you need to solve this annoying problem.
About Car Headliners And Headliner Cigarette Burns
Structure Of A Car Headliner
The headliner is a part of the ceiling commonly affected by burns. A headliner is made of layers that are attached to the car ceiling, not the whole ceiling with the metal part. Headliners are designed to cover up the metal part, providing a good-looking appearance for your car interior. Additionally, they contribute to noise reduction and heat retention thanks to foam and other materials. The outer layer, which is made from a composite fabric, is the most vulnerable part to cigarette burn.
Features Of A Cigarette Headliner Burn
A single lit cigarette can damage the headliner as its temperature can reach up to 900oC. Smokers often try to flick cigarette ash out of the car window when smoking. Therefore, ceiling burns are often seen a bit above the car windows. As smokers rarely let the cigarette end catch the liner for a long time, so just the outer layer of the headliner is burnt. The burns leave a terrible appearance on the car’s interior, but don’t worry because you do not need to replace the whole thing.
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Ways To Fix Cigarette Burns In Car Ceiling
Cigarette burns can be pretty difficult to repair, but you can completely fix them yourself if you have the right tools and follow the proper steps. Below are some helpful and simple ways you can apply to fix this kind of burn.
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With A Fabric To Glue
You need to prepare fabric and Elmer’s glue, of course, and also a razor blade.
In most cars, there are removable carpets on the floor. It would help if you decided which part of the carpet will be invisible when it is set on the car floor and of the most similar color to the headliner’s outer layer. Then you use your razor blade to shave the carpet to take some fabric (carpet hair) to fill up the burn. Use a high caution when working with the razor not to hurt yourself. Next, wipe off the burnt area with a clean cloth so that the glue can work perfectly later. Now gradually drop a little glue on the burnt site. Remember not to put too much glue. Take the fabric and put it on the burn, and wait a few minutes for the glue to take effect with the fabric. Once the glue absorbs the fabric, just put a little more glue on it. Use a pen or a ruler, for example, not with your bare fingers, to tap the fabric, let it down to the burn hole and make the surface level. Until it dries, you will get it finished.
With A Thread And Needle
In this way, you need a needle and thread to make a perfect patch on your headliner’s surface. The procedure is going to be as follows:
You still have to make the burnt area clean first. Use a scissor to trim the burn’s edges with extreme care not to cut yourself. Next, you can take a small piece of cloth or some carpet hair to fill up the burn hole. Note that you should choose the fill-up material which is of similar colour and pattern to the headliner. Now use the thread in the same colour as the burnt area to sew the hole edges gently. The patch’s area is about one inch away from the hole. Last, make sure the thread is tied tightly to last longer. That is how you get the cigarette burn hole to disappear in just a few minutes.
With Mayonnaise
Have you ever heard that Mayonnaise can save your burnt headliner? Do you believe it? It may sound a little strange, but in fact, Mayonnaise can. There are three things that you may require in this method. They are Mayonnaise, a soft piece of cloth, and fabric glue.
The procedure is relatively easy to follow. First, place some Mayonnaise on the cigarette burn on your ceiling and gently rub it. Give the Mayonnaise a few minutes to dry. The cigarette burn will magically detach as a result. Now you use a clean cloth dipped in water to clean the Mayonnaise. Also, take fabric to cover the hole with the help of some glue. You will get a lovely ceiling after they all dry.
With Cigarette Repair Kit
If you find it hard when you apply the above methods, you can buy a specially designed kit for fixing cigarette burns. Just get this kit and make it simple.
The cigarette repair kit includes necessary things for solving this kind of burns, such as colours, adhesives, fabric, and tools. Every kit is equipped with a manual that shows how to use it.
Conclusion
All of these above methods are great for you, and you can choose the one that you feel is most convenient to follow. Make sure the proper steps mentioned are carefully followed if you decide to fix them by yourself so that you can avoid injuries. By applying these methods, your headliner will have a nice finish as new. If you cannot do it, don’t worry; just let the professionals do their jobs. You can fix the burn with many methods, but the best solution is trying not to damage your car. Stop smoking in the car and take care of your car if you don’t want to have the whole thing replaced with much more money one day.
