Best Adhesive for headliner in your opinion?

[Cheechako]

Use the solvent based contact adhesive. Some vinyl comes with a cloth like backing... if you can get that type it's a better way to go. I have found the can of contact adhesive to be superior to the spray on type. Also... it's less lumpy so lumps don't show thru once the vinyl is stuck on.
In boat manufacturing we sprayed on "landau top adhesive" from a 5 gallon can. It was pretty much contact adhesive. Not sure if you can buy that in less than 5 gallons but if you can, use that.
Put your vinyl on with excess around the edges, once stuck, just razor knife it off. On big panels you cant deal with instant stick contact adhesive without some margin for error.

[Captndave1]

I refinished the interior of my boys last year, I used wainscoting panels from home depot, cheap bit will last for many years and looks great. attached photo, possibly, if I can figure out how to attach it.

[Captndave1]

Well, photo isn't there. and I noticed auto correct made a fop, it is boat, not boys.

[foufou]

Why use a headliner at all. After trouble with mine, i.e. unable to clean it I decided to paint the plywood. Much neater

[ggray]

It has been a while, almost 20 years, but I used a water base contact cement made by 3M. I assume it is still available. I got mine at NAPA.

Solvent based contact cement has pretty potent fumes, not good in the close confines of a boat. Also can dissolve and soften the vinyl if too thick a coat. Or if you place the vinyl in position before the cement had dried enough, which I tended to do because you had a chance of pulling the vinyl away, and reposition if necessary.

The 3M product cost back then almost 3 times as much as solvent. But goes more than twice as far (I had used solvent CC until I found about the water based CC) , so no big issue unless 1 gallon is more than you need.

Worse thing about it is that the paint brush (disposable) gets real gummy after a while.

[PeterLIA]

We used Velcro tape for our roof panels about 6 years ago and they are still ok. However to improve risk of peeling when taking them down we also applied monel staples to the tape and we have removed the panels in various locations to replace light fittings without any peeling of the Velcro tape.
We used monel staples because the 316SS versions do corrode over time.