Success with spray adhesive for headliner installation

actually what was successful was a test.  i researched the various 3M spray adhesives and chose 3M 77 spray adhesive (maroon can).

I used one panel, and followed the directions on the can to spray on the headliner material, let it cure for about a minute (still tacky but the adhesive doesn’t adhere to your finger–it just feels tacky).  the directions also refer to two-surface bonding, but I went with just a single surface.

I used the underside of the galley hatch as a test bed.  I had applied one coat of epoxy to it, but it’s not sanded so it’s a bit rough, similar to what the inside of the cabin will be (I don’t plan to do much sanding before I give the interior a single coat of epoxy).

I then inverted the hatch cover on a pair of sawhorses and left it to sit overnight.

this morning, the panel was still firmly attached.  I could remove it without destruction (save for two spots the size of a pencil eraser that stayed behind on the hatch cover).

if I were to reattach it, I probably would give another light coating of spray.

when I do this for real, I plan to cover about 50% of the surface of each headliner panel (the edges and some random places in the center).  based on the strength of the test piece, 50% coverage should be sufficient.

if one were to sand the interior smooth before epoxying, I would imagine even less spray adhesive would be required due to better adhesion to a totally smooth surface.

when I run my wiring I will make sure to route the wires where they will land in the center of the panels rather than the edges.

ken