And, more usefully, why two honest shops can quote the same car differently.
What these numbers are
What they are
Planning ranges. They describe what this work commonly costs in the United States, at the level of detail useful for deciding whether to get it fixed and roughly what to budget.
What they are not
They are not quotes, not averages of real transactions, and not derived from the prices of the shops listed on this site. We do not process payments between customers and shops, so we have no transaction data — and a site that invented one would be worth less than one that says so.
How they are derived
They are compiled from openly-published U.S. automotive-upholstery pricing guidance and prevailing shop labor rates, then checked against the labor hours and materials each job physically requires. Where published guidance and the physical work disagreed, we widened the range rather than splitting the difference.
When to ignore them
A written quote from a shop that has seen your vehicle beats every number on this page. If a quote falls outside our range, that is information about your vehicle, not evidence the shop is wrong.
Last reviewed by a person: July 2026.
What moves the number
Roughly in order of how much each one matters. If you read three, read the first three.
01Whether the board is re-covered or replaced
Moves it either way
The headliner board is the rigid panel behind the fabric. In most repairs it is reused: the shop strips the failed fabric and crumbled foam off it and bonds new foam-backed material to the same board. That is the normal job. A genuinely new board — needed when the original is cracked, warped, or water-damaged past reuse — is a different and considerably more expensive job, because the part itself must be sourced for that specific vehicle. If a quote seems far above the ranges here, this is the first thing to ask about.
02Interior disassembly
Raises the price
Almost all of the labor is getting the board out and back in, not the fabric work itself. Grab handles, sun visors, dome lights, pillar trim, and sometimes seats come out first. A vehicle with a plain roof and simple trim is quick. A vehicle where the board only comes out past complex trim, or will not clear the door aperture without removing a seat, is not.
03Roof glass and sunroofs
Raises the price
A sunroof means an opening in the board, a shade that runs in tracks, a drain system, and wiring — all of which must come apart and go back together in alignment. Panoramic roofs multiply this: they are larger, often have two shades, and leave less of the board to hold its own shape. Expect sunroof-equipped work to sit meaningfully above a plain re-cover on the same vehicle.
04Windshield-removal considerations
Raises the price
On some vehicles the board cannot be removed without dropping or removing the windshield. When that is the case the job stops being upholstery alone and picks up glass work, with its own cost and its own risk. Shops differ on whether they will attempt it, sub it out, or decline — which is one reason quotes on the same vehicle can differ so widely.
05Airbags and pillar trim
Raises the price
Most modern vehicles run curtain airbags behind the pillar trim the board tucks under. That trim has to come off and go back correctly, and the work has to respect the restraint system. This is a real reason to prefer a shop that does headliners routinely, and a real reason the job costs more than the fabric would suggest.
06Material choice
Moves it either way
Standard foam-backed knit or tricot — matching what the factory fitted — is the baseline and what most quotes assume. Suede-look microfibre costs more per yard and can take longer to fit cleanly. Genuine branded suede-like materials cost substantially more again. Perforated and patterned materials add fitting time because the pattern has to run true across the panel.
07Foam-backed fabric and why the old one failed
Moves it either way
The thin foam bonded to the back of headliner fabric is what fails. It breaks down with heat and age, the fabric loses its grip on the board, and the liner drops. This is why re-gluing the original fabric rarely lasts — the adhesive is not the part that failed. A quote for new foam-backed material is a quote for fixing the actual cause.
08Water damage
Raises the price
A leak — usually a sunroof drain, sometimes a seal — changes the job. The board may be delaminated or distorted, insulation may be soaked, and there may be mould. Re-covering over an unresolved leak wastes the work. A shop that insists on finding the water source first is protecting you, even though it makes the quote larger.
09Related interior work quoted at the same time
Raises the price
Sun visors, pillar covers, and sunroof shades age at the same rate as the headliner and are already exposed once the board is out. Doing them together is usually cheaper than doing them later, but it is separate work and should appear as separate lines on the quote.
10Mobile versus in-shop service
Moves it either way
Mobile service saves you a trip and can suit straightforward vehicles. In-shop work gives a controlled environment for adhesive cure and room to handle a large board without creasing it. Neither is automatically cheaper; ask which the shop recommends for your specific vehicle, and why.
11Geography and labor rates
Moves it either way
Shop labor rates differ substantially between metro areas and between neighbourhoods within one. The same job on the same car can differ by a wide margin across a single state. This is the single biggest reason to compare local quotes rather than trust any national figure, including ours.
12Taxes and disposal
Raises the price
Sales tax on parts and, in some jurisdictions, on labor is added at the end and is not in any range on this site. Some shops add a small materials or disposal line. Ask whether a figure you have been given is before or after tax.
What to ask when you get a quote
Are you re-covering my existing board or fitting a new one?
This is the largest single driver of the price.
What material will you use, and is it foam-backed?
Foam backing is what failed. New fabric without it repeats the problem.
Does the quote include removing and refitting the sunroof shade and pillar trim?
These are frequently quoted separately.
Does the windshield need to come out on my vehicle?
If so, the job and its cost change category.
Is the quote before or after tax, and are materials itemised?
Two quotes are only comparable on the same basis.
What is the workmanship warranty, and what would void it?
A headliner failure shows up months later, not on collection day.
If you find water damage, what happens to the quote?
It is better to agree this before the board comes out than after.
The limits of what we can claim
We have no transaction data. No customer has ever paid a shop through this site, so nothing here is derived from real completed jobs.
We do not collect or publish shop price lists. The shops listed here have not given us their pricing, and we have not asked them to.
The ranges are national in character and Arizona is our only live market, so we cannot yet say anything specific about regional variation from our own coverage.
Vehicle-class ranges are illustrative groupings, not a per-model database. Two vehicles in the same class can differ substantially.
Prices move. The review date on this page is the last time a person checked these figures against published guidance; between reviews they can drift.
If any figure on this site cannot be reconciled with the above, tell us and we will correct or remove it.