Carpet dying

[Cobra Jet]

Has anyone on here had any experience with dying their original carpets either the same color (or another color)?  If so, what product did you use, does the dye pentrate all of the carpet fibers or only the top layer?  How easy/hard was it to do and how well has the dye held up over a period of time (color fastness, resistance to fading, resistance to normal wear, etc)?

[318is93]

Heres some information:

After going through the door panel/dash dying, I wanted to give the dye another go. My carpet was subpar, and probably the worst part of my interior. The previous owners left me with stain after stain, and the carpet itself faded into a light "poo" looking mat. So, I said, why not dye it? I did look around for a black carpet, but I was getting too high of quotes to even bother. That will just become a last resort. So, I had 2 cans of Satin Black VHT Penetrating Dye from the doors and dash, and gave the passenger side a go. Here is what I used to get this done:

- VHT Penetrating Dye, Satin Black (9 or more cans)
- Big Nylon brush (VERY IMPORTANT)
- Shop-Vac/Vacuum Cleaner
- Big Box Fan
- Face mask
- Anything to remove all the seats from the car (16mm deep socket, T-50 Torx, and so on)
- Flathead/Phillips screwdrivers

The first thing to do is to go ahead and remove your seats. If you don't know how, just search around the forums. I don't really want to go into detail, because this can be used on any car, really. Anyway, after all the seats are removed, remove anything that may get in the way, like the center console, any lower dash pieces, pedals, side trim, and so on. Now, take a vacuum to every part of the carpet, and use the nylon brush to brush any dirt up for the vacuum. Get it as clean as possible. If you want, you could steam clean the carpet, but it is not 100% needed. If you do steam clean, give it a day or two to dry, so the dye won't have any issues. Alright. Once it is all nice and clean, go ahead and grab a can of the VHT carpet dye. Shake up the can for a good 2 minutes. Now, here is the main trick that concerns most, if not all of you. What you do is just spray the dye in a long line in one direction. Now, take the nylon brush and brush it in that direction. Quickly go the opposite direction with the spray, and then brush it in that direction. Do this until you get a nice, even, black look to it. Now, repeat that until your carpet is black. Now, wait overnight, and go for another coat. You should be able to get 4 cans of the dye per side on a 3 series. It might be more if you are dying a bigger car, like a 5 or 7 series. When you are dying, WEAR FACE PROTECTION. This dye can be vary harmful if you breathe it in, so I recommend finding a mask that is used for paint. You can easily find one at Home Depot/Lowes. Also, to help with the fumes, take a box fan and set it in between the front door, and work on the opposite side. Take your time and go slow if needed. When you are done with the dying, let it sit one more night, and then vacuum one last time. Reinstall everything, and you are done!

[P. Kennedy]

Leatherique (.com) has some dye products, and I did the rear parcel shelf which was faded really bad from sun exposure.  Turned out OK, was kind of a PITA, as you had to dab the dye on.  Took awhile.

I used some similar colored fabric spray found at the local AutoZone and removed the seats, taped up everything else and sprayed all the carpeting as it was badly and permanently stained.  That actually turned out pretty good.  I used "Desert Sand" color on my tan carpet.  A significant improvement.

[oldtimer]

I use the same spray product from Auto Zone.  You can spray it on vinyl and carpet I went from the tan color to black my interior looks new after it was finish.