Refurbish Old Carpet with Carpet Dye

It was exciting when you picked your favorite carpet and spent thousands of dollars having the carpet installed. Now, your carpet looks older than the house. Stains, bleached spots, fades, and dingy high traffic areas can't be removed by cleaning. Before you rip out your carpet consider refurbishing it yourself using carpet dye. Ugly carpet is an embarrassment. Carpet that needs to be replaced also reduces the value of your home. Replacing the carpet, which is probably still under warranty for wear and tear, will cost thousands of dollars. Carpet dye may be the better answer to refurbishing the carpet in your home. Carpet dye can make your carpet look like new. If you are still hesitant, think about it. All carpet is dyed in the first place. It takes place during manufacturing. Color restoration is accomplished by dying the carpet again. If you are too timid to try dying your carpet on your own, there are professional carpet dying services that will help you refurbish your carpet for less than half the cost of replacing the carpet. If you want to refurbish your carpet on your own, there are plenty of materials available to help make your carpet dyeing project a success.

Know Your Carpet Fiber

Refurbishing your carpet with dye first requires that you know what your carpet is made of. You need to know if the nap is wool, nylon, or another synthetic fiber. You also need to know if your carpet is stain resistant. All of these factors will influence what type of carpet dye you use, whether your carpet will accept the dye, and how to best apply carpet dye.

If you are not sure, have a professional identify the composition of your carpet fibers or order a carpet fiber identification kit online for around $20.

If you mention carpet dyeing to your professional carpet cleaner or carpet retailer be prepared for a tirade on the evils of carpet dye. Remember, they want to sell you new carpet or a cleaning job. Don't get sucked into their trap. You are going to save money by doing this carpet refurbishing project on your own.

Select a Carpet Dye

To complete carpet color restoration successfully, you will need to select a carpet dye that is darker than your current color carpet. Millions of dye colors can be made or mixed. Some vendors of DIY kits advise consumers to match your old carpet color if you are covering bleach stains. It is difficult to match carpet color exactly, and you may end up with a larger mess if you try to spot dye the carpet the same color.

Save time, money, and headaches by choosing a color that is darker than your current carpet.

You cannot dye carpet to a lighter color. If you have dark stains, such as those caused by pet urine or spilled drinks you definitely need a dark color. Dying your carpet a color that is too light may result in uneven carpet colors. The stained areas will still be darker than the rest of your carpet.

Another consideration when choosing restoration dye includes the lighting in the rooms in which you will be refurbishing carpet. Also, take into consideration the effect your refurbished carpet color will have on room décor and style.

Once you decide on a color it is time to buy the dye. The best place to purchase carpet dye is online. Some online vendors sell only to licensed professionals. Make sure the company will sell to consumers before wasting time on their website.

Most DIY carpet dye is sold in kits. Optimize your time by purchasing a kit. Attempting to buy chemicals separately will cost more, and it is almost incomprehensible unless you are a chemistry expert.

When purchasing carpet dye consider how much dye mixture is required to cover the carpet you are refurbishing. Coverage must also be sufficient to allow the dye to bond evenly with carpet fibers. Make sure you are buying a carpet dye with a colorfast guarantee. Dyed refurbished carpets should not fade when cleaned. Also find out the drying time and setting time. You cannot walk on the carpet until the dye has had time to properly adhere to the carpet fiber.

How to Prepare for Refurbishing Carpet

Remove all the furniture from the room in which you will be dying carpet. Place the moved furniture where you can get around it comfortably while you wait for the carpet dye to dry. Drying time will depend on the chemicals and the method used to apply the dye.

Next, clean your carpet. First, pre-treat stains with floor appropriate to the stain and carpet. Vacuum, use a home steam cleaner or have it professionally cleaned, allow it to dry completely, and vacuum it again. Once your carpet is clean you are ready to begin dying it.

Test carpet dye on a swatch of carpet if you have one available. Otherwise test refurbishing dye on an inconspicuous area of carpet or in a closet or corner furniture will cover.

Before you begin refurbishing carpet protect the baseboards. Wipe them down with mineral oil, not mineral spirits. Mineral oil will allow you to wipe off spatters quickly and easily. You may also use a high sheen furniture polish that will build a thin protective coat on your baseboards which can also be wiped off. The third option is to use paint shields or painter's tape to protect your baseboards.

Carpet Refurbishing Methods

The next step is to figure out the best method for dying your carpet's fabric and nap. There are two ways of refurbishing your carpet with carpet dye.

There are two methods of applying carpet dye.

Carpet dye can be applied using a pressurized spray can. This method is the easiest, but you have to be careful to apply dye evenly. Use long even strokes. You will need excellent lighting when using this method to be sure you are distributing dye evenly. You can find a spray can in the pesticide department of a home improvement store.

The most thorough and easiest method of dying your carpet is to use a carpet dying machine. Since these machines are not usually available commercially a carpet shampooer will do the job. The nylon bristles will work the dye into the carpet fibers. Also, the water tank on the shampooer will help keep the dye warm. Warmer dye should be accepted more readily by carpet fibers.

When using a carpet shampooer keep your strokes small and even. Work in small areas backing yourself out of the room. Make sure you work in plenty of light so you can see the carpet clearly. Once you pull back on the shampooer and move forward into your next sweep do not overlap. This is much like vacuuming, when you see the nap has been pulled upright by the vacuum, but be careful not to repeat a stroke or you may create a darker area of carpet.

Wipe any spatters off the baseboards or walls immediately. Be sure you have pretreated them as instructed above so baseboards will not absorb the dye.

Once you finish the carpet dying job clean the shampooer thoroughly. Run Clorox through the machine, then soap to wash away the Clorox. Finally, run hot water through the machine. Clean the bristles thoroughly. Test the carpet shampooer on a test rug or carpet before returning it to the rental center or using it to clean carpets in your own home. It must be cleaned of all residual dye.

Even if you have selected a colorfast dye you may experience some transference of color when walking on the carpet in white socks. Don't worry, this doesn't last very long and once this last issue fades away you will be very pleased with your refurbished carpet.

Wait at least a month before cleaning the carpet with a steamer. I would wait at least three months, and then use soft solvents on your newly refurbished carpet.

Get ready for a dramatic, stylish change. Dying your carpet will leave your home with a fresh, new look. Many DIY home improvement fans have successfully dyed their carpet using these methods and have reported being very pleased with their results.

Resources:

Americolor Corporation
Cottier Carpets: DIY Carpet Dyeing
Color Match Custom Carpet Dyes
Color Your Carpet
The Dollar Stretcher: Dyeing Carpet