How to dye carpet?

Jh112143417
by Jh112143417

I bought carpet and the color look darker in the store than in my house.


  16 answers
  • Mogie Mogie on Aug 24, 2019

    There are two common methods used to dye carpet. One is by spraying the dye using a want that produces between 150 and 500 pounds of pressure. If you are performing a total color change this method can have some issues with penetration.


    The second method is to apply the dye with a rotary scrubber which has nylon bristles. The machine is moved across the carpet in an overlapping pattern so no areas are missed. You need a great deal of experience to get a professional look but the penetration is excellent and its’ the best method of the two.


    You must be sure to use professional carpet dye to ensure your carpet dye job works. Just like a bad hair dye you can get a bad carpet dye too. Fiber pro dyes are designed to work on nylon, wool, and carpets that have a stain resistant coating. The colors are bright and they are fade resistant. You need to know what the material of your carpet is and ensure that it is capable of being dyed. Because dying a carpet is a complex procedure it would be in your best interest to have a professional come into your home, have a look, and let you know if your carpet can be dyed, how well it will take, and how much it will cost.


    When the carpet dye is applied it is applied to the surface and the lightly brushed into the nap. The professional will know the exact amount of dye to apply to your carpet to obtain the color choice. To find a good professional make some calls to local carpet dealers. Remember you can use carpet dying to do touch up on spots that have had color discoloration or removal due to bleach.


    Carpet dying is truly an art form. If you are going to give it a try yourself and eliminate the cost of the professionals I encourage you to get some scrap carpet, hopefully in a similar color to what you are going to dye, and then practice, and practice some more. If you feel confident you can do it, go for it. But remember the cost of the professional might be a good investment of money because you could wreck your entire carpet.



  • Stafford Stafford on Mar 29, 2018

    Use pump up bug sprayer (bout 20$) and Rit die concentrate of darker color, vacum , pump up water and Rit solution stay even coat , let dry,repeat,let dry ,I usually then use carpet shampoo machine and carpet comes out even color an looks great

  • None None on May 01, 2017

    Thirty years ago a friend made her beige carpet into a dark green using Rit liquid dye. She used old towels and toothbrushes for working the dye in. She also had textured carpet. I remember she put a lot of work in it! Came out beautiful. We were a lot younger back then!

  • Pennie1958 Pennie1958 on Apr 30, 2017

    i did i laid it on a tarp wore dish gloves and used a scrub brush and used it liquid form i inherited a cream 10x 12 i turn it into a blue green rug turned out well hope this helped

  • Lynn Blumenfeld Lynn Blumenfeld on May 01, 2017

    That happened to me and I had a bright orangey carpet in my living room. I thought I would have to live with it forever but with the help of bright sunlight and normal usage it lost quite a bit of its brilliance and turned into a color I could live with - the color I thought I had bought. Just be patient for a while and wait for the "newness" to wear off.

  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on May 02, 2017

    Yes I had a carpet cleaning company do mine from grey to mauve.worked and looked good for years cost about 60 bucks I think.just call around or Google places that do it.

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Aug 13, 2019

    It’s probably polyester, as most auto carpets are poly.

    I would buy a fabric dye made specifically for synthetics. Rit makes them.

  • Sharon Sharon on Aug 15, 2019

    Be careful not to get it too wet, as your chip board underlayment could swell and warp. I would apply it lightly with a spray bottle, then put fans on it to dry it quick.

  • Mona Blake Mona Blake on Aug 17, 2019

    If you dab the color on, it will be uneven all over! Use chemical gloves and an old sponge.

  • Unless the carpet is pure wool, it will not accept dye.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Mar 09, 2018

    Naomie is right. Trying to dye carpet having any fibre content other than 100% wool, or 100% cotton, will result in a blotchy, uneven mess.

  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Jun 03, 2017

    I know you can, a carpet cleaning company made a mistake on ours and offered to fix it by dying it. I found this article that might be helpful for you as well - http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-redye-carpet, good luck

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on May 03, 2019

    If it’s nylon, then it will be hard to dye, because of the nylon’s fiber properties.


    Wool is easy to dye, but there’s a 1% chance you have wool carpet and a simple Burn Test will answer that. If you want to know how to do a burn test, ask me.


    Acrylic & Olefin (polyolefin too), will dye with a hot synthetic dye, like Rit’s Dye for Synthetics. 100% Polyester carpets haven’t been used in houses for 40 years. Cars, yes.


    The carpet will need to be clean and free of old shampoo residue.


    If the carpet is older than 10 years old, both the carpet and pad should be replaced, sorry. I’m gathering you’re talking stretched wall to wall carpet, yes?


    If you oversaturate the carpet the pad will become a wet sponge. The “wet sponge” can

    ruin your subfloor, which is now “new everything”.


    If the carpet was in need of a re-stretch, it will definitely need a re-stretch after this.


  • Joanne Joanne on Nov 26, 2017

    Sun bleached fabric or fibers, if dyed would probably NOT dye evenly. You might just get the same fade but in different color because your base color would still be lighter, but different. Also will depend on the fibers of your carpet, wool, nylon Polyester. Many fibers do not dye well the dye has to absorb into the fibers. I have dyed a few small things any it did not go well. My stains remained they were just a different color and not a true rich color either. LOL I think Paint would make it stiff. I have heard of painting car carpet they make the paint for it. I personally have attempted many crazy ideas some do work. Good Luck.

  • Shoshana Shoshana on May 22, 2017

    If it is made from a natural fiber, like wool, silk, or jute you can dye it. However, the vast majority of carpeting is made of some blend of polyester. These man made fibers are colored using very high heat, hundreds of degrees, which is why the color does not "run" or fade like dyed natural fibers tend to do and would be harder to dye.

  • C C on Jan 26, 2019

    I had professionals come and dye my wall to wall carpet. They forgot to do the carpet inside the linen closet. My Mum took wit dye, watered it down to create the matching color and took a kitchen sponge and daubed it on the carpet. Worked like a charm. Once it was dry, no stains, no streaks and it never ran off on anything when wet or dry.