Asked on Jul 06, 2012
Glue discolored fabric, how to clean it?
by
Tess B
+15
I have tried Folex and able to clean stains and dirt on the chair fabric but not the discolored piping. The pipings are still brown. I believe it is the glue that changed the color, like I have seen on some of my sneakers made in China.
Anyone has success to get rid of the old glue and restore the fabric color? If not how do I dye/color just the piping or the whole chair? I have four chairs to work on.
Anyone has success to get rid of the old glue and restore the fabric color? If not how do I dye/color just the piping or the whole chair? I have four chairs to work on.
18 answers
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your pics are a little fuzzy to me ...but it almost looks like that the "pipping" are meant to be a darker color...are there any areas where the piping is not this color? Dye kits are pretty easy to use and can come in many colors http://familycrafts.about.com/od/tiedye/gr/simplyspray.htm
KMS Woodworks
on Jul 07, 2012
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The piping on these photos are so discolored that it does make one feels it is done on purpose. But there are some small areas on couple of the pippings have the same color as the chair fabric. I am thinking of trying out using bleach to see if it would lighting the color. Appreciate your link to the dye it will be my last resort.
Tess B
on Jul 07, 2012
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@TESS: Nooooooooooo! DO NOT USE BLEACH!!! (Please tell me I'm not too late lol) The bleach might actually cause the fabric to turn en even browner color or, after awhile, the fabric could start to disintegrate!! EEEEEEEKKKKKK!! So, if the welting is not intended to be a deliberate contrast and you're positive it's supposed to be white - I'd get some craft paint and mix it with "fabric texturizer" - this makes the fabric feel more natural than just straight paint which will make it very hard & stiff. Get yourself a small artist's brush and tape off the chair fabric as close to the welting as you can get and start touching up the discolored areas!! How long have you had the chair? If it's relatively new you might get the store to replace it. If it came from any store such as Kirkland, Homegoods, Pier One etc etc. most of their furniture is imported and the chances of them having the exact same chair w/the same fabric is pretty slim. I'd try the paint!! Hope this helps ;~)
Susan S
on Jul 07, 2012
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You sure have!! I do not know bleach could actually turns fabric brown and disintegrate it too?! Wow, I am glad I was busy with another project, setting up a watering timer to the sprinklers in the front lawn.
Tess B
on Jul 09, 2012
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I really appreciate both of you for helping me out!!
Tess B
on Jul 11, 2012
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Glad to offer any assistance to a fellow HTer!! So Tess, what did you decide to do?
Susan S
on Jul 11, 2012
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I have checked out the first recommendation and it is in a spray can which I think will be difficult to use in a small area. I think I will try your recommendation, just not able to get any good search result on "fabric texturizer". I will make a trip to the store to see what I can find out. Thanks again. UPDATE - just found this product 'Golden Fluid Acrylics' and it looks promising. Will definitely give it a try. If it works well I may get a different color to paint a design to couple of brown color place mats for my new renovated kitchen. I also have an area wool rug that I need to re-color, it is in a cream and light brown color. When I had it cleaned professional some red stains showed up. The cleaner claimed the stains may came from spilled juices. We do not drink juices and with no children and pets around we KNOW the cleaner did 'something' to it. So I hope this product with work on wool carpet too?!
Tess B
on Jul 13, 2012
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Tess, a fabric texturizer is an additive you use w/paint when applied to a fabric so doesn't feel hard & stiff - Oh I went over that so I'll spare you again!! LOL I'm specifically talking about "Craft" paint and fabric texturizer should be very close to where the paint is. Small bottles about 3" high. I'd get 2 or 3 shades of white and test them first as to color match. Craft paint is not expensive so you won't have alot invested to experiment. I'm not familiar w/the product you got but from the name it sounds like it should be ok. Does the bottle say it is to mix with paint? I wouldn't use anything in a spray can - you can't control where it goes. Get a small artist's brush and you can get in all the tight areas!!
Susan S
on Jul 13, 2012
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It does not look like there is a need to mix anything for it comes in many colors. I think your suggestion will be cheaper than this paint. For that product costs at least $4-$6 for a 3oz bottle, and I have to get several colors to mix it into the shade I need. Really do not want to spend too much since I got these chairs for $38 a piece.
Tess B
on Jul 14, 2012
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Now that was a real steal - BUT - the glue issue is probably due to over-seas manufacturing and cheap products. Remember to tape off the arms and the seat so you keep the paint where you want it. Do you want me to post a picture of what the texturizer bottle looks like? If you have an old piece of fabric I'd test the ratio of paint to texturizer. Bear in mind the welting will probably feel a bit stiff no matter what but that's just decoration anyway!!
Susan S
on Jul 14, 2012
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FYI it's called a "textile medium". You can find it in most craft paint brands. There are other "mediums" for acrylic, oil and tempra paints. All help the paint do things they normally can't do alone. Such as a "flow medium" helps your paint workable for longer strokes. There is also such a thing as a texture medium, but it's not to help the paint work on fabrics, it's to literally add texture to the paint making it thicker and dry raised off the surface, causing "texture".
Z
on Jul 15, 2012
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I went to Michaels' and the store employee was very helpful and showed me Michaels' own brand of fabric texturizer - Craft Smart Fabric Medium, and it was only 99 cents!! So this is going to be a cheap fix. Susan, you are correct the chairs are probably made overseas and the glue they used are horrible. I saw this happened to a pair of sneakers I bought that was made in China. After couple of years wearing them there was light brown color all along the seam of the shoes, same color as it is on the piping. I think this is going to work. Thanks again for everyone's assistance.
Tess B
on Jul 16, 2012
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Tess good luck w/this!! Becky is correct, it technically is called textile medium so I may have confused the issue by using the word texturizer. I think my brains were scrambled and I was saying one thing and meaning another. Well, now that you're on the right track, please be sure to post new pics after you fix the welting, ok??
Susan S
on Jul 16, 2012
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@ Susan's comment "I think my brains were scrambled...." I only have one brain and it gets scrambled like that all the time. Just a day or two I wrote stained glass when I meant leaded glass. Easy enough to happen to anyone. Even to those of us with just one brain. ;)
Z
on Jul 16, 2012
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@Becky - all of this comes under the heading of "UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN, NOT WHAT I SAY"!!! LOL
Susan S
on Jul 16, 2012
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LOL. Sorry I just couldn't resist even if I did completely understand what you meant.
Z
on Jul 16, 2012
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I don't think it looks that bad in one picture it matches the wood.
Wglindner
on Dec 11, 2014
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I would just paint the piping with a matching or contrasting paint. Tape it off, light coatsto avoid running
T.hatfield
on Sep 20, 2015
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