DIY: Carpet Dying and You
 

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! Here are some pictures of the process:

VHT -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1091.JPG

Brush (Notice that I did go out and buy a bigger one) -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1093.JPG

Shop-Vac -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1095.JPG

16mm Socket -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1097.JPG

Fan setup to pull fumes away -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1102.JPG

First coat, first side -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1103.JPG

http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1104.JPG

You can see the bigger brush -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1105.JPG

First coat, second side (and yes, you can dye the mat, it holds up fine and looks really good) -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1106.JPG

Some more pictures -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1107.JPG

http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1108.JPG

Done, but now dirty -
http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1110.JPG

http://www.f7lans.com/rob/bmw/dye_diy/100_1112.JPG

Sidenotes:

- No, the dye does not make the carpet rough. That is where the nylon brush comes in. The brush is a MUST to keep the carpet soft and to lay down even coats of the dye.

- Yes, I probably should have removed the center console and lower dash covers, but I am a lazy man and they need redyed anywho. A lesson to be learned here is to always add more coats then needed. It lasts longer and looks better.

- Do I like it? Hell yeah! It turned my interior into a newer interior, just with the carpet. Now, if I wanted to, I could reupholster my seats and go completely black.

- It will smell a bit for a week or two, but you could easily have it disappear faster if you used something like fabreze on it.

- Will it last? Probably. My door panels have seen a better life since I dyed them, that is why I told you to get an uneven number of cans. Leave one of the cans in your garage for any future touch-ups.

- Any questions? Post them up. ;)

Nice write-up, and nice work. Luckily I don't need to do this for a while.

Excellant DIY write up! :thumbup :thumbup :thumbup Could you do a follow up in a month or two with thoughts on how it's holding up? I'm curious because VHT makes super products (paints, sealers) and I know a handful of folks who've tried other brands and say they suck.


Keep us posted! Again nice article :clap

Great article! :thumbup

I'll add it to the knowledge base when I get back to my (other) computer tonight or tomorrow. :D

Added the the Knowledge Base! :tup

http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-carpetdying.php

there used to be photos for this thread. whatever happened to them? if anyone has any photos of dying their carpet or the originals from this thread could you post them or email them to me?

thanks.