My grey carpets are looking pretty awful now. No amount of cleaning will sort them out and removing the mats shows just how much they have faded / changed colour.
Given that good carpets for these are now in short supply (used or other) I am thinking of dying them and going all out black.
Has anyone tried this before? I know that dye does take (tested dylon in inconspicuopus area) so there must be some natural fibres in the mix. If you've done it, whats it like to live with?
I am looking to use this stuff which seems to have decent reviews on other car sites. I just wonder what it will be like on a Spider carpet.
Can't say that I've ever used carpet dye.
An old trick of the motor trade in years gone by that I've used before was to purchase a few tins of matt black spray paint. It has to be matt, not satin or gloss otherwise it ends up sticky!
Obviously remove the carpets from the car give them a good vacuum and remove any stubborn bits and bobs by hand(tweezers) that won't come out easily.
Then spray in light coats allowing plenty drying time over the day in warm environment.
Once completely dry, use a good, stiff new floor or even a nail brush and give the carpet an even rub with the grain. This will remove any overly keen spraying, the stiffness of the paint on the fibres itself and leave it clean, even soft as the original carpet. Simply spray any uneven coated areas again, allow to dry and rub the carpet again.
The key is not to go daft and to get the fibres to take the paint colour, not to soak the carpet itself.
It does work a treat and since matt spray paint doesn't have the same cellulose content of gloss or satin spray, you don't get as much of the smell you normally associate with rattle cans. The stiff brush and allowing drying time will sort out any lingering paint odour anyway...
Car dealers have been using this trick for years unbeknownst to the buyer's
Works on parcel shelves too!
4 months on and it still looks fine ( I should hope so! ). Texture is rough - not nearly as soft as the original carpet and if I run my fingers on the carpet I still get a trace of dye. Maybe a bit more vacuuming will soften it and remove a bit more of the surplus dye.
If you don't have a compressor and spray gun, a trigger bottle from a garden centre works but with a bit more effort!
Yes, I am a member on squadra916. The results on that link look amazing. Looking forward to getting it done, though I hope the interior doesn't look bad for being all black against the red body. Can't look worse than the mucky grey though.
I've got a red carpet up for sale if you want a change.
I dyed a grey carpet black a few months ago, it does look good (I have red leather) but it is quite a bit of work to get it thoroughly done & even.
I must admit, I did try spraying with a grey dye at the start if the year, just as a refresh. It worked in most areas apart from the whole passenger footwear which went, as mentioned, purple! Couldn't figure out why, and hence one reason why I find myself wanting to dye it black . Hope that doesn't happen again.
It's on a Spider so lucky for me the headlining is already black and in excellent condition.
No, they’re different, you’ll need a spider carpet.
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