Dyeing seat covers

[karenmshorter]

Hi everyone. Not actually a caravan issue this, but the same question could apply: I have two ikea fabric covered chairs in my conservatory which have suffered quite a bit of colour fade due to the sun. One red, one blue. Thinking of using a fabric dye to get them looking good again, ideally both to green or black. Has anyone any experience of dyeing such things? I've never used fabric dyes before and am a bit cautious. Will the finished colour be the same all over, regardless of original colour and amount of fading? Thanks for any help or advice. Emmy x

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Emmy,

Chemistry time again.

Before you start planning on dying fabric, a few questions you need to answer - was the fabric originally treated with a fabric protector like "ScotchGuard"? and do you know that the fabric is?

If the fabric has been ScotchGuarded - then it's unlikely that a cold water dye will bond to the fabric.

Cold water dyes only successfully work on Cotton, Linen or Silk fabrics (includes synthetic silk)

If you can answer YES to these questions, and the fabric can be washed in a washing machine - must be clean before dying - then you should get an even covering - and don't forget to buy and use the mordant (fixative)

Robert