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Carpet-to dye it or replace it? New Pictures added

3K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Jasen 
#1 ·
So I pulled all the carpet today out of the van. Dumbass me left the windows open last night and we had a storm so the inside was soaked...I pulled it all out and yup, soaking wet all the way though to the underlay.

While it is out and drying, i was hoping to clean it up a bit and have heard that you can spray paint it with the same type of paint used on trim...is this true? I also heard about dying it but have no experience with that, how does that work?

Also some of the underlay was in just horrible condition, is there a place to get replacement?... is there a better alternative to what the factory uses?

Any information would be appreciated.. :thumbup:
 
#2 ·
Before gearing up to dye it, try scrubbing the stains with a mixture of about 1 tsp laundry soap and 2 tablespoons of vinegar in 16 ounce jar of warm water - use a stiff brush and you may be amazed at how much will come out (I usually am)..... Then if the stains persist, move on to dyeing....

Some of the products made for dyeing vinyl will work on carpet, other's won't.....Also, some products made for fabric upholstery will work on carpet....I haven't done any for a long time, so I'm not current on what brands are the best now..... If you google up carpet dye, you'll find a few choices - be sure to read the reviews because some of them aren't very good.....

Just using a plastic paint won't do much good over the long term as it will just wear off the surface.....

Problem will be that the carpet in our vans is light colored, and it's hardest to dye a light color over a dark stain without whatever made the satin bleeding through the finished product.... It's easier to dye a darker color, but then you have to do the whole carpet, which is a rather larger project..... On the other hand, if your problem is just fading, then re-dying may be just the ticket....

The padding is usually a jute product (though I must admit I haven't looked under the carpet of my astro), but it's denser than the kind used in houses.... probably best to look for some in your local boneyard - most american vans, trucks and cars use the same material, so chances are good you can score some.... Otherwise, you can get it from companies that sell automotive carpeting - again google is your friend, there are a lot of suppliers out there.....

Good luck
 
#3 ·
I've used cases and cases of the commercial grade aerosol and shampoo dye's with good result's. the shampoo dye's are good for light discoloring and sun fade, aerosol's are better for more extreme cases. as far as longevity, it all depends on how much your in the rig, dirt, sand, mud etc. the key is a clean carpet, if you have a carpet shampooer great, if not do it with a scrub brush or take it to the car wash and have at it with the pressure washer.
what ever you use, make sure it's bone dry before using an aerosol dye and most importantly, before re installing or you'll end up with slimy windows this winter and a nice mildew smell followed by foliage.
 
#4 ·
slimy windows this winter and a nice mildew smell followed by foliage.
That is why I pulled it today, to dry it out. The carpet is original, and like a 20 yr old carpet (wait that didn't sound right) :confused: :rofl:
it is actually in decent shape with most of the wear and tear on the front section. I would love to replace it with new but I need the color to be right (as the wheel wells etc are in perfect shape).

Tomorrow I am going to pull the backing off (which is kind of rotten anyway) and give it a good cleaning.

For the backing is it just a standard carpet padding or some kind of special automotive stuff?? :shrug:
 
#6 ·
should be chopped cotton, a mish-mash of fabric chunk's and peaces. it offers sound deadening, better then house foam carpet padding, and holds up well.
 
#7 ·
So here are a few pictures of the backing of the carpet...as you can see it is very wet in places, the drives side was ruined...





A few pictures of the inside, not bad for a 20 yr old van. only real rust was drives side, found a nice little hole there too... :doh:



 
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