How can we dye an antique couch?

Name: Kelly

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Message: We have an old antique couch with the thick silk-like material. We don't want to go to the extreme expense to have it completely recovered due to some old water stains from storage. We are wondering if there is a method that we can dye it with the fabric still on the couch. They are beautiful but after getting a quote to have the fabric replaced we decided to research options for dyeing or painting the fabric. Thanks!

The first thing to do is to get the couch steam-cleaned, preferably by a professional. The results might be good enough not to require any color changing at all. It's important to note that you should never try to dye anything that's dirty. Some stains will resist dyes or paint, and remain a lighter color, while others are dark enough to show through almost any color you try to add.

Dyeing in itself is not a good idea, for upholstered furniture. Invariably there is a great deal of extra unattached dye that must be washed out; if you don't wash it out, the dye will rub off onto anything that touches the couch, including hands and clothing, often ruining the clothing. I seems unlikely that you would be able to rinse the couch properly after dyeing. Also, most dyes require heat. If your "silk like material" is actually polyester or nylon, you need to be able to immerse it in a giant kettle of dye in order to dye it. Obviously, it is much better to dye fabric before upholstering a couch with it, rather than after. Here's a cautionary tale about someone who ill-advisedly used Rit dye to color their couch:

"I just dyed our white canvas couch yesterday DARK BLUE with RIT, then when we went to move it inside our hands were blue. HELP!"

Although you can't dye your couch, you may be able to use fabric paint to recolor it. (See "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers".) This will not be cheap, though, since using good fabric paint is important (the wrong kind of paint will feel stiff and scratchy after it dries), and it will take quite a lot to cover the whole couch. For instructions on how to use fabric paint on your couch, see the following article: "Scarlet Zebra's Instructions for Painting Upholstered Furniture". Also see my FAQ article, "Can furniture be dyed successfully?".

Applying fabric paint to the couch smoothly and evenly will take you a fair amount of effort, and, since fabric paint can only coat the outside of the fibers, not penetrate within like a true dye, it will tend to wear off over time, so that it will not last as long as new upholstery. I recommend that you either reupholster your couch, or make slipcovers for it. If the expense of professional reupholstery or slipcovering is prohibitive, consider getting a book with instructions and doing it yourself. Many do-it-yourselfers have been able to do a good job of recovering a couch, depending on how fussy its design is. It's a lot of work, but the results will be better and longer lasting than any color you can apply to the fabric that is on the couch now.

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Posted: Thursday - December 09, 2010 at 11:25 AM

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How can we dye an antique couch?

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