Message: Hi there!   I was wondering if it is possible to tie-dye an EZ-up portable shelter, the type used by vendors and tailgaters everywhere.  The ez-up awning is white and 100% nylon.  I use it for camping and as you can imagine, it gets a little cruddy from time to time.  I would like to tie-dye it to hide the camping crud and just to make it look cool.  What do you think?   Pete

I generally recommend against dyeing EZ-up shelters for use at crafts shows and the like, because the light that comes through a white roof looks better on the items being sold than the light coming through a colored roof. Not a problem for you, obviously.

Has the shelter been treated with a water-resistant coating, such as NikWax? Coatings that resist water will also resist dye, resulting in muddy, uneven, light-colored dyeing. It won't look good, though it might look better than the dirt you have now. To test this, spray water on the shelter, and see whether it beads up, or soaks in. If water does not soak in quickly, dyeing or fabric painting are not likely to work well.

If the shelter does not have a water, resistant coating, your two choices are acid dyes or fabric paint. Acid dyes penetrate the fabric, while fabric paints do not; however, acid dyes typically also require heat-setting, using steam or boilign water. How big is this fabric? If it is small enough to fit into a washing machine, it is possible to use acid dyes in it, as in the recipes on "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?", though higher water temperatures work a lot better with acid dye. It's also possible you might be able to steam-set the dye as in PRO Chemical & Dye's recipe for "Dyeing and Painting Carpet using WashFast Acid Dyes", or use the wool recipe for dyeing with the aid of a black garbage bag to absorb heat from the sun, as in "Garbage Bag Dyeing with Wool using PRO MX Reactive Dyes". Unlike all other synthetic fibers, nylon can usually be dyed like wool. Note that this last recipe actually calls for the use of the same Procion MX type dyes we use for tie-dyeing cotton. You cannot dye nylon with the recipes used for cotton dyes, because nylon will not accept the dye at high pH, as in the presence of soda ash. It requires acid. It's very convenient to be able to use the same dyes you already keep on hand for dyeing cotton clothing, though.

Some fabric paints require heat-setting, but others do not. For example, Dharma Pigment "Dyes" (which are actually paints, not dyes), sold by Dharma Trading Company, are recommended for tie-dyeing nylon even without heat setting, though they warn that fabric treatments on nylon that is not prepared for printing can be a problem.


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