This is lovely! I dyed a chair one summer using spray bottles and a garden hose. It was in August so loads of heat for drying but you really made it much simpler! I will be doing this again this summer! Beautiful! ❤
Hi Amy- beautiful piece. How did it hold up over time? I am thinking about doing this to a canvas like material sectional 😬 am I crazy? My husband thinks so. 😂
It's been about a year and it still looks the same. The color hasn't faded, no dye has rubbed off, and I still love it. It's not our main sofa to sit on, but as a vintage accent piece, it's been great.
Your video was very informative and easy to follow. I too have a vintage velvet couch ,using Rit dye with a sprayer then the fixative. I have a problem though ,the dye is still coming off on to my hands & i only gave it 1 coat ! Do you think extra coats of fixative will stop this? I went on the Rit dye website store and they recommend not to use Rit dye on furniture as you can't rinse it out . I might try spraying with scotch guard
I did a few coats of fixative so maybe that helped. I've had no dye come off on our skin or clothes. I also rinsed it thoroughly and air dried it out. I know RIT doesn't recommend it on furniture, but I took the risk and fortunately it worked out for me.
Hello! I'm a new subscriber !!!😊 I love the sofa, It looks lovely! 😍 I have old antique furniture. That I would like to paint or dye. Yours really looks great. But so much work 😫 I may try this on something small !!!❤❤❤
The whole project didn't take a lot of effort, just time of waiting in between steps. You'll want to have an open schedule to start a project like this. Be careful about painting fabric, I've heard that even fabric paint can feel crunchy whereas dye doesn't affect the texture at all (at least in my experience).
See I’ve been looking at these diy rit dye projects thinking to use a paint sprayer. I’m so glad it works I’m excited to try now. How is it holding up a month later.? Did the color stay on well?
Yes! A sprayer is so easy and much faster. The only downside is having to refill it, but that's nothing to complain about. The settee looks great, and the dye isn't rubbing off because I used the fixative. I love it at the end of our bed.
Thank you for the tips! This is definitely saving me from buying a new sofa! How long did it take you to dry? I am trying to dye my sofa loveseat and chair. Did you experience any bleeding after you using the rit fixative?
I did the dying in one day - the spraying was fast, but then you have to let it completely dry so it's a good idea to have others things to do. Then the next day, I did two coats of fixative which do not need to dry in between coats. We've had no bleeding (thankfully) but we don't sit on the sofa with wet clothing either... You could take a damp paper towel to test.
do you think it's necessary use a carpet or upholstery cleaner to clean the sofa after dying it? especially for an everyday sofa? second question: i have a bright blue couch and want to go for a dark teal green color. do you think the blue of the couch will affect the final color and i need to account for that or do you think i should just find the exact color on their website and it will overlay the current color.
This is fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing! The sofa looks to be velvet? If so, did the dye change the "softness" of the material? I just scored a great deal on a RH bedframe with a tufted headboard and footboard (vintage velvet). The fabric is in good shape, but it is very badly sun damaged. Reupholstering is way too expensive so I'm considering re-dyeing it the same color. My only concern is whether it will make it hard/crusty?
The texture and feel of the fabric is the same. If you were to use fabric paint, it would be crunchy. Dye is water soluble and doesn't leave a deposit. If you try it, just make sure to really protect any non-fabric surface because so much water is used to apply the dye and fixative solutions.
Random Question: Did you paint or treat the bricks on the outside of your house to arrive at that gorgeous white color? Congrats on your beautiful couch transformation!
The bricks came treated that way (a sort of German schmear) but unfortunately, when it rains the house looks pink. I'm hoping to lime wash it with Portola... to cover the pink hue.
Amazing thank you! Can you tell me which green you used from the rit color recipe link you shared? Or what the green and greys you used were? Thank you!
Looks fabulous! How did it hold up over time? Any bleeding/fading staining, especially after getting any spills, food, etc. and trying to clean it off? Any dye transfer when steam cleaning the sofa? Thanks. 🙂
It feels great, same softness as before the dye process. If you paint fabric, it will get crunchy, but Rit dye doesn't change the texture of the fabric.
Great question, Debbie! The dye did not change the fabric at all. In fact, with all the rinsing I think it feels softer since the vintage fabric had probably never been cleaned before. If you use fabric paint, it will be crunchy and change the feel, but not the dye.
I haven't painted furniture, I read reviews about it leaving a crunchy texture. I have lime washed my walls, but I wouldn't do that to upholstered furniture either.
The sofa had an old smell when I got it, but after spraying it with dye (hot water mixture), the smell isn't as strong as before. So, in this case, it smells better to me. Rit dye has an odor when boiling it, but it doesn't leave an odor on fabric in my few experiences.
What if it's dark and you'd like to go lighter? Everyone seems to the light to dark. My dining room chairs are a deep rose - I'd love them to be a slightly dark colour of blue. But I don't know the impact the underlying rose colour would have opon the painted colour.
It's my understanding that you can't use a lighter Rit dye. Maybe there's a process that strips the fabric and then it can be dyed any color (like hair) but I don't know about that. Some people test an inconspicuous spot before possibly ruining the whole piece. Good luck to you!
So far so good! It's not in direct sun, so no fading. The fixative seems to have worked, no bleeding onto clothes. This settee will go in my daughter's bedroom once I redesign it, so it will really get used.
I'm going to strip the legs and then if they're too orange or discolored, I will add white wash stain and remove the excess stain - this technique works to give me the worn wash look that I like.
From RIT's website: "Can I dye upholstered furniture? We do not recommend using Rit to dye upholstered fabric because after the dye is applied, the excess dye must be removed. This can be difficult to achieve with furniture and if the excess dye is not completely removed, it can rub off on clothing." Well, I don't think hosing off cushioned furniture is a good idea. It's been awhile since you posted this - did you notice any of the dye rub off on closing? I want to dye dining chairs that we sit on daily, so I am scared...
I read their warning, but so far so good. I sprayed on two coats of the fixative and the settee is used all the time by my daughter. I let it drip dry in the sun, and didn't soak the piece. I guess you'd have to be willing to ruin one chair if you really wanted to try it. I had excellent luck and love the results. No rub off for the polyester blend I dyed.
Hello, I’m doing this with my sofa and I have one question. Can you add water to the fixative? Every other method you add water but when you want to use spray method it doesn’t say use water, I have a big sofa so I will have to use at least 10 bottles and it is not cheap here in Belgium 🥲
This turned out so beautiful!
Thanks so much!
That turned out really nice.Im going to try it but I'm not going to spray it just use a foam brush or something.
How did it work out? I want to use your technique but I’m afraid it will fail 😅
Very handy idea you've got a new sub! How has it held up one year later? Is it due to re dye?
Thanks for asking! The sofa looks great and the fixative works to keep dye from coming off.
This is lovely! I dyed a chair one summer using spray bottles and a garden hose. It was in August so loads of heat for drying but you really made it much simpler! I will be doing this again this summer! Beautiful! ❤
It's great to hear about other people dying furniture too. I'm glad my method will help you next time.
It turned out so nice! My favorite color. ☺️
Thank you! 😊
Hi Amy- beautiful piece. How did it hold up over time? I am thinking about doing this to a canvas like material sectional 😬 am I crazy? My husband thinks so. 😂
It's been about a year and it still looks the same. The color hasn't faded, no dye has rubbed off, and I still love it. It's not our main sofa to sit on, but as a vintage accent piece, it's been great.
Your video was very informative and easy to follow.
I too have a vintage velvet couch ,using Rit dye with a sprayer then the fixative.
I have a problem though ,the dye is still coming off on to my hands & i only gave it 1 coat !
Do you think extra coats of fixative will stop this?
I went on the Rit dye website store and they recommend not to use Rit dye on furniture as you can't rinse it out .
I might try spraying with scotch guard
I did a few coats of fixative so maybe that helped. I've had no dye come off on our skin or clothes. I also rinsed it thoroughly and air dried it out. I know RIT doesn't recommend it on furniture, but I took the risk and fortunately it worked out for me.
Hello! I'm a new subscriber !!!😊 I love the sofa, It looks lovely! 😍 I have old antique furniture. That I would like to paint or dye. Yours really looks great. But so much work 😫 I may try this on something small !!!❤❤❤
The whole project didn't take a lot of effort, just time of waiting in between steps. You'll want to have an open schedule to start a project like this. Be careful about painting fabric, I've heard that even fabric paint can feel crunchy whereas dye doesn't affect the texture at all (at least in my experience).
See I’ve been looking at these diy rit dye projects thinking to use a paint sprayer. I’m so glad it works I’m excited to try now. How is it holding up a month later.? Did the color stay on well?
Yes! A sprayer is so easy and much faster. The only downside is having to refill it, but that's nothing to complain about. The settee looks great, and the dye isn't rubbing off because I used the fixative. I love it at the end of our bed.
You are the first to comment on the fixitive because I could figure out why my couch kept bleeding that you
Oh good, glad you found out. It would be a disaster without the fixative.
How do put fixatve on your couch after dying@Amy804Sycamore
How do you put fixative on your couch after dying
Thank you for the tips! This is definitely saving me from buying a new sofa! How long did it take you to dry? I am trying to dye my sofa loveseat and chair. Did you experience any bleeding after you using the rit fixative?
I did the dying in one day - the spraying was fast, but then you have to let it completely dry so it's a good idea to have others things to do. Then the next day, I did two coats of fixative which do not need to dry in between coats. We've had no bleeding (thankfully) but we don't sit on the sofa with wet clothing either... You could take a damp paper towel to test.
Amazing. Cannot wait to try
It works so well, and the fixative is really the key to making it last.
I'm currently dying a red couch given to me, dying it black. It's kind of stressful, any tips for going red to black?
do you think it's necessary use a carpet or upholstery cleaner to clean the sofa after dying it? especially for an everyday sofa? second question: i have a bright blue couch and want to go for a dark teal green color. do you think the blue of the couch will affect the final color and i need to account for that or do you think i should just find the exact color on their website and it will overlay the current color.
This is fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing! The sofa looks to be velvet? If so, did the dye change the "softness" of the material? I just scored a great deal on a RH bedframe with a tufted headboard and footboard (vintage velvet). The fabric is in good shape, but it is very badly sun damaged. Reupholstering is way too expensive so I'm considering re-dyeing it the same color. My only concern is whether it will make it hard/crusty?
The texture and feel of the fabric is the same. If you were to use fabric paint, it would be crunchy. Dye is water soluble and doesn't leave a deposit. If you try it, just make sure to really protect any non-fabric surface because so much water is used to apply the dye and fixative solutions.
I have a vehicle headliner I plan to do. Thanks for the video 👍
Have fun!
Random Question: Did you paint or treat the bricks on the outside of your house to arrive at that gorgeous white color? Congrats on your beautiful couch transformation!
The bricks came treated that way (a sort of German schmear) but unfortunately, when it rains the house looks pink. I'm hoping to lime wash it with Portola... to cover the pink hue.
Amazing thank you! Can you tell me which green you used from the rit color recipe link you shared? Or what the green and greys you used were? Thank you!
It's Godzilla Gray: 804sycamore.com/how-to-dye-a-vintage-sofa/
Does the couch have to be completely dry before you spray the fixative?
Thanks for asking. No, the fabric doesn't need to be completely dry before applying the fixative. Just make sure to fully rinse and apply as directed.
Thanks for sharing 😊
Looks fabulous! How did it hold up over time? Any bleeding/fading staining, especially after getting any spills, food, etc. and trying to clean it off? Any dye transfer when steam cleaning the sofa? Thanks. 🙂
So far so good, it's only been about six months though. The fixative works, no transfer but it's not a settee that we eat/drink on.
@@Amy804Sycamore how is it now?? I'm super inspired by this project! It looks great!
3:27
That is very nice!
Thanks so much!
I love it ! How did the fabric feel?
It feels great, same softness as before the dye process. If you paint fabric, it will get crunchy, but Rit dye doesn't change the texture of the fabric.
does the dye change the material feel?
Great question, Debbie! The dye did not change the fabric at all. In fact, with all the rinsing I think it feels softer since the vintage fabric had probably never been cleaned before. If you use fabric paint, it will be crunchy and change the feel, but not the dye.
Have you tried a organic paint? For example ECOS Paint or a lime wash paint
I haven't painted furniture, I read reviews about it leaving a crunchy texture. I have lime washed my walls, but I wouldn't do that to upholstered furniture either.
how was the smell of the couch after dye ?
The sofa had an old smell when I got it, but after spraying it with dye (hot water mixture), the smell isn't as strong as before. So, in this case, it smells better to me. Rit dye has an odor when boiling it, but it doesn't leave an odor on fabric in my few experiences.
What if it's dark and you'd like to go lighter? Everyone seems to the light to dark. My dining room chairs are a deep rose - I'd love them to be a slightly dark colour of blue. But I don't know the impact the underlying rose colour would have opon the painted colour.
It's my understanding that you can't use a lighter Rit dye. Maybe there's a process that strips the fabric and then it can be dyed any color (like hair) but I don't know about that. Some people test an inconspicuous spot before possibly ruining the whole piece. Good luck to you!
Rit has a color remover I believe. I would use that to lift all of the original color then dye it to the color you want
Hi, how did this hold up? any wipe off and fading?
So far so good! It's not in direct sun, so no fading. The fixative seems to have worked, no bleeding onto clothes. This settee will go in my daughter's bedroom once I redesign it, so it will really get used.
@Amy804Sycamore thank you and appreciate the reply. Awesome work with the couch. I will tackle it soon. Have a lovely day ahead
Some use salt, I’m wondering if that is an unnecessary step.
I just followed the instructions on the RIT dye and fixative bottles and it worked perfectly. Spraying it on was definitely the fastest application.
Color bleed through ?
Was it crunchy after
No, not crunchy. Because it's dye and not paint, the fabric texture had no change at all.
Is your sofa still soft?
Yes, it's great. The sofa will be going into my daughter's new bedroom this fall. She sits in it all the time and it's been working out great!
Did you have to sand afterwards 🤷♀️
I'm going to strip the legs and then if they're too orange or discolored, I will add white wash stain and remove the excess stain - this technique works to give me the worn wash look that I like.
why need to put hot water?
The hot water is part of the Rit Dye instruction. I just followed their mixing instructions and it worked well.
From RIT's website: "Can I dye upholstered furniture?
We do not recommend using Rit to dye upholstered fabric because after the dye is applied, the excess dye must be removed. This can be difficult to achieve with furniture and if the excess dye is not completely removed, it can rub off on clothing."
Well, I don't think hosing off cushioned furniture is a good idea. It's been awhile since you posted this - did you notice any of the dye rub off on closing? I want to dye dining chairs that we sit on daily, so I am scared...
I read their warning, but so far so good. I sprayed on two coats of the fixative and the settee is used all the time by my daughter. I let it drip dry in the sun, and didn't soak the piece. I guess you'd have to be willing to ruin one chair if you really wanted to try it. I had excellent luck and love the results. No rub off for the polyester blend I dyed.
you could probably wax the feet to resist the dye
Good idea!
WARNING!!! MAKE SURE YOUR ITEM ISN'T SCOTCHGUARDED!!! DYE WON'T PENETRATE!
That's a great reminder. If your piece is Scotchguarded, reupholstery may be your only option.
so misleading.. you said this tutorial was going to be 10 minutes but in fact it was only 8:25. Wish it was longer
Sorry! I meant that spraying the sofa only took 10 minutes.
Hello, I’m doing this with my sofa and I have one question. Can you add water to the fixative? Every other method you add water but when you want to use spray method it doesn’t say use water, I have a big sofa so I will have to use at least 10 bottles and it is not cheap here in Belgium 🥲
Great question! I googled this and found out: use 1/2 cup of ColorStay Dye Fixative with 3 gallons of water