I was wondering if anyone has attempted to dye their tan or grey interiors black. I just purchased an SC with mismatched interior panels and seats and dash, and I was hoping to find a cheaper alternative to buying an entire matching interior. Has anyone tried to dye their existing leather?

 

I think dying leather (on your own unless you are an expert) = opening a can of worms......

 

I've done quite a bit of it, even entire interiors, yes.

It's very involved, particularly the prep, which is crucial to a durable result. You have to degrease, sand/scuff the old finish, and spray. The seats really have to come out of the car.

If you haven't done it, it may be over your head, unless you're prepared to take your time, and do it right, step by step.

Expect to pay around $100+ for materials.

It doesn't necessarily involve mad skills, but you do learn a bit from experience each time and the results get better.

You'll need a comprssor and spray gun, or at minimum,
an airbrush and compressed air cannisters.

You local body shop supply place should carry the materials you need, and help you with what you'll need.

Not for everyone.

Hope this helps.

 

I have 'redyed' the seats in my car. Its not really dyeing though, more like painting your seats You can't redye leather b/c that part takes place in the tanning process and thats where the uniform color of the leather comes from. I bought 'dye' paint from leather restore.com, which had a perfect match to my oem leather and i re 'dyed' all the leather in my es300. Just don't fall for the add-ons, b/c they are just a waste of $$.
I spent about $80 to redo the seats, and after 2 years, it still holds up very well.
The website claims that the dye should last for the life of the car uhh no, In my driver's seat, anywhere there were old cracks, they will eventually appear on the new coat of dye if your seats are in very bad condition.

 

Thanks for the replies. Now that we have that, I'd like to know if there are specific directions you followed (write-ups, etc.), as well as recommended products/brands to use?

I've got an air compressor/spray gun, but would it be easier to thin out the dye and apply multiple layers (to eliminate stroke patterns) via brush?

 

As Tuan stated, it's not a dye but a paint, and rather thin out of the can. You really have to spray it, brushing it doesn't work very well (at least with the custom mixed stuff I used).

DuPont makes a product called 'Vinyl Color', SEM makes one called 'Color Coat'.

Those are the 2 I'm familiar with.

The color it appears in the can is COMPLETELY different than the sprayed . dried color.