Carpet nasty?..Dye it.

I found i didnt want to drop $300 into ordering up a replacement carpet, so i started searching my options. In the past i have pulled and used car wash wands, pressure washer here at home etc. It worked but was very tough to get bad stains out of a light colored tan carpet.

So, with building the ZJ i decided to try something else. My carpet was light grey and in decent shape.. it got pulled last summer and cleaned to find it's way into the wifes ZJ with newer leather seats i picked up.

So i found a carpet a guy was giving away, it was dark grey and heavily UV faded. It had quite a few heavy stains. I knew i wanted a darker carpet after 10 years with the tan...

I found a write up on the net about a guy who redid his interior in a Lexus, and it looked good. I followed his advice and tried it. First on a carpet that was UV faded belonging to my bud who was cleaning up a newly purchased Scrambler. RIT dye is not available in a dark grey/Agate so i opted for black.

I went to Walmart and picked up 6 8oz bottles of RIT fabric dye.



Mixed the dye with WARM water and dropped it into a plastic tote filled enough to cover the loosly folded carpet. You dont want it too tight or compacted.. you want the dye to be able to get to everything.. you'll see why soon.



I let it soak for 24 hours. Occasionally picking up a corner and letting it settle back down, making sure there were no air pockets and the dye was getting into it well. Pulled it out... and let it DRY. Once dry rinse thoroughly till the water runs clear off the carpet. You want this or anytime the carpet gets wet... whatever touches it may get some residual color. Once rinsed well, let it thoroughly dry again. Now it's ready for reinstall.




Remember.. the above is a smaller carpet that came from a Scrambler. I wanted to test the technique before i did mine, which has a much more dense carpet. So, i took my carpet and using the same dye bath dropped in my ZJ carpet for 48 hours. It showed spots of purple, this is from being folded too tight and compacted. But that was ok, i learned i needed a larger tote and i was planning a double dip anyway.



So back to WalMart and 6 more bottles of RIT and a larger 45 gallon tote. Again filled with WARM water and dye mixed in. Let the carpet soak another 24 hours.

I failed to get picks of rinsing this one out. I also removed the jute backing/insulation before dropping it in the dye bath. After rinsed and dry i used some 3M spray adhesive and reattached the jute backing.



Then installed in the Jeep.








I couldnt be happier with the results. The guy who did this to his Lexus reports no fading in over three years now.

The RIT dye costs $3 per bottle, $18 and a tote if you have one gets this job done. I think in total i spent $50 to dye two carpets and buy the larger tote. I still need to source and dye to match a rear carpet section. Hope others may find this usefull.

It looks excellent. I had heard of "detail" shops using spray paint to freshen up the look of a carpet for used car dealers - pretty routine thing - but the dye job is more better.

ElDiaOctavo said:

It looks excellent. I had heard of "detail" shops using spray paint to freshen up the look of a carpet for used car dealers - pretty routine thing - but the dye job is more better.

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Yeah, there are plenty of aerosol products on the market to do this but they tend to leave the fibers stiff. I wanted this to look and feel as though it came this way.

I forgot to mention, i did hand shampoo the carpets before attempting the dye. Got as much dirt and stains out as i could.

That looks really good!

good job

Thanks for the write up. looks great. One thing I done when the wife isnt home is roll the carpet up and wash in the wash machine. That and floor mats too.

I yanked my carpet out cuz it was always wet and smelly... I sprayed in Herculiner and it looks awesome!!!!

Thanks guys... thought someone here might like to try this.

Nealio240z said:

I yanked my carpet out cuz it was always wet and smelly... I sprayed in Herculiner and it looks awesome!!!!

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Been there done that, hated the heat that radiated off the floor boards, even with carpet back over the Durabak. This time i wanted to reuse the jute and cut out the heat and noise i'd have had without it.

MAY POP said:

Thanks for the write up. looks great. One thing I done when the wife isnt home is roll the carpet up and wash in the wash machine. That and floor mats too.

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Haha i do that with my seats. I take the material off the seats and throw it in the washer, then let them air dry and put them back on. makes them look like new!

OverlandXJ said:

This time i wanted to reuse the jute and cut out the heat and noise i'd have had without it.

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Honestly, after all the floorpan work I've had to have done, I wrote off the Jute, took a cue from Laverne, and replaced it with half-inch neoprene foam, which won't absorb water like that jute stuff will.

I traced the jute pad (previously separated from the carpet proper) onto the neoprene sheet with a silver sharpie, and then just cut along the lines with a utility knife. Took two sheets to replace the jute, with plenty left over.

Works just as well as the jute (have checked and it blocks the exhaust heat very nicely).

Rob Mayercik said:

Honestly, after all the floorpan work I've had to have done, I wrote off the Jute, took a cue from Laverne, and replaced it with half-inch neoprene foam, which won't absorb water like that jute stuff will.

I traced the jute pad (previously separated from the carpet proper) onto the neoprene sheet with a silver sharpie, and then just cut along the lines with a utility knife. Took two sheets to replace the jute, with plenty left over.

Works just as well as the jute (have checked and it blocks the exhaust heat very nicely).

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If my jute hadnt been in excellent condition.. i have no rust or water intrusion on the ZJ, i would have done similar. I dont plan to get into deep water either...

Just off the phone with her... she's a trip.

OverlandXJ said:

If my jute hadnt been in excellent condition.. i have no rust or water intrusion on the ZJ, i would have done similar. I dont plan to get into deep water either...

Just off the phone with her... she's a trip.

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Yeah, she is a trip, but then again so is everyone else in this chapter - that's what makes it great.

Anyhoo, I certainly won't argue reusing the jute in your case since you have no pre-existing rust issues. In my case, between the cowl leak, and undetected holes in the floor letting in mud/water during wheeling or inclement weather driving, my jute was already beyond hope of salvation.

oh man, i feel the need to do this now. asap. thank you for posting this, i would have never thought of doing it!

I'd be curious how the RIT stands up to steam cleaning. If it does it'll be something to file away for later.