I have a beige love seat that’s been sitting in my craft room. We’ve had it at least 5 years and although I love the style of it, the color is so boring! So I bought $6 worth of dye and spent a day dyeing it. Best decision ever! If you want to change the color of a chair, loveseat, or sofa in your house too, here’s a tutorial on how to dye upholstery.

how to dye upholstery

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. It’d mean so much if you’d watch the video! I’m trying to get better at my video skills so I can grow my YouTube channel. If you have a few minutes to watch this and/or subscribe, I’d so appreciate it.

SUPPLIES

• Fabric Dye– I used 2 bottles of Rit Dye in Teal
• 5 Quart Pot
• Foam Paint Brush
• Salt
• Dawn Dish Soap
• Silicone Mat (used as a hot pad)
• Loveseat I dyed
• Gloves
• Apron

step 1- prep

Start by doing some prep to ensure for a clean and safe dye job for the upholstery.

• Clean the Furniture: Vacuum the furniture thoroughly to remove dust, dirt, and debris. Spot clean any stains with a fabric cleaner. I didn’t bother to clean a stain on my sofa an greatly regret it since it didn’t take the dye well. So don’t skip this step!
• Protect Surroundings: Place plastic drop cloths or old sheets around the furniture to protect floors and nearby objects from dye splatters. I dyed my sofa outside, so I put it on the grass for dying it.
• Wear Protective Gear: Wear gloves and old clothes or an apron over your clothes.

step 2- mix the dye

Next, mix one bottle of the Fabric Dye with hot water in a 5 Quart Pot on the stove top. Put about 4 quarts of water in the pan (as much as the pot will hold without boiling over).

Add in two drops of Dawn Dish Soap and two teaspoons of Salt to the dye bath. Mix well with a stainless steel spoon. Bring the dye mixture to a boil.

Note, I repeated this step again when the love seat was half way dyed and I’d run out of the dye mixture.

• If you’re doing one chair, I’d suggest 1 bottle of dye.
• A loveseat or two chairs takes up 2 bottles of dye.
• And a sofa will need 3 bottles of dye.

It’s best to mix the dye in smaller mixtures. Make sure to use the exact same quantities each time to ensure the color looks the same.

step 3- apply the dye

And now, take the dye to the upholstery and apply it to the fabric.

• Leave the dye in the Pot: Keep the dye bath in the pan it was boiled in. I found putting it on a hot pad close to where I’m dyeing the upholstery is very convenient.

• Apply the Dye: Begin by dipping a Foam Paint Brush into the dye and then brushing it on the fabric. Work in small areas to ensure even coverage. It’s slow going (with lots of dipping the brush in and applying a little dye) but, keep working across the upholstery to cover the fabric in dye.

• Keep it Wet: Continuously work your way across the fabric on the loveseat. It works well to keep the fabric wet with dye from one section to another until full coverage is achieved.

• Even Application: Consistently apply the dye to avoid streaks and uneven color.
• Multiple Coats: For darker or more vibrant colors, multiple coats of dye may be necessary. I did two coats of dye on the fabric to make sure all the beige color was dyed the teal color.

step 4- let the furniture dry

Finally, allow the furniture to air dry completely. This can take several hours to a few days depending on the humidity and temperature. My love seat felt dry to the touch within 3 hours of finishing the dyeing process. I live in a very dry area in Utah (with desert air) and I did this in July. Even though it felt dry, I left it outside overnight to make sure it was fully dry.

If you do this inside or somewhere with humidity, it will probably take longer to dry.

helping the dye not bleed

After trying this, I’d also suggest two steps to help the color stay:

ColorStay Dye Fixative– After applying the dye, boil more water and add a bottle of the Dye Fixative. Brush that onto the sofa. For every bottle of dye used, apply a bottle of the Dye Fixative. This will lock in the color to reduce bleeding and fading.

ScotchGard– Once the sofa is totally dry, spray ScotchGard onto the upholstery. This will help repel water based spills and doesn’t change the feel of the fabric. By having stains not sink into the upholstery, this will prevent scrubbing the sofa which will help the dye last longer. 

FAQ’s of how to dye upholstery

• Is the color permanent? Once the dye has dried the color is permanent. If the upholstery is frequently used, apply a coat of ColorStay Dye Fixative after the dye has been applied.
• Does the color transfer to clothes? No- I’ve sat on the sofa lots after it dried and none of the dye has gotten on my clothes.
• What is the texture/feel of the upholstery after it’s been dyed? It feels the same as before. I’ve painted a chair before and that left the cushion feeling stiff. This feels the exact same- it stays soft to the touch.
• What type of dye should I use? If your fabric is made of linen or cotton, use All Purpose Dye. If the fabric contains more than 35% synthetic material (such as polyester, acrylic or acetate), then you should use DyeMore Synthetic Dye. 

after

And here is the finished loveseat- I love the color so much!

To be honest, the dye job isn’t perfect. It’s a little splotchy on the seat and there’s a streak on the arm.

But overall it turned out REALLY nice and looks great in person! the splotches aren’t that noticeable and don’t bug me. If that would irritate you, then I don’t suggest this project.

price breakdown

For this project, I used the following supplies-

• Fabric Dye– I used 2 bottles of Rit Dye in Teal
• 5 Quart Pot
• Foam Paint Brush
• Salt
• Dawn Dish Soap
• Silicone Mat (used as a hot pad)
• Loveseat I dyed
• Gloves
• Apron

I had everything on hand besides the 2 bottles of dye. I bought those for $6!!! So this was a project that had HUGE impact and cost less than $10!!! You can’t beat that!

Conclusion, this is such an easy and affordable way to change the color of a sofa! It was fun to try and I 100% suggest it if you’d like to update the color of the fabric on a chair, love seat, or sofa. The dyeing process took a few hours, but mostly it was really easy to do. The most annoying part was moving the sofa. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

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