How to Dye a Sofa & Loveseat

You can dye an old sofa or love seat to give it an updated look.

If you plan to dye your couch and love seat in an effort to revitalize your furniture set, you can do so as long as you can safely remove the upholstery fabric without ruining it. In some pieces of furniture, the upholstery can be taken off without removing stitching. In other cases, you must remove the stitching to take off the fabric. You must remove it because you need high water temperatures for most dyes to actually set in the fabric.

Things You'll Need

• Washing machine
• Dye packets
• Construction-grade garbage bags
• Dryer or clothesline

Instructions

1. Turn on your washing machine and allow it to fill up with hot water. Set the load size on "Extra Large" to accommodate the large amount of fabric.

2. Place the upholstery in the hot water for two to three minutes, then remove the upholstery.

3. Place the dye in the water. In most cases, you will need multiple packages. For example, if you choose to use Rit dye, a widely available brand, use four packets or two bottles of dye.

4. Place the washing machine into an extended cycle that lasts no less than 30 minutes. Put the upholstery back in the washing machine and run the extended cycle.

5. Remove the upholstery. To avoid getting dye all over your house, place it in construction-grade garbage bags and take them outside to a faucet.

6. Rinse the upholstery until the water runs off it clear. This ensures that all of the residual dye comes off the upholstery and won't rub off onto your clothes once you replace the upholstery on the couch.

7. Place the upholstery on an outside clothesline to allow it to dry. As long as the upholstery is manufactured with synthetic materials, you can also place it in the dryer for drying.

References

• Rit Dye: Washing Machine
• Pburch: Can Furniture be Dyed Successfully?
• Pburch: All About Hand Dyeing Q&A: Dyeing Furniture