What Type of Dye to Use on Nylon Carpet?

Carpet Condition

• Before you dye your carpet, you'll need to clean it thoroughly. If you can identify the stains, try using a stain remover or terminator specific to each stain. If these stain removal efforts are successful, vacuum and shampoo or steam your carpet to make it look like new.
  If stain removal fails, it's time to plan for carpet dyeing. Clean and dry carpets absorb dye the best. In addition, dyeing a dirty carpet often results in uneven and dull color.

Color

• Consider the nature of the existing carpet stains when selecting the dye color. If your carpet is only the victim of fading and bleach stains, you can match the color or, for even better results, select a color just a little darker. If the stains are darker than your carpet, choose a significantly different and darker color for your dye.

Choosing the Dye

• Unlike some other carpet materials, nylon carpet fibers will absorb carpet dye. With the effort required for any carpet dyeing project, don't consider a cheap dye. Select a professional grade carpet dye.
  Use a pressure spray to apply dye or paint only for carpet touch-up efforts. Do not use a spray for dyeing an entire carpet, particularly if you will be applying a darker shade or changing the color. Spray dye absorption is inferior, and a separate color layer may appear in high traffic areas.
  Before preparing to dye a large area or an entire carpet, test the dye you've selected on a carpet scrap or inconspicuous area of carpet. This is particularly important when using a dye of a completely different color on a carpet that is neither white nor off-white. The dye penetrates and "mixes" with the existing color to produce the final color. If you don't test first, you may be in for a surprise and find your new carpet color is not compatible with your existing walls and room accessories.