Gray to black...

[CraigM]

Looks even better in person! We'll see how it holds up over time, but for 10 bucks and a paint brush, I'm happy!



I'll post some more pics when the rest of it dries and I get the car put back together.

[Dlirium]

Originally Posted by CraigM

Looks even better in person! We'll see how it holds up over time, but for 10 bucks and a paint brush, I'm happy!



I'll post some more pics when the rest of it dries and I get the car put back together.

Gonna need some more details...what did you use!!!??

[CraigM]

Just Rit black powder from Joann's Fabrics - 4 boxes for under 10 bucks. 2 boxes at a time mixed in a little less than a gallon of really hot water with half a cup of vinegar, a bit of salt, and a touch of liquid laundry detergent - roughly following the instructions on the box.

Then lathered it on real thick with a paint brush and worked it in. I'll get more pics tomorrow. The engine cover/storage box over the engine did not come out perfect - I think it was too faded, it still has a purple tint after several applications. We'll see if that gets better overnight.

For the price, I would be okay if I had to do this once a year, but venturing out on to some Honda forums (willing to do something this cheap!) the few updates from 1 year and up had no fading or color transfer to clothes.

[particlewave]

The problem with Rit is that it will always look purple in direct sunlight. Your door panels won't be as noticeable since they are vertical and don't catch as much light.
I tried nearly a dozen applications, but it only gets so dark and never loses that purple hue.

I used this on my leather steering wheel to go from gray to black, but I'm not sure if it works on carpet (Hobby Lobby, Eco Flo, Midnight Black).

[CraigM]

Good to know - I think the key is how black it was before. I think it works for a quick refresh, but only on stuff that isn't super faded. The storage shelf was too far gone, it did come out a little purple.

Edit to clarify: my carpet was originally black, just faded.

[CraigM]

So here are some more shots from this morning - not perfect, but for a quick 10 buck project I am satisfied with the carpets for now. This doesn't appear to be a permanent solution (since it isn't perfect, and we'll see how it weathers), but carpets are low on the list of things I'm willing to spend much of my mod budget on.

Crappy before pic:


This morning:

[BruceH]

That looks great Craig! I remember someone on here having good luck refreshing their carpet with products from this site:

Leather Magic Carpet and Fabric Upholstery Dye and Kits