Painting stained carpet?

[derekdevasia]

Has anyone on here tried painting their carpet using Duplicolor Vinyl and Fabric paint? I'm tired of looking at stains that can't be removed, and wanted to paint my gray carpet with the gray paint to see how it would be. Just looking to see if anyone has done this before so i can get an idea of how it will look

 

[zopperman]

I've been considering this too. I think [MENTION=63470]Trevloc[/MENTION] did that.

 

[derekdevasia]

i'll send him a PM, just interested in seeing pics on how it turned out. Not trying to ruin the carpet and make it even worse

 

[macgyver_ga]

I just did it last week. The 4runner we just bought was pretty filthy inside. Ended up having to pull the carpet out and pressure wash it to get a lot of the stains out. All I have to say is... EWWW. The water that came out looked like coffee. Even after that, you could still slightly see some of the stains. I ended up using the duplicolor paint to touch up the carpet. Keep in mind that the duplicolor gray is slightly darker than the gray carpet. You'll need to feather it out a bit to blend it. I also used a stiff bristled brush to fluff up the pile after painting to make sure it didn't mat down.

Interior repair guys do it all the time. My ex's dad does that for a living and he and I re-did the carpet in a car we flipped and it looked brand new afterwards. He uses the factory matched SEM paint though. You can only buy that stuff at autobody supply stores.

 

[derekdevasia]

Good to know! I'm going to try it this weekend if i get a chance and see how it comes out

 

[zopperman]

Good to know! I'm going to try it this weekend if i get a chance and see how it comes out

definitely post some pics

 

[Vegas Island]

I don't know how bad or old the stains you have are, but try scrubbing in some white foamy shaving cream. Try a test spot first. I've seen this work on regular carpet stains in the past.

 

[NJshadow93]

It's good stuff, I used it on the badly-stained headliner and sun visors in my car. I didn't even wash them beforehand because I didn't want to risk damaging the glue on the headliner but it covered them right up and looks brand new. Also it's not like the headliner will be touched or stepped on regularly so I didn't think it was necessary. I used the black stain and it worked great.

 

[ddnww]

i have done a car before, take a hidden piece of the carpet to an auto paint supply store, they will match the color and can give you a can of dye or spray can.

 

[zimdba]

...Keep in mind that the duplicolor gray is slightly darker than the gray carpet. ....

Do you think that's because your carpet has faded over time? I'm kind of surprised that they don't have the exact color.

 

[macgyver_ga]

Do you think that's because your carpet has faded over time? I'm kind of surprised that they don't have the exact color.

Maybe. However duplicolor only has generic colors. If you want a true match, there's a company called SEM that sells exact factory match interior paint. You can buy it at most autobody supply stores.

 

[gshadow325]

guys something for you to consider before spraying.

take said carpet out. bring it to a self service laundry place.

stick it in the largest washer you can find. let it loose to clean it!

keep it in there after the wash it done. this time wash it in heavy cycle with hot water and dry a couple of redi dye packs in the detergent bins.

just warning, most places frown on this. i have done it this way and it looks nice.

i have also sprayed. the carpet feels rough and crusty. dying keeps the carpet soft

 

[derekdevasia]

So I decided to test it on the carpet mats first before attempting the carpet and it came out excellent actually. It looks a bit discolored in

the pictures but in person it's an even coat and you can't even tell it's painted. If you do paint, DON'T get the duplicolor paint. Go and get the SEM. It's closer to factory, although I was not able to find "factory" match. SEM coats better, it looks better, and it feels better. I can tell it's a higher quality dye. Here are some pictures.

The bottom image is the finished product. The one with the rear carpet mat, is done with duplicator, you can see that the SEM on the top carpet is much better quality.

 

[zopperman]

The bottom image is the finished product. The one with the rear carpet mat, is done with duplicator, you can see that the SEM on the top carpet is much better quality.

Does it feel crunchy or hard at all?

 

[derekdevasia]

No, it's just as soft as the carpet before the painting. What you need to do though, is take a stiff bristle brush, a cheap one will do, and brush it before and after each coat.

 

[walrusmt]

I've power washed before and had good luck. Worth noting that you can buy the whole passenger area carpet new on ebay for 140-160. The cargo area takes the price up but I just painted the cargo with black duplicolor to match new carpet and layed a cargo mat in there.

 

[derekdevasia]

I've power washed before and had good luck. Worth noting that you can buy the whole passenger area carpet new on ebay for 140-160. The cargo area takes the price up but I just painted the cargo with black duplicolor to match new carpet and layed a cargo mat in there.

Where did you find this on eBay? Is it exact fit carpet, like is it molded for our 4runners?