Dying Faux leather?

[ERen89]

I am trying to make a vest for my current project and was wondering if it was at all possible to properly dye faux leather?

This is what I have



this is the color I would like to obtain while keeping that same texture appearance (its a dark dark brown just in case it is hard to see)
I basically want to just darken it a bunch with it still remaining to be brown and not black

 

[Matakin]

the only way I can think of dying faux leather is Nu-Life leather spray.

 

[Heatshock]

its possible.

each country has its variants - but its basically paint specifically used to re-vitalise old leather upholstery

this is the version I used in the UK


its often comes with a prep solution which I suspect is acetone based to remove the protective layer ontop of most leather. What ever the prep - follow the instructions provided with your paint STRICTLY

I used it to dye a white leather jacker red


it needed 3 to 4 applications to get a smooth finish. The finish was much better than I expected. The leather remained supple and paint was fully flexible.

results on faux leather were less exiciting


it looks ok, but took far longer to completely dry and remained a little tacky for ages. Eventually however, it went dry to touch

 

[charades]

Technically you can't dye faux leather because it's essentially plastic. You can only paint it. Paint won't chemically bond to the faux leather so it can rub or wash away eventually. If you're ok with that then you have some options such as the above, also a product from dharmatrading.com called iDye Poly.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

Classic car repair supply dealerships have paints that will bond perfectly with vinyl upholstery. If you're lucky, the pleather you have is compatible with those, so that'd be your best bet. I have successfully colored vinyl armrests in cars with perfect results.

 

[faille]

I used the Nu-Life spray in gold to paint some pleather boots. Haven't put them through the paces yet as far as durability, but it looks amazing and covered very well.

 

[Twananas]

If it's polyester/nylon (probably is) try iDye Poly from Jacquard. Works well. It does need a boiling dye bath.

You can mix the dye in a jar and only use the amount you need and keep the rest.

 

[ERen89]

I will check out all these options.

If this would change the approach, I guess I can say I just really want to darken it, not necessarily dye it. Make it a much darker brown. If there were ways to darken as opposed to dying, I am open to suggestions

 

[Contec]

How about just use spray paint it darker? Maybe with a airbrush .

 

[JOATRASH FX]

How about just use spray paint it darker? Maybe with a airbrush .

If he doesn't use paint specially formulated for vinyl, it'll flake and crack with age.

Either way... is there a reason that simply buying some new, darker pleather isn't an option? I mean... it isn't that expensive... paints and dyes aren't free and it would mean going through a LOT of hassle and still setting up for possible disappointment.