Sharpie, carpet, and Newport...it worked!

[Scoopy G]

Hello gents, here's another update from hot Tampa....

I received the seat fabric from OEMautofabric.com, and the stuff looks first-rate. So I took the seat out and drove it over to the upholstery shop, should have it back in a couple of weeks hopefully.

Meanwhile, I wanted to do something with the carpet. It's in pretty good shape, but has some sun fading. So I asked around, and some guys said spray paint it ( or they called it "dyeing", which sounded too weird for me), and others mentioned RIT dye from the hardware store, but that sounded kinda messy, and would the water-based dye work on the carpet, which I assume is a synthetic.

Well, it turns out that the Sharpie marker is good for more than just falsifying hurricane predictions!! Yes, after I cleaned the carpet last week, I went over the whole thing with a few Magnum Sharpie markers, total cost about 10 bucks, total time maybe an hour and a half. It looks great. The photos don't really do it justice. With the seat back it, it's gonna look brand new. Winning!

 

[Scoopy G]

Oh, one more thing....is there any source for floor mats? And what would the OEM mats have looked like? Cheers from Tampa, Rich

 

[live4theking]

You would've gotten a buzz of those markers too.

 

[Scoopy G]

I got the buzz from the delicious cold Modelos!

 

[73Coupe]

 

[Imperialist67]

Looks good - BLACK is a forgiving color, and you can take advantage of tricks such as this one - looks great. Definitely air it out thoroughly before driving with the windows up!

OEM floor mats for these cars were originally rubber, but replacements are usually carpeted, better than nothing, I guess, but not quite correct OEM replacements.

Hadn't heard of OEM autofabric before, it would be nice to have an alternative to SMS. Good luck with the rest of the interior - looking forward to "after" photos!

 

[MarPar]

Word of caution...make sure the marker is good and dry before setting shoes on it. You may track it all over creation if it is not.

 

[Duncan]

I did that to a black t-shirt years ago. After a washing or two the sharpie black had faded to gray. Don't know what will happen with your carpet, though.

 

[saforwardlook]

Using a Sharpie doesn't make a lot of sense to me. When dyeing a carpet, I just use "vinyl and fabric" spray cans of the color you want, in this case black, and in just a couple minutes you are done with doing an area that size, and it probably will cost way less in the end - and it will last a long time.

 

[Badvert65]

After a while (sun) the black will turn purple/grey. Definitely not fade resistant.
jus sayin......

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

Buyer Beware! Not all Sharpies are created equal!

Just awhile back I was advising someone that was complaining about Sharpies fading and rubbing off plastic that they should get the Sharpies labeled for 'laundry' use as those are waterproof. Now I know well about these from the days of making mp3 CD's and cd/dvd backups, I also know they make special markers for cd/dvd's, tried them, didn't like them went with the laundry Sharpies. I suggested they go to Office Depot and look for the Sharpie package label for laundry use.

Welp, fast forward to today and having a lookee at Office Depot site I see hundreds of different Sharpies nothing marked "Laundry". On one package there was a suggestion to go to Sharpie.com, go there, ooooWeee glitzy web page with 'Classic', 'Specialty', 'Art' & 'Pro', we'll try Pro.

no mention of "Laundry" closest I could see were the 'Industrial'.

I seem to remember the red label.

Hell look at this we got 'Nuclear' Sharpies!
Sharpie T.E.C. (trace element certified) Permanent Markers. Meets requirements for trace element certified ink for the nuclear energy, aerospace, electronics...

Good Luck with your carpet...

 

[Scoopy G]

Once again, sorry I mentioned it...

 

[Duncan]

Don't be sorry, I think we were all just concerned about the long-term permanence! I, for one - but probably am not the only one - hope we are wrong.

 

[Scoopy G]

The deal is that I could spend $250 for a carpet set, but the carpet in the car is in good shape. SO, it seemed perfectly logical (after considering some options) to take a couple of markers and see what would happen. It worked. I'm happy with the result. The ink isn't going to come off on my shoes. There are no fumes. If it fades, well, then I'm no worse off than I was before, and at that point I can try something else.

 

[MarPar]

Just trying to help. Good luck!

 

[John Kirby]

Any info on fabric dye? My carpet has faded due to sun exposure and I would like to make it black again. Otherwise it's in great condition. A spray can version would be ideal.

 

[saforwardlook]

I have had really good results with the SEM brand of vinyl and fabric spray paint. Adheres to vinyl well and works well on carpet too with good fade resistance and coverage.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

Remember this stuff? May be just perfect for the JOB! Fill in the thin spots too!

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