Painting carpet is really a thing. Most people are unaware that you can paint as it seems kind of counterintuitive. You spend years trying to keep stains off the carpet and now you can paint it? Yes, you can—and it looks pretty good when it’s done right.
Carpet is more than accommodating of paint, dyes, or even spray paint. You can paint your carpet with a wide range of colors in a variety of ways. It’s not the standard paint that you put on walls but it’s just as effective and long-lasting.
This is especially useful if you want to save on the costs of completely replacing your carpet, if you’re tired of the original color, or if you want to thoroughly clean and replace your carpet’s stained and old look with something fresh and vibrant.
How Does Painting a Carpet Work?
It’s not the same as painting walls. If your carpet has a very dark look, such as dark grey, black, or midnight blue, it’s more difficult to paint it a bright and vibrant color. The reverse is easier, such as painting a white or cream carpet dark grey.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t paint a dark carpet a brighter color, just that is more difficult. Changing a dark color to a bright one may take a little longer and it may not reach the bright color that you’re anticipating.
Painting a dark wall is a matter of adding more coats until you get the bright color you want. With carpet, it doesn’t quite work like that. You also have to paint it a very particular way, to avoid the hardening that dried paint may cause on the ends of the carpet fibers.
You also need a specific kind of paint. Heading to the hardware store and grabbing a can of red acrylic and a couple of rollers isn’t going to do it.
How to Set Up
Don’t use any kind of acrylic or oil-based paints. They will clump up and give your carpet a crunchy tactile feel that you especially won’t like if you’re not wearing shoes or socks. You will get the best consistency across the board by using spray paint.
If you have really long carpet fibers, dying your carpet will probably be the better choice, rather than spray painting it or using another paint application method. Only wool and nylon carpet fibers can be effectively dyed, so that’s something that you need to find out if you don’t already know.
Before you get started, move all of the furniture out of the room, leaving nothing behind.
Masking
You will need to purchase enough masking tape to cover your baseboards. You will want to mask from the bottom of the baseboard to about one foot up. It’s overkill, but it will ensure that you don’t get any paint on the walls.
Depending on which way the door opens into the room, you will need to mask the bottom of the door as well. If you only want to do sections of the floor, use your masking tape to mark out these sections rather than trying to paint the shape.
Vacuum Thoroughly
You need to give the room the best vacuum it’s ever had before. Be very thorough and make sure that the fibers are absolutely clean and free of dirt. It’s a good idea to do a full carpet cleaning regimen or steam clean it as well.
The cleaner the carpet fibers, the better the paint will adhere and the longer it will last. Most of your local stores and even some grocery stores will have a cleaning vacuum that you can rent and return and they are relatively inexpensive.
Painting Your Carpet
You will paint the carpet in the same way that you would a wall. Work the spray can from one direction to the other, 4” to 6” away from the carpet. Overlap your original pattern each time you make another pass.
Don’t move on to the next pass unless you are happy with the result and the amount of coverage. This means you might have to make a few angled passes. However, don’t keep the can still as you spray or too much paint will end up in a single spit, creating clotting issues.
Once you are finished, wait at least 10 hours before adding on another coat. Be sure that it is completely dry before you walk on it or touch it.
Dying Your Carpet
Dying your carpet is just an offhand way of painting it. The ultimate goal, of course, is to change the color and it’s much easier to dye the carpet when you are dealing with really long fibers. With long fibers, no amount of spray paint, rolling, or paint brushes will cover everything down to the roots.
Just as you would for a paint job, remove all of the furniture from the room and mask up just the baseboards. You don’t have to go as high as a foot unless you are concerned about spills and splashing.
Thoroughly vacuum, shampoo, and/or steam clean the carpet and allow for some time for it to completely dry. You don’t want to dye or paint your carpet if it is damp. Test your dye on a small part of the carpet that’s out of the way, just to ensure it’s going to look right.
Pour your carpet dye into a spray bottle and work your way from one corner of the room out. Spray thoroughly and use a scrub brush to rub the liquid into the fibers. When you have completely dyed the entire carpet, all you need to do is give it some time to dry before you walk on it again.
All Things Considered
Painting your carpet is not a difficult task nor is it something that you can’t do. There are plenty of options out there, including various paints and dyes that are more than enough for the task. Just be sure that your carpet is completely clean before starting and enjoy your handiwork at the end of the day.
