advice on Dying curtains

carrieparkinson

morning all
just looking for a bit of advice please.
i have just moved onto a house a few weeks ago and it has to be fully redecorated. but being on a stupidly low budget im trying to save as much money as possible....
when we were in the process of signing for the house, OH came across 2pairs of 100% cotton chocolate coloured curtains for £5 a pair from a charity shop (still in orig packet , unopened) so bought them. so since we moved in, we have had them up at the two small back windows in the living room. we have now repainted the room and now they dont match the colour scheme (black and white) so rather than have to rebuy 3 sets of new curtains (theres a large window at the front, have to buy new curtains for anyway)would it be possible for me to buy a dylon and dye the chocolate brown curtains, black? they arent lined nor anything fancy , just plain brown, tab topped cotton curtains.. i think originally from tesc0s...

i really dont want to spend a lot of money on lots of new curtains!

thanks in advance

carrieparkinson

anybody?

in a nutshell, would it be possible to dye plain brown 100% cotton curtains, with a dylon to turn them black and it not be a disaster?

ruthber

I think it should be possible to dye them black. I have dyed curtains before, as long as you go for a darker colour than original should be OK, but I guess there is always a risk of streaks?

carrieparkinson

thanks for the replies:)

they may go i had same decor as you in my last house and had a brown carpet, but the large front window in the same room in the new house will have plain black curtains up , would look odd...:/

what do you thinks the better way to die them, in the washer of by hand???

Emm-in-a-pickle

You should be fine dyeing cotton to a darker colour. Just make sure you have bought enough dye and salt. You need to weigh the curtains to work this out. I`ve used dye in washing machine before and it was fine. Just follow instructions.

GreyQueen

If they are cotton, and you are going from brown to black, it should be possible to do this with Dylon machine dyes.

These are the reasons I personally would choose not to do so, and I speak as someone who had dyed many a thing.

1. You'll need several packs of dye, plus salt. The salt is cheap enough, but the dyes will cost more than other secondhand curtains, particularly if you can get yourself to a bootsale. There should be plenty starting soon.

2. You'll have to run your washer several times for each dye batch; you're looking at the minimum of 3 per batch, and depending on the weight of the curtain, you may not be able to get both halves of a pair in a batch. The washes, including the one which you flush the machine with empty, will have to be hot. This will be energy intensive.

3. Dylon dyes are good quality and I'm typing this wearing a cotton shirt dyed two years ago by one of their machine dyes. It hasn't faded despite being worn every week and washed lots. But they're several quid each and you'll need to weigh your curtains and follow the instructions on the pack to make sure you have enough dye. You'll need several packs.

4. Even cotton garments and cotton curtains are commonly sewn with polyester thread, which won't take the new colour. The result may look naff or interesting, depending on the accuracy of the stitching and your personal view.

5. Black and red dyes have the smallest molecules and are the most fugitive (prone to running) and you will be having a black dyed curtain up in the window exposed to the bleaching effects of sunlight. I'm not saying it will fade streakily but I wouldn't be surprised if it did, depending on the orientation of the windows towards the sun.

For all of those reasons, not to mention my time, I wouldn't personally dye those curtains, but would look out for other second hand ones. I think you will find it works out cheaper, that it's less work and that the long term outcome will be better.

But that's just one person's opinion, and you must do whatever you feel happiest with. Good luck.

prowla

carrieparkinson wrote: »

advice on Dying curtains

Just give them a decent burial.

booter

I agree with some of GreyQueen's advice to a certain extent. However, I have now used Dylon's machine dye on 3 occasions now, all black and my advice would differ slightly

You'll need one pack of machine dye per 500g of fabric. But salt is no longer needed for the machine dye. The dyes cost around £2.99 from Home Bargains so if one curtain weighs 500g, then 4 curtains would cost £12 to £14 in dye. Curtains bought from a bootsale or charity shop (if you could get some in the right colour/size) would need to cost less than this.

I agree that the washer has to be run 3 times per dye load - one to dye, one to wash and although it's not suggested on the instructions, I always run another quick wash (empty) with a bit of bleach, just to make sure any residual colour in the drum is gone. But the washes don't have to be hot - 40 degrees for dying and washing, and 30 quick wash for rinsing.

I agree that the Dylon dyes are good quality and quite long lasting. But you won't necessarily need several packs - it all depends on the weight of the curtains. And as stated, they're £2.99 (ish!) at Home Bargains or 2 for £7 at Wilko at the mo.

Polyester stitching - yep! - my "new" black jeans just didn't look right with the orange stitching

There will always be an element of fading through sunlight - no matter what colour the curtains are - although I'd agree that there would be a risk of uneven fading.

I'm not having a pop at you, GreyQueen - your advice is sound and thorough, dependant upon the type of dye used . This is the one I've used recently http://www.dylon.co.uk/products/dyes/wash-dye/velvet-black-3/#.Uz8A2rtwZok and the instuctions explain all

And an example of the cost of new curtains http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-plain-canvas-unlined-belt-top-curtains/792-0972.prd?pageLevel=&showRvSkuImage=true&rvSku=213-0719&selectedVariantValue=Black

So, £24 for 2 sets, or potentially £12 - £14 for enough dye to do 2 sets - with uncertain results. I'm lazy so I'd probably buy new - using clubcard vouchers

GreyQueen

No worries, booter, no 'pops' interpreted.

I'm pleased to know those sources of Dylon dyes as last time I got the machine ones it was circa £5. We haven't got Home Bargains here but we do have Wilkos, so I shall store that in mind.

I am very impressed with how my Dylon machine dyed cotton shirt has stood up to probably 100+ and wear out of doors in bright sunlight without fading, so I consider the product to be very good. The fabric is wearing out but the colour is unchanged.

I guess it's ultimately how much trouble the OP wants to go to, as well as the cost of the dye and the energy to run the machine. I'm on a water meter so I would be factoring water into my costings if I were to be doing it myself.

I've found lovely curtains secondhand as cheap as 50p a pair for cotton velvet, so wouldn't spend too much effort on making over ones, but each to our own, hey?

booter

Ah, yes a water meter would make me re-consider dying that much

Just as an added thought, if the op is any good with a sewing machine, it might be easier/cheaper to get some black fabric make a couple of sets - if they have a local market especially. A friend of mine once bought a load of purple flat sheets from a closing down sale (they wanted purple ) and made 2 sets of tab tops, with lining. Apart from time, they cost very little. (although they were quite lightweight )

carrieparkinson

hi
thanks for the replies.
id forgotten about the stitching... :eek:

the curtains weigh next to nothing as theyre that thin i can see throught them when closed....

i am liking the curtains in the link though... clubcards due to reset soon isnt it??