Hello! Things have been a bit crazy and I've been meaning to undertake this project since the middle of summer. It's only when boot season came around that I really felt the urgency to finally commit: I was going to dye my beloved 2-tone Steve Madden boots black. I grew tired of the 2-tone: I thought I was real smart when, instead of choosing between black and brown, 3 years ago, I chose both. But in the meantime, I acquired a pair of brown riding boots AND a pair of tan riding boots, so these guys became irrelevant. Until a *need* for black riding boots emerged. Dying genuine leather boots is extremely simple and if you have been thinking about it, don't hesitate. It's almost foolproof!
What you need:
- Sponges
- Wool daubers
- Leather Dye (oil-based)
- Acrylic Resolene
- Deglazer
Oh and I strongly recommend:
- A pair of gloves (either rubber gloves or latex gloves)
- Newspaper (I didn't have any, I used a puppy pad since my "puppy" is 65 pounds... and obviously potty-trained by now! These are super absorbent!)
- A cotton cloth
- Paper towels (just in case)
- A disposable plastic container
Do not wear nice clothes. The oil dye is extremely runny! I also recommend doing this outside if it isn't too cold, the smell is pretty strong.
Steps (once you've placed your boots on newspaper):
1. Use a cotton cloth with some deglazer. Remove the finish from the leather you want to dye by rubbing it with deglazer. This step wasn't very long for me since I only wanted to dye the top part of the boot.
2. Pour some of your oil dye in a plastic (disposable) container. Be careful! (I was not).
3. Dip a wool dauber in the dye. Soak it up entirely and rub it on the leather, as if it were a paintbrush. Cover the surface entirely. Do not forget seams and little corners. I also made sure I covered the edge of the leather, and I also went under the strap. You can press harder over the seam.
4. Let the dye dry for about 30 minutes. This is what it looked like after one coat.
5. Add another coat of dye if needed (in my case, it was: I could still see the brown leather underneath).
6. Let dry for another 30 minutes or so.
7. Use a sponge to apply a very thin coat of resolene in circular movements. If it looks too white, it means you are using too much. You can easily rub off the excess with a paper towel. If like me you are only dyeing a part of your boot, still apply resolene to the entire boot for an even finish.
8. Let dry, and you are done!
This is the result, after a couple wears! Awesome!
I ordered my products online at
Tandy Leather, a Denver-based leather craft shop. It was cheap and easy, I definitely recommend!
Do you have any leather goods you want to dye? Have you ever dyed leather? Suede? Clothing? How did you do it?
