Ordering
How do I know you have my leather color?
I’m not sure there’s anyone else out there with the color selection that we have on hand. We carry over 3500 formulas and counting. Here’s two realities to take into consideration:
Formulas become more scarce the older the car is. It’s difficult to guarantee a match on vehicles made before 1990, but there’s still a better than average chance. Before 1980? Don’t get your hopes up. Maybe email or text me before you order dye for your 1975 Thunderbird.
Sometimes we get orders for super rare colors for limited run vehicles. Mazda is notorious for doing 1-year limited edition interiors on their Miatas, and the opportunity to develop a formula for some of those rare interiors is even more limited. I’ll either try to find an alternate supplier who carries that formula or it’s possible for us to make a custom color blend for your vehicle.
I entered my VIN and interior information and nothing came up! It just went to the order page!??
Our website is not automated. The information you supply will be used to research and select the appropriate dye for your vehicle. If we have any questions, we’ll make sure to call or email you.
How do you guarantee a match?
It’s essentially impossible to guarantee an absolute match. Dye lots are significantly less consistent than exterior paints. That being said, we have a match the vast majority of the time. If it needs some adjustment, usually we can ship you some toner pigment to adjust the color.
What’s your turnaround time?
We try not to over-promise fulfillment times. Short answer is, 2-4 days, depending on current workload. If you’re needing a same-day / next-day turnaround, please upgrade to Priority Shipping, we try to prioritize those shipments on a daily basis.
I need this tomorrow! Can you help me?
Possibly. Text or email us and we’ll see what we can do.
Can I use the dye on trim and/or my steering wheel?
We have far less data on contrast trim and steering wheels than we do on the leather seats. Many times we have a match. If the steering wheel is the same color as the seats, we can definitely make dye for it. Please make a note on the order because we formulate steering wheel dye slightly differently to improve adhesion and feel.
If the steering wheel or trim color is different than the seats, please contact us to see if we have a possible match.
Do you do custom color matches for rare interiors or for furniture?
Yes. We will need to be mailed a piece of matching material, at least 1.5 inches square. The custom matching fee is $25, plus the cost of the dye. We don’t invoice unless a match can be made, and use PayPal for invoicing. Please contact us for more information.
Can I use your dyes for a color change?
Yes you can — please be advised that it’s easier to go from a lighter color to a darker color (for example, Beige to Black) than to go from a darker color to a lighter one (like Black to Beige). Also, reds are unique — going from a red to any other color, or doing a color change to a red can produce inconsistent results. Our recommendation on any color change project: Make sure to test a color change project on a piece of trim or an armrest first, to make sure it’s producing the results you expect, before proceeding with the rest of the interior.
If I order a 16oz bottle, will you send me 8oz of one color and 8oz of another? Or 14oz of one color and 2oz of the other color?
No. Please order one bottle per color you’re needing. Our minimum bottle size is 4oz.
Do you offer returns / exchanges?
As a policy, we do not. However, is there is a mismatch or a color ordered in error, please feel free to contact us. We’re often able to help a customer process an exchange for a better match.
Do you take phone orders?
We do not. If you do not have internet access to place an order, please have a friend or family member with access help you with the order process.
Why won’t you answer the phone???
Fairly frequently, we get more contact requests (calls / texts / emails / form submissions) than we can keep up with — it’s far faster to get a response over text or email than a phone request.
How much dye do I need for my project?
Approximate coverage is about 1 square foot per ounce of dye.
4oz - will touch up about 2-4 seats, or dye one entire chair.
8oz - will dye two entire chairs, or touch up a 4-door sedan.
16oz - will dye a 4-door vehicle.
32oz - will dye a 4-door or 3rd row vehicle, along with associated consoles and door panels.
Do I need the clear topcoat?
Leather dye is already 85% clear base to 15% pigment, so you should have full coverage and protection after 3 or 4 light coats. The topcoat will offer extra protection, but unless you’re dealing with a premature wear situation, it's often overkill. I'd recommend fixing the dye coat first and see if it's holding up to expectations. You can always decide to purchase and apply the topcoat later.
How much clear topcoat do I need for my project?
A general rule of thumb is you’ll likely need half as much clear topcoat as dye, so if you’re ordering 8oz of dye, 4oz of clear topcoat should be sufficient, and if you’re ordering 16oz of dye, 8oz of topcoat should be enough.
Do you sell larger sizes of your crack filler than 1/2oz?
We do not — if your vehicle’s leather requires more than a 1/2oz of crack filler across the entire interior, there’s probably severe enough damage present that you should consider replacing the seat covers, rather than repair them.
What do I need for preparation and application of the dye? Do you sell those products?
Prep: Clean lint free rags / leather cleaner / water-based solvent like Simple Green or Clorox Green works / rubbing alcohol (50% or less)
Application: Foam paint brushes work best for most application needs. If you have an airbrush or an HVLP lying around, that can be used for application as well, but unless you’re doing a color change on every surface in the car, I wouldn’t recommend buying an airbrush just for the project. Some customers use a Preval sprayer if they’re working on a large surface area.
We just sell the crack filler, dye, and topcoat — the items needed for preparation and application are household items you may already have in your garage, and we couldn’t wholesale these items for less than you can pick them up at your local hardware store.
Shipment
What’s your turnaround time?
We are mixing bottles all day Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Priority Mail and Overnight orders get prioritized by us, so we will try to get an express order out on Mondays and Wednesday’s. We try not to over-promise that though. Short answer, 1-3 days, depending on current workload. Not to toot our own horn, but we still have the fastest turnarounds in the business.
Where do you ship?
Free shipping within the continental United States. We ship worldwide. Standard international rates apply.
How are the dyes shipped?
We ship in bubble mailers. We’ve found them to be the most effective packaging to keep the bottles safe while USPS drop-kicks them across the country. We ship using United States Postal Service, First Class with tracking for normal orders, and we also offer Priority Mail shipping (1-3 day shipping time) and Priority Mail Express (usually overnight, but occasionally 2-days for very rural areas).
My bottle exploded in shipment! What the heck?!
We try to package the bottles as safely and well-sealed as possible, but the Postal Service doesn’t seem to have a “DONT drop-kick my packages” option to select. Let us know if this happens, and we’ll take care of you.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes we do — please note that there are no guarantees on transit times on international shipments. Sometimes our packages get stuck in customs for several weeks (even when shipping to Canada). This appears to be due to us shipping non-flammable liquids, which takes extra processing time to clear.
Before Application
It doesn’t look like the bottle leaked, but it’s not full. What the heck?!
Leather dye is measured by weight, not by volume. 113 grams of leather dye can be about 3.7-4.2 fluid ounces of dye, depending on the color. Reds are more dense than blacks, yellow is watery, blue is almost a paste. Regardless, you will still get about 1 square foot of coverage per ounce. You’ll get what you paid for, we promise!
Do I need leather filler for all cracks?
Unless it’s super deep or has already progressed into a tear, I recommend simply rubbing in dye to the crack. You’ll not only effectively conceal the crack by restoring color to the crack, but you’ll protect it from further damage from UV rays or moisture. If you really want to fill in light cracks, try our Leather Crack Filler. It’s great.
What leather cleaners do you recommend before I touch up the seats?
First, as long as you’re avoiding ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners, you’re probably safe. NEVER take acetone to leather (I not only thumbs-down YouTube videos that recommend acetone, I try to report them. It’s leather abuse!) Acetone dries out the rawhide so fast, and can prevent conditioner from soaking in later on. Denatured and isopropyl alcohol can sometimes be used as a leather prep and cleaner, but in sparing amounts only. I personally use a 50/50 blend of alcohol to distilled water, but it can dry out leather and pull up existing good finish. At least denatured alcohol-treated leather can still take leather conditioner later though.
Second, I recommend a “use what you have” philosophy. If you have a leather cleaner in your garage, great! I personally use Lexol every day, but Mother’s and Meguiars work great too.
If you have a water based or organic cleaner like Simple Green, Clorox Greenworks, Meyers, Seventh Generation, those work great too.
Usually the best way to prep the seats is a thorough scrub with a leather cleaner or a water-based cleaner, and then a light prep with some rubbing alcohol.
Should I scrub my seat with a Scotchbrite pad?
Maybe. You’d be surprised how many contaminants are still on the seat, even if you have your car detailed regularly. Scrubbing with a green Scotchbrite pad can help, but you want to be absolutely careful you don’t strip the existing good finish while you do that. I’ve used the “non-abrasive” blue pads before, and while there’s less of a chance of stripping the finish, it can happen with that too.
Do I need to sand the repair area?
On leather, not usually. While it’s true that sanding will improve adhesion, most of the time you’re good to go if the leather is already clean and prepped for new color.
On vinyl, sanding is a good idea, as it is only a topcoat and won’t soak in like it will on leather. A light sand with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper is sufficient.
Application
Do you sell leather crack filler?
I get this question from people at various stages of their leather restoration process, that's why I'm answering this question several times.
Yes we do! You can check it out here: Leather Crack Filler
How do I know what needs crack filler and what just needs dye?
The crack filler will adhere to dyed sections as well as bare cracks — you can always float on a light coat or two of dye, and then you’ll be able to tell what just needed a little color and what needs crack filler.
I’m going to rub in some color to some light cracks in the leather. What kind of towel or cloth should I use?
Scott’s lint-free paper towels work well. A lint-free microfiber cloth can work well too, but be advised that leather dye will ruin the rag.
Will leather dye work on perforated leather?
Yes, leather dye is quite thin and won’t clog the holes in your perforated leather. That being said, it’s probably a good idea to have a toothpick handy in case any bubbles form in the perforations. More recently, we're seeing some perforated leather seats with contrast colors inside the holes (example, black seats with the inside of the perforations dyed red), and even further care is required to avoid filling in the perforations with dye.
How do I avoid dyeing the thread / stitchwork / piping?
The best advice I can give is "be careful" -- the leather is stitched AFTER it's dyed at the factory, so trying to touch up without hitting the stitching is tough. Masking off the stitching can help, but dye can still occasionally leech under the tape if it’s not tightly applied.
That being said, just keep a damp rag around. usually the thread is nylon, and it doesn't easily absorb dye. if you accidentally get a little dye on the thread you should be able to wipe it off before it soaks in.
I’m going to sponge on some color, what kind of paint sponge should I use?
For very small scuffs or damage, a foam cosmetic wedge works well.
For larger areas, a foam paint brush works great.
Remember to dab on, don’t apply in brushstrokes, as streaking can occur.
It’s very hot here, does that affect dry times?
It can. If you’re finding that the dye is drying too fast, you can thin it slightly with distilled water.
It’s very cold here, does that affect dry times?
It can. If you’re finding that the dye is dry too slow, you can apply extra heat with a hair dryer on low heat / low air to hasten dry times.
I applied a second coat, and it pulled up the first coat! What the heck?!
Looks like you may need to extend the dry time. If the second coat is pulling up the first coat, the dye wasn’t fully dry yet.
I’m using a Preval, but it won’t pull up the dye. What do I do?
The dye can be thinned slightly with distilled water. I recommend a thimble-full at a time, as a little water can start thinning the dye pretty quickly.
Can I use an airbrush or an HVLP?
Absolutely — I use an airbrush every day for service calls, and I’ve also had customers use either existing airbrushes and HVLPs and have great results.
Here’s a couple examples of airbrushs that can work:
Badger Airbrush - https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Company-Basic-Spray/dp/B0006MZPLG
Harbor Freight HVLP - https://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html
Leather dye is water-based and pretty thin to begin with, so most airbrushes will feed the dye without any thinning needed — if it needs to be thinned to feed through your airbrush, usually no more than a tablespoon water per 4oz of dye is sufficient.
The initial coat looks way off! What do I do?
First thing, we always recommend testing the dye in an inconspicuous area first.
If you’ve applied dye and it’s the wrong color, you can pull up the dye using any of the solvents mentioned in the Preparation section and a Scotchbrite pad. Then contact us, we can help you figure out the best course of action. In the same vein, we do not warranty against damage to the existing seat surface if you apply dye to the entire panel or seat before realizing it’s not a match.
What is the cure time on the dye?
Give the repair areas at least 48 hours to cure out the rest of the moisture in the dye. The seats will be dry to touch about an hour after the final coat, but you want to be extra careful with the dyed areas for a couple days. This can be a slightly longer time in colder seasons or climates.
Aftercare
Can I buff the seat after I apply the dye?
Yes. A light buff with a slightly dampened cloth two days after the final coat will help.
Will the dye come off on my clothing?
Once the dye has fully cured, it’s as much part of the leather as the original coat was. It will not come off onto your clothing. That being said, be very careful not to get any moisture on the repair area for the first couple days after application while the dye is curing out.
When can I resume cleaning & conditioning the seats after application of dye?
You can resume normal cleaning and conditioning of the seats about 2 weeks after the final coat. Ammonia or alcohol based cleaners aren’t recommended — leather cleaners such as Lexol or Meguiars leather cleaners are safe on leather and topcoats. Lexol and Meguiars also make leather conditioners, but your personal preference for a leather cleaner should be fine as well.
Will the dye wear off?
That depends on a variety of factors. Leather dye should last at least two years with regular use after application before requiring further touch up. It often lasts much longer. Wear patterns and care determine how long the dye will last.
How long will a bottle last on the shelf?
Typically about a year, possibly longer in an airtight, temperature controlled environment. The additives in the dye tend to separate and curdle after a year in the bottle, and then will permanently separate from the dye. If your dye is starting to look like cottage cheese, you may need to toss it and order a fresh bottle.
Wow! You’ve answered all my questions and now I’m ready to pick up some touch up dye for my vehicle!
Happy to help! You can go to the homepage by Clicking This Link if you know exactly which color you need for the Make and Model of your vehicle, otherwise click on this link for VIN-matched dye. When you order on that page, a form will pop up allowing you to enter all the vehicle details needed to research and match to your vehicle. Thanks for reading this wall of text!
You’re Welcome!