Our Guide To Dyeing Leather Bags At Home

If you’re looking to restore a leather bag at home or maybe you’re not keen on the colour anymore, you might be wondering how to dye a leather bag at home.

To dye your leather bag, you will need to pick from acid dye, regular dye or another type, prepare the leather then rub the dye over the material with a cloth, after this you then have to condition and finish the leather.

Down below we’ve made a small guide which will take you through why you should dye leather bags, and types of leather dyes as well as a step-by-step on how to do it.

Why Should I Dye My Leather Bag?

If you’ve decided you want to dye your leather handbags this could be for many reasons, we’ve listed some reasons as to why you might want to dye your leather bag down below.

• It’s expensive to replace them – Rather than just replace a bag because the colour has faded, it makes more sense to just re-dye it back to the original colour.
• You want to change the colour – Maybe you don’t like the colour of leather your bag has and you want to brighten it up or darken it.
• The colour has faded – It is inevitable that over time, the colour of your leather will fade due to direct sunlight and heat. This means at some point your leather might need a new coat of dye.
• It’s creative – You can get creative with lots of different shades of dye on your leather item, making different patterns and colours.

Types Of Leather Dyes 

If you’ve decided to dye your leather purse or bag, you will be faced with a wide variety of different coloured dyes.

We’ve listed the different types of leather dye down below to help you out.

• Basic dye – Basic leather dyes give darker colors of leather and are most commonly used for the dyeing of leather.
• Acid dye – Acid dyes give you more color range than basic dyes, allowing you to dye your leather pastel colours and reds, it normally takes around 15 minutes or more.
• The sun – The sun can act as a natural dye for leather, simply leave your item out in sunlight for around 45 minutes to get a natural tan and lightening of the leather.
• Sulfur dye – These offer a deep dye rather than a light layer and will not wash off or fade in the sun.

Color Combinations For Leather

It can often be hard to find a suitable leather dye in the right colour, which can often mean you have to mix colours to get the right shade, we’ve listed some popular color combos down below to help you out. 

• Black – Yellow, red and blue. 
• Orange – Red and yellow.
• Green – Blue and yellow.
• Gray – Violet and green.
• Violet – Red and blue.
• Brown – Violet and orange.

Our Step By Step Guide To Dyeing Leather

Dyeing leather is more simple than you think once you’ve chosen the colour dye that you want to create. 

We’ve listed the step-by-step process down below. 

Prepare The Workspace

• Step one – Choose a ventilated area to start dying your piece of leather to get air ventilation from the toxic fumes and wear appropriate safety equipment like rubber gloves.
• Step two – Layer a plastic sheet over the surface that you will be dying on and make sure your leather dye is at the appropriate temperature, neither too hot nor cold.
• Step three – Have some cotton swabs on hand to get to the corners with your dye and have the appropriate conditioner, leather, dye and finish on hand.

Prepare Your Leather & Dye

• Step four – Clean the leather well taking off any oil, you can also spread a light natural conditioner like olive oil at this stage to help the dye sink when we apply it.
• Step five – Next we need to dilute the dye to make a lighter shade, make sure to match how you are diluting the colour with the type, for example, an alcohol-based dye should be lightened with a matching oil.
• Step six – Take your dye with a soft cotton rag and apply it in a circular motion to the surface, let the dye touch dry before adding your second layer.
• Step seven – Now it’s time to hydrate your leather again. Chemicals in dye can often dry out the natural material of leather and re-hydrate the material using a circular motion. 
• Step eight – Next seal the leather with some resolene to help protect it from the elements.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dyeing Leather Bags At Home

What can I use as a natural leather conditioner? 

As a natural leather conditioner, you can use olive oil, coconut oil and wax.

How do I restore cracked leather?

To restore cracked leather you will normally need to fill the cracks with a leather filler, for deeper cracks you might need to use a dye to help it blend.

What can I use as a natural leather dye?

The sun, strong coffee and even berries could be used as a natural leather dye, however, they might wear off quickly.

Why does patent leather go sticky?

Patent leather can go sticky for several reasons, one could be too much sunlight, moisture or applying too much conditioner.

Final Words

To conclude, to dye leather bags at home, you will first need to pick the type of dye that you want then clean the bag and apply lots of leather colour with a soft cloth. Be sure to condition the leather skin after to keep it supple since chemicals can dry the material out.