Change the hue of some old suede shoes with this simple dyeing technique.
Recently, I found this really dapper pair of shoes in the back of my closet that have literally never been worn. About ten-years old and from Aerosoles, they’ve got a really timeless design, very 1940s or 1970s (depending on your viewpoint) with peep toes, platforms, and silver nailhead studs. But alas, I never found a time or place to show them off so they have since languished in their original box for nearly a decade (and I’ve moved four times since buying them).
These days, I don’t often wear earthtones and when it comes to fancy dress, I almost exclusively wear black and white. So these brown pumps just don’t fit in. But rather than send them to the Goodwill, I decided to make them over. Because suede is really easy to dye, you just need the right tools and products to get the job done.
Newspaper (or similar to cover your workspace)
Suede brush
Wool dauber — size 1/2″ or 3/4″ diameter
Kelly’s Suede Dye
Inexpensive round bristle craft/paintbrush (I used a size 4)
1 — Cover your workspace with newspaper.
2 — Brush your shoes with a suede brush to loosen any surface dirt or dust.
3 — Dip your dauber into the bottle of dye and lightly saturate, but don’t soak it to the point of drippage. Tap off any excess dye.
4 — Swipe the dauber along the suede parts of a shoe. Use it like a paintbrush, employing long, even strokes. Continue, dipping the dauber back into the dye as needed, until the original color of your shoes is covered. If the heels are also suede, don’t forget to paint them too (especially the part beneath the soles, which is easy to forget). Repeat the process with the other shoe.
5 — Using your paintbrush, touch up all the areas that the dauber might have missed — usually this means along seams and around laces or hardware.
6 — Allow shoes to dry for a few hours.
7 — Again, brush your shoes with the suede brush. This will life the nap and bring it back to life.
8 — Look at the shoes in natural light. Is the color even? Is it as dark as you want it? If not, re-dye. It took me three coats of the black stuff to get these shoes to the color I wanted. But now, they are officially ready for prime time.
Keep in mind:
Don’t forget to clean your tools as soon as you are done. Rinse them off in warm water with dish detergent before the dye has time to set in (this is also why we use cheap tools, right?).
This only works if you are dyeing your shoes a darker shade. Also, the dye isn’t opaque, so you also have to be mindful of where you started — putting blue over red will not make purple, but will be a nice shade of mud.
If you don’t want the soles to get dye on them, cover them with tape (mine were already black so it didn’t matter).
Although I didn’t have to do this, consider stuffing the shoes with paper before getting started, especially if your shoes or boots lace up. This will fill out any creases or bends in the upper, creating a more even surface.
If there is any hardware, either tape it up or wipe it fast. My shoes had a gazillion little silver studs on them so it would have been impossible to cover or dye around. So anytime I swiped them with the dauber, I quickly dabbed them with a paper towel to remove any wet dye.
If you do find any dry errant dye on a buckle or stud, it can be scrapped off. Just use the back end of a paint brush or pointy orange stick.
