Is your felt hat fading, or do you want to change its color? Well, good news! It is possible to dye it.
This article will take you through a few steps on how to dye a felt hat using acrylic paint colors.
Related Post: How to Change the Color of a Straw Hat?
Step by Step Guide on How to Dye Your Felt Hat With Acrylic Paint
These paints are water-based, non-toxic, and perfectly safe to use.
It is fun and economical to use acrylic paints, and the results will be gorgeous.
You can mix up different colors or use one depending on what you want.
– Tools You Need
- Plastic sheet and masking tape
- Large bucket/bowl that your hat can sink in
- The acrylic paint color/colors of your choice
- Water
- Big wooden spoon
- A hat brush
Step One: Prepare for Dyeing
1. DIY dyeing can be a messy job. Cover your work surface using the plastic sheet and hold down the edges using masking tape.
2. Avoid using paper to cover the area as it will absorb any spillage and create a mess.
3. Put on some disposable gloves to avoid the paint from getting into contact with your skin.
Also, wear an apron or old clothes you don’t mind staining. Ensure there is enough ventilation around where you are working from.
4. Clean the felt hat before dying it. Use a hat brush instead of water to take off all the dirt.
If it has embellishments, take them off before cleaning the hat. You can put them back on after the dyeing process.
Also Read: How to Clean a Visor Hat?
Step Two: It’s Time to Create Your Dye Bath
1. Take your large bucket/bowl and fill it with water. Ensure it can hold enough water to submerge your hat.
However, avoid filling it to the brim, as you can cause a huge mess after dunking your hat in. Choose a vessel that you hardly use in your kitchen.
After choosing the color you want, squirt a small amount into the water and stir thoroughly with the spoon.
Continue adding the paint until you get your desired shade. The more acrylic paint you squirt in the water, the darker your bath and results will be.
2. If you plan to make your shades and are unsure how they might turn out, mix a small amount of the colors on a separate palette first and create your desired shade.
3. Deep a scrap piece of felt in the dye bath to remove the unresolved paint lumps. Failing to do these may lead to uneven results.
Also Read: How to Clean a Hard Hat?
Step Three: Deep Your Felt Hat in the Dye Bath
1. Insert and lower your felt hat in the bath until fully submerged.
For lighter felt hats, leave your hat in overnight for great results. Or up to 24 hours for heavy-duty felt hats.
You can check on your hat from time to time to see if you are getting the desired results.
2. Remove the hat from the dye bath and hold it over the bowl letting the execs liquid drip back into the bath.
3. Once your hat stops dripping, lay it down or hang it over a part of the plastic sheet you had put down before and let it air dry.
This is to avoid cleaning up the dripping dye’s mess as it dries up.
4. It may take up to 12 hours to dry completely.
If you are dyeing more than one felt hat, make sure you leave space in between them as they air dry to avoid the colors from overlapping.
It is not every time you get the results you want with your first try. Repeat the process as much as you can until you get your desired results.
Also Read: How to Distress a Baseball Cap?
How to Recolor a Faded Black Felt Hat
You can paint or dye your faded black felt hat to restore its black color permanently.
However, It is more recommended to dye your hat by overpainting it to get better results.
Like the procedure above, choose black dye color for your dye bath.
Making your felt hat darker is actually easier than when you want to make it brighter.
Repeat the dying process as many times as you can to make your hat look dark enough.
Painting is a better option when you want to retain the hat’s shape.
Also Read: How to Block a Hat?
FAQS
1. What Paint Can Be Used on a Felt Hat?
One can use both fabric and Acrylic paint on a felt hat. Acrylic paint is available in a wide range of colors, it dries up fast, and the results are permanent.
On the other hand, fabric paint adds volume to the hat and can be described as dimensional paint.
2. Can You Spray Paint a Felt Hat?
Yes, you can. Use a solvent-based matte spray as it will dissolve quickly and let your hat dry.
Make sure to cover your work surface with plastic or paper because it can get messy.
These paints may also contain toxic fumes and can be difficult to work with.
3. Can You Paint Your Felt Hat White?
Yes. It is possible to paint your felt hat white. You can use either white fabric or acrylic paint to get this desired color on your felt hat.
And you can decide to paint it with a brush, dye, or spray the color on it.