Before dyeing our shoes we must be clear if what we want is to repair the color of the leather, which has suffered scratches, wear or discoloration, repigmenting it in the same original color and thus return a uniform color and appearance, or change the color of our shoes even from dark to light colors, whether leather or canvas.
First of all we see that a repigmentation with a shoe repairing dye is much easier to carry out. At Tarrago we recommend two essential products specially created for this purpose: Tarrago Self Shine Color Dye and Tarrago Quick Color, both standing out for their great variety in the color chart; 84 plus 6 metallic colors.
Due to their high covering power, applying these shoe repairing dyes is simple, as they are for domestic use and are not harmful to health or the environment.
Thanks to the association of coloring resins and a beeswax emulsion, these products penetrate deeply, restoring the original tone and nourishing our footwear at the same time.
As always, it is enough to follow the instructions of the technical data sheet of each product, clean the shoes well of dust or grease and respect the drying times.
It will be somewhat more complicated to dye our shoes with a color different from the original, it is a more complicated process that requires following a few more steps.
Dyeing Process
The most important part of shoe dyeing is the preparation of the leather. It is essential to clean and remove finishes prior to application.
First you have to rub with a gray fiber / scotch brite type pad soaked in Tarrago Super Deglazer. This product, thanks to its stripping power, opens the pores of the leather, facilitating the subsequent anchoring and fixing of the shoe dye. In the case of not difficult and not so deteriorated finishes, you can also use the Tarrago Preparer (included in the double presentation of Tarrago Color Dye), its formulation is less aggressive and will provide a good result.
Application
To achieve a satisfactory dyeing we recommend the following steps:
First, paint with the brush the areas that are difficult to access, for example, the joint between the sole and the leather, stitching, etc. with Tarrago Self Shine Color Dye to dye the rest of the surface, it can be applied with sponge. Apply with the brush a small amount on the sponge and rub gently in a circular motion, applying a very thin layer.
- Perform this operation until the sponge is almost dry. Without adding more dye, you can give soft strokes on the dyed area to even out the color, without trying to cover transparencies. When it is necessary, replace with another brushstroke on the sponge.
- Once the first coat has been applied, let it dry and apply a second coat repeating the previous process. If necessary, a third coat can be applied to achieve the desired finish.
- Proceed immediately to clean the sponge or brush with water directly from the tap, in this way we can reuse the material in subsequent dyeing and avoid its hardening.
- It is very important to let it dry between coats. We must make sure that the shoe dye is completely dry.
- One way to check this is by touching the surface with your finger, if it does not get caught in the dye, you can continue with the application. To accelerate the drying process you can use a dryer at a distance of 30cm.
- Wait 12 hours to obtain an optimal drying, chemically it is necessary that the acrylic resins that contain its formulation are reticulated.
- Finally, if the procedure is followed correctly, you will obtain a soft and supple skin. The dye will never flake off.
With these products the dyeing will be solid and resistant to possible dry and wet rubbing and bending to which these leathers are subjected.
Remember that it is important to stir the bottom of the container until a homogeneous color is achieved before use and to use latex gloves.
If you want extra protection you can apply a coat of Tarrago Color Dye – Neutral Base.
