Will I ruin these boots with my crazy plan?

November 11, 2015 1:44 PM

Is it possible to darken leather with conditioner/polish/oil? Or will I destroy this pair of light brown boots trying to make them into a pair of dark brown boots?

So today the stars aligned and I found some affordable, nice leather boots on a clearance rack that also fit my monstrous calves.

However, I just can't get excited about the color. They're a light brown/tan/camel color ( here is a picture of them.) I would much prefer a pair of darker cognac-y color boots, something like this.

Is it possible to darken these up a few shades with oils/creams/polishes? Am I likely to ruin them trying?

I don't think they're worth taking to a professional... I'd either learn to like them or return them if that was the only safe option.

posted by geegollygosh to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

Depends on the finish, but you should be able to get them a shade darker with an oil- but not so dark as pictured without dying them.
posted by TenaciousB at 1:47 PM on November 11, 2015

I would use Angelus Leather Dye instead. I've had great success dye-ing light colored shoes to darker shades with this stuff. You do have to be neat, not to get it on the soles/fabric bits, but if you are careful, it can be done. Mind you, my leather wasn't as shiny as yours, so you may want to use the Angelus Solvent to knock down the shine first.
posted by sarajane at 1:53 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was really impressed with "Angelus" leather dye (ah, er, see above!) -- I used it with the "acrylic finisher," got a great finish. Highly recommended. Get the larger size bottle for boots.
posted by kmennie at 1:56 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

It also worked well for restoring my dog-toenail scratched leather sofa, FWIW.
posted by sarajane at 2:09 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

The stitching will not take the dye at the same rate as the leather. If you dye them - yourself or have the cobbler do it - the stitching will show as a different color. Maybe that's acceptable to you or maybe not.

Boot have long flat planes unlike shoes which have more curves and angles. Those flat planes make any overlaps in dye easy to spot. If you really want to dye them, I'd have the cobbler do it. They can do heel taps and weather conditioning all at the same time.
posted by 26.2 at 2:23 PM on November 11, 2015

Nthing Angelus leather dye. I work in a costume studio and we use it all the time. The 3 oz. bottle is more than enough (it's very thin and goes a long way). The applicator is like a cotton ball on a stick so you may want to pick up a cheap, small paint brush for details, like the crease where the upper meets the sole. Be careful, it will stain your hands! (They are also made of leather ;)
posted by sexyrobot at 4:26 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

You might want to try using Sno-seal or Obenauf's leather - both will make it darker.
posted by suedehead at 4:55 PM on November 11, 2015

Mink oil turned my lovely pale tan leather heels into a medium to dark brown, much to my dismay, so I have firsthand experience with oil changing the color of leather.
posted by arnicae at 5:01 PM on November 11, 2015

I use Huberd's Shoe Grease to condition my leather boots and it does darken light brown leather to more of a brown. I don't think it would bring tan boots to a cognac brown, but it might be worth seeing where that goes if you're hesitant about dying.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:57 AM on November 12, 2015