Can You Spray Paint Fabric?

Yes, you can spray paint on the fabric. In today’s modern world, spray painting has become a well-known trend. Adding a touch of paint to your clothing or home décor will make it look eye-catching and unique.

You will come across many kinds of spray paints, which you can use for adding hues to a specific fabric. These spray paints are created for textiles only.

With the help of spray paint, you can have many colorful and decorative effects. But all the spray paints might not be suitable for your fabric.

Apart from all these, you must know where and how exactly you should begin the spray-painting work. You also need to know the spray paint you must use on the fabric. Let’s gain more information on it from this post.

Can You Spray Paint Fabric?

Can You Spray Paint Fabric

Yes, spray painting on fabric is possible. However, it is imperative to know about the fabrics available for spray painting, as well as the paints available to do so. Let’s take a look! 

Various Fabrics You Can Spray Paint On

So, you should go for non-toxic paints that will not damage the fabric and will not fade away after several washes. The color options will change over time as you will find combinations, vibrant and new colors available in the market.

Before you get to the main part of this article, you must have a good idea of the various fabrics you can conduct your spray-painting work on. Let’s find out in detail:

Cotton

When planning to do some spray painting, you should go for cotton fabrics. These fabrics are easy to work on, extremely breathable, and durable.

You will also find cotton fabrics in different weights, from heavy cotton fabrics like canvas and denim to sheer and lighter fabrics like seersucker. You will not experience any issues when you spray paint on cotton, and you can finish the work on time.

But the fabric has a tendency to wrinkle, which you can utilize to create some great effects. For example, you can go for “tie-dying.” Through this technique, you can make unique and instant patterns.

Before you begin the spray-painting work, you should wash the fabric. It’s because cotton fabrics can shrink easily, so giving it a wash will lead to possible shrinkage.

Polycotton

Fabrics You Can Spray Paint On

The fabric contains both cotton and polyester. In polycotton, the cotton-polyester blend will vary from 30/70 to 50/50. These fabrics do not need much ironing and are crease-resistant. The polyester in this fabric can modify the capacity to engross the paint.

Besides that, polyester can also make this fabric a lot more liable to heat damage. This will become a problem for you when you try to spray paint on the fabric.

So, before you utilize the fabric, you should use a small portion of it and check to see the paint’s compatibility. If you want, you will know whether this fabric is right for the spray-painting project.

Wool

Known as a natural fiber, you can easily dye or paint on wool. But one thing about wool is that the existing shade in the fabric will bleed into the new shade. It’s just like dyeing blonde hair dark.

You first have to get rid of the existing shade from the wool right before you spray a different shade on it. Take a small section of the fabric and spray a bit of color to check the type of effect the existing shade on the wool will have on the new color.

Besides that, when you spray paint on this fabric, it will flatten all the fibers present in it. Use a flexible paint that will not harden the wool fabric. When it gets to retain its original spring, the wool becomes the softest fabric.

Silk

When you’re planning to spray paint the silk fabric, you can get it done in several ways. But the majority of the methods do not involve spray paints. You can use special paint for the silk fabric to produce some amazing and eye-catching designs,

You should use the “Serti” method to paint on silk fabric. Here, you will draw the designs on the fabric with borders made from “Gutta” or “Resist.”

After sketching out the design on the silk fabric, you can color all the sections. The Gutta or the Resist will prevent the shades from spreading to the other sections of the fabric.

But if you don’t want to spray-painting the fabric, you can then dye it. This particular fabric is also sensitive to heat, and many of the spray paints will need heat to set properly on the fabric. The blend of heat and silk will not provide a positive outcome.

Linen

Fabrics You Can Spray Paint On

Linen has some similarities to cotton. Known as a woven fabric created from all the natural fibers, linen has the tendency to wrinkle, which you can utilize for producing some great designs.

This fabric can absorb pretty quickly, and due to such reasons, many individuals use this fabric for spray painting. Right from furniture to clothes, spray paint online will be effective and easier.

Polyester

Spray painting on fabrics like polyester might not offer you the best outcome. Known for being a paint synthetic fabric, polyester can lead to many issues.

If you want the spray paint to set on the fabric properly, you have to apply heat. This can certainly become an issue for materials like polyester. It’s because the fabric will start to melt once the heat gets applied to it.

So, you should use dyes instead of spray paints on the polyester fabric. You will find dyes made for polyester fabrics available online.

Spray Painting on Fabric: Steps You Must Follow

When you want to create some eye-catching designs on fabrics, using the spray-painting method will surely help. If you don’t know how to get started with spray paint, follow these helpful steps:

Step 1: Wash the Fabric Properly

Before you begin the spray-painting work, you must wash the fabric with detergent and water to eliminate all the first it contains. You should pre-wash fabric like cotton right before it shrinks so it prevents adhesion from occurring.

Step 2: Dry the Fabric

Dry the Fabric

After washing the fabric, you must hang it to dry. You can use a hanger or just flip on the rope and use pegs or clothespins so that the fabric stays in one place. You should try spray painting the fabric while it stays on the rope.

You will not just get the best way but also prevent over spraying from taking place. You can also get rid of all the extra paint easily.

Step 3: Place Cardboards Between the Sides

You must utilize cardboard on both sides of the fabric. That way, you can stop the paint from reaching both sides. Let’s check an example to understand this step well:

“You have decided to spray paint the front portion with a darker shade and the back portion with a cream shade.

So, if you don’t place cardboard between the fabric or cloth, you might end up spraying the dark shade at the back and front.

You will also find the cream color on both the back and front sections of the fabric. Using the cardboard will serve as a protective barrier to keep the paint in the right place.” 

Step 4: Spray Paint on the Fabric

Spray Paint on the Fabric

To start off your spray-painting work, you must mix up the spray can for 60 seconds just by shaking it. After that, you can start spraying. But when you spray, don’t take the arm back. Be sure to keep spraying in a sweeping manner.

Keep the arm straight, and don’t try to bend the wrist. If you do, you will end up making an arch. Applying around coats of paint on your fabric. You should wait for some time until the paint dries off completely so that you can apply the next coating.

Step 5: Dry Off the Paint on the Fabric

After applying the paint, get rid of all the extra paint. You can then keep it in a secure place for 24 hours to 72 hours. Once the paint has become dry, you can then wash the fabric.

Wrapping Up

Spray painting has become an outstanding way to create eye-catching and beautiful designs and patterns on fabrics. You can use multiple shades for the spray-painting work. You will also find paint cans available in both online and physical stores. Be sure to check out the steps mentioned in this post for spray painting. 

Jessica

Jessica

I'm Jessica Flores, a professional fashion designer and an expert seamstress. Crafting has always been a deep-seated passion of mine, one that has flourished and evolved over the years. I've dedicated considerable time to both studying and practicing in the realm of fashion and sewing, amassing a wealth of experience and skills. It brings me great joy to share these insights and experiences with you all, hoping to inspire and foster a similar passion for the art of sewing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *