Fabric spray paint is an innovative product that allows you to be as creative as you please without limits when you want to update or customize apparel, shoes, upholstered furniture, canvas or mix media art and crafts, or any kind of fabric-based item. Some of the applications can include towels, denim, sheets, an old chair, tees, tennis shoes, car seats, strollers, and other textiles.
Tightly weaved fabrics like cotton make the perfect canvas for fabric spray painting because it won’t smear, bleed onto other strands of fabric, or create a less-than-quality appearance. Synthetic fabric like polyester and cotton-poly blends are ideal. Wool and linen are okay for fabric spray paint application.
You may have seen or used regular fabric paint that requires brush application, but fabric spray paint is different. You can do virtually anything with fabric spray paint that you can do with traditional brush-applied fabric paint. The following will give you some guidelines to follow to help you get starting using this innovative fabric paint.
Choose Your Fabric
Apparel and upholstery with washable, natural fiber and natural blends (50/50 cotton/poly) are the best choices for fabric spray painting.
Prep Work
• If you’re spray painting an article of clothing or a fabric purse (for instance), wash the item to ensure it’s free from anything that might affect the effect you want from the project. Wash using only regular laundry detergent and don’t use any fabric softener (liquid or dryer sheet) when drying. If the clothing is new, this will also prevent shrinkage.
• Take a large piece of cardboard, wax paper, or drop cloth to protect the area around the item you’re spray painting. Do this same thing between the two sides of the fabric to prevent bleeding through. Even though the paint should be non-toxic and fume-free, outdoors is the best place for this kind of project.
• If you want the item to stay put, you can prevent shifting by putting pins in the corners. That will attach the item to the cardboard or wax paper.
• Determine whether you’re going to use a stencil, or just randomly spray paint on the fabric.
• Choose your colors, pattern, design, stencil, or whatever you plan to do for your project.
• Shake your can (the fabric spray paint can)
• Spray the fabric paint according to the instructions on the can. (i.e. distance from the fabric)
• Depending on the project, you will leave the fabric lying where it is or you can hang it up to let it fully dry. Fast-drying formulas are the best for these purposes. In most instances, it can be dry enough to move inside within a few minutes. Washing shouldn’t be done for at least 72 hours.
Those are the basics of using fabric spray paint on garments. If you’re project involves a chair or sofa, make sure you do that outside and let it dry there. You can move furniture indoors if it feels dry to the touch and doesn’t rub off on your hand. Have fun.
Happy fabric spray painting!
