What Kind of Paint Should Be Used to Paint Fabric?

Painting on fabric can be a fun way to add a personalized touch to T-shirts, hats, tennis shoes, bags, purses and any number of items. It does not take a great deal of skill to create beautiful fabric paint projects, but it does require the correct supplies. Special paints that are intended for use on fabric are widely available.

Features

The difference between fabric paint and standard acrylic paint products is that fabric paints contain a binding agent that helps the paint to better adhere to fabric.

Considerations

After a fabric painting project has been completed and the paint has fully dried, the fabric should be ironed to permanently set the paint.

Types

A number of different types of fabric paints are available, including pearlescent paints, metallic, neon colors, puff paints and glow-in-the-dark products.

Misconceptions

While standard acrylic paint can be applied to fabric, this is not advisable, since the paint will harden the fabric as it dries.

Prevention & Solution

Special mediums are available that will turn regular acrylic paint into fabric paint, when a half-and-half mixture of medium and paint is created.

Warning

While a wide variety of fabrics can be used in painting projects, fabrics with a loose weave will not generally yield the best results.

Preparation

For best results, fabric should be pre-washed without fabric softener before the paint is applied.

Resources

• Ideas for fabric paint project