Fabric paint is a trend for most people who start using paint for arts and crafts or custom paint jobs. It is a wonderful way to custom clothing with excellent artwork with creative handmade designs. But most factors make a curious newbie’s mind, like the drying time of fabric paint or how long does fabric paint take to dry?
It takes 12 to 36 hours to dry based entirely on painting layers. You can reduce the time by placing the projects under sunlight and moving air. The drying process can be faster using fast-drying fabric paint. If you mix the paint with fabric medium, it dries faster too.
However, there are many more things to know about fabric painting, its process painting, and the drying time. Let’s talk in detail.
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What Is Fabric Paint?
Fabric paint is one kind of paint that is preferred for use on fabric or the same textile texture items. It has a thinner consistency and dye-based paint, which assists it sticks to fabrics.
Generally, this paint is different from standard acrylic paint though the acrylic paint can be used on different textiles products.
The fabric paints contain exclusive glue-binding agents that aren’t found in other paints.
Most fabric paints have heat-set properties that remain the art and craft safe after washing.
As textile category paint, it is used to handle custom craft projects or manage any commercial-scale projects to apply art, design, and decoration on fabrics.
Types of Fabric paints:
Fabric paints are available in four different types:
1) Liquid Paint:
In tubes, bottles, or jars, this type of paint is sold like regular paint and multi-color sets. Some jars and bottles include tips that let you apply the paint fine line directly.
It also allows using a paintbrush according to your pattern’s needs. The liquid paint is the best to apply on the silkscreen or block printing.
2) Spray Paint:
Spray fabric paint is significant for covering a larger surface or using stencils in the patterns. This paint is specially formulated to apply to fabric.
3) Fabric Markers or Pen:
This type of paint is alcohol and acrylic-based that is easy to apply. Since they don’t contain a lot of paint, you can just use them for drawing or line work.
4) Dimensional Fabric Paint:
One kind of puffy paint comes in tubes. It includes small applicators that help to apply the paint to detailed surfaces.
How Long Does Fabric Paint Take To Dry?
Normally, fabric paint takes 6 hours to 36-hours to dry on the fabric’s surface properly. But the time frames depend on the application process and quantity of paint for your projects.
On the other hand, some fabric paint is available that dries faster but is not a long-lasting product.
Experts say that the quick-drying fabric paint can’t maintain the quality or staying power for the long time you want result painting.
The estimate of the drying time frame that we have mentioned can also differ based on the working projects and types of fabric. Generally, you need to wait for one day to 3-days and then be allowed to use the fabric you have painted.
In addition, some experienced fabric art and craft designers suggest testing the fabric after the mentioned time.
They also say that if you aren’t in a hurry, you have to take at least 4-days to make sure the paint sticks on the fabric surface properly.
It makes the paint long-lasting and sturdy, and there is no chance of vanishing the paint after a few washes.
If you work with damp paint, you need to wait only a few hours (for example, up to 3 hours). Plus, you should wait for a long time for a thick layer’s design or larger surface projects.
The drying time also depends on the surrounding weather condition where you are working. When you go painting in humid conditions, the project will take a long time to dry. But in a warm place, the drying time will be less than the recommended time frame.
Another fact to think, fabric paint on t-shirts will dry depending on the size, design or pattern, or art of the t-shirt. This fabric paint just takes less than 60-minutes. For larger area painting, the drying time also will be longer than one hour.
After all that, we want to suggest you read the label of the painter tubes or bottles. Also, follow their instructions to wait for the painting.
However, keep in mind that faster drying paints can save your time, but those paints may not be high-quality or require more coating.
Ways To Make Fabric Paint Dry Faster:
Have you got your answer on how long does fabric paint take to dry? You may want to know how to dry the fabric paint faster than the recommended time. Isn’t it?
Well, let’s see a short chart of different types of fabric paint and their drying time on fabric!
Fabric Paint Dry Time On Table:
| Paint | Medium | Dry Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric Paint | Fabric | 1-3 Days |
| Puffy Paint | Paper | 4-Hours |
| Tulip Fabric Paint | Fabric | 4-Hours |
| Spray Paint | Fabric | Up to 24-Hours |
| Oil Paint | Fabric | Up to 24-Hours |
How Does Fabric Paint Dry Faster On Fabric?
In this segment, we will show you some methods that can speed up the drying time of fabric paint on fabric.
Top 6 Effective Methods: Fabric Paint Dry Faster On Fabric
Method 1 (Wash Fabrics & Dry)
Before painting on your selected fabric or T-shirt, wash and dry it so that you can avoid shrinking.
Most fabrics have chemicals to make them smooth and wrinkle-free. This fabric can’t absorb the paint easily due to its chemical. So washing the clothes or T-shirt before painting is very important.
Method 2 (Select Warm Place To Paint)
Select the warm paint area or ensure the area doesn’t have too much moisturizer. It helps the paints to dry quickly.
Method 3 (Use cardboard for painting)
Place cardboard under the cloth you will paint to perfect your craft and art line. It helps you to paint easily, and the paint won’t seep through another side.
Method 4 (Keep In Sunlight)
When you have finished painting on fabric, find a sunny space like the window side where sunlight comes directly.
Set the painted fabric before the window so that the paint can dry faster by sun heat. The heat of the sun doesn’t heat over the fabric.
In this case, you should hang the fabric on a hanger to speed up the drying process.
Method 5 (Use Hairdryer)
If the day is cloudy, you can take the help of your regular hair dryer to dry the fabric faster. Just heat the painted areas using the hairdryer, and it has a chance to dry the paint faster.
Tips: Using a hairdryer, you need to be pretty tricky. Low-heat dryers have to be used to avoid overheating. Plus, hold the device 1 to 2 feet away from the paint so the heat can’t ruin the project.
Method 6 (Use Space Heater)
If you have no above option to dry the fabric, you can take the help of your room heater. Set up your space heater to 24 to 29 C and keep the painted fabrics near the heater. Keep all things at least 3-feet away from the space heater when you set them for drying faster.
However, there is more option to dry the fabric painted materials naturally. And you can choose several options as you need.
Best Fabric Paint For Diy Projects:
When you are in this stage, you must want to know what the best fabric paint for DIY projects is. You should choose those specially designed paints for fabric items such as Sneakers, denim, jackets, and more.
If you want to paint bags, jeans or T-shirts, then you can choose the Arteza Permanent Fabric Paint. With 24 colors, this paint is dryer and washing machine friendly.
Castle Art Supplies 3D Fabric Paint Set could be another choice for those who want to add some dimension to their textile.
On the other hand, if you want an easy to use and easy to spread fabric paint, you choosing Tulip Soft Fabric Paint Kits wouldn’t be a wrong choice. It is designed to move with the fabric.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. Can You Dry Fabric Paint With A Hair Dryer?
Yes, you can use your hairdryer to dry the fabric paint when the sunlight isn’t available or the weather is cloudy. In this case, you should use this device very carefully, as we have already discussed above.
2. How Do You Remove Fabric Paint Before It Dries?
Sometimes you need to remove unwanted paint from the fabric’s surface before drying it.
Acetone is the best product to eliminate fabric paints, latex-based or oil-based paints. Just soak a small piece of sponge in some acetone and then rub it on the paint. That’s it.
3. How Long Does Fabric Paint Need To Dry Before Washing?
The painted fabric should wash after drying completely. Above you have got, the paint takes 36-hours to dry properly. So, you have to wait at least after 5-days to wash the painted fabric.
Final Words!
Fabric painting is an art and craft task, though it is funny the paint needs sufficient time to dry completely. Proper drying paint will be long-lasting and make the paint perfect forever.
We have mentioned in detail fabric paint and its drying process. You can test several different ways from our list that will be best for your jobs.
But give time for the paint to dry, and don’t make any mistakes that will ruin your paint easily.
