How to Spray Paint Fabric
By Al Mu
There are many different ways to take a plain old t-shirt or change
that boring upholstery of your couch it into something fabulous by spray
painting an awesome or favorite design on it. Exactly how you go about
doing this is the next question. This can get very confusing given the
many different types of paints used and machines available to help you
create that look that you want. The main questions will be what type of
paints you need, what (if any) machinery will be needed and
instructions.
The type of paint that you will want really depends on the type of
fabrics that you are painting. You will definitely want a fabric paint
that is specifically designed for the type of fabric that you have. Be
very cautious if you are trying to paint leather, vinyl or other types
surfaces like this, as they may not take the paint very well if at all.
Are you looking to add a fancy design to the plain old couch or
recliner? Are you looking to making that dark upholstery lighter? This
might not work out that well. If you are looking to make a light colored
sofa darker by spray painting it, this is going to work out better.
How much paint will be needed? This depends on how much fabric that you
need to cover. We all know that there are very few truly flat surfaces
on most couches/sofas, love seats, recliners and ottomans; thus we need
to remember to allow for more paint than what you originally planned for
to cover all of those corners, crevices and creases in the fabric. If
you are only planning on spray painting a design onto the back and seat
cushions you will not need as much as you would to spray paint the
entire couch.
The next question is exactly how to go about starting this project. Once
you have decided on whether you are going to paint the entire piece of
furniture or just doing a fancy design, you then need to figure out the
exact type of paint that you want. The best spray paints are those that
water-based. The reason for this is the ease of clean up. There is
nothing worse than not being able to clean up that design that you just
did! Once you have chosen the type of paint you want and the color or
colors that you want to work with, the next step is to make sure that
the fabric will take the paint. This is why you are best advised to get
just one can of each color that you want to use.
Make sure that you check to see that the paint will stay where you want
it to be by doing a colorfast test; preferably on a part of the
upholstery that will not be seen easily. Once you know that the paint
will stay where you want it, you can proceed safely in spray painting
the entire couch. |
