How to Spray Paint Fabric
Oh yes, you read that title correctly….the answer to can you spray paint fabric is a resounding YES! Over the past few months I had been desperately trying to figure out how to handle this situation with my patio furniture:
While I love my World Market patio set I must have been thinking crazy when I ordered white cushions last year because they quickly went all to heck with the dirt and grime of three boys and a dog! Replacement cushions were $$$ and my aversion to sewing left me reluctant to make my own covers. Y’all….I even cut them open on the back so that I could take the fabric off and wash them. It helped. A little. For a few days.
You might also be interested in how to paint plastic or how to paint a plastic playhouse.
Simply Spray Fabric Paint Review
Anyways, during a late night google search I happened to come across the answer I had been searching for: Spray It New’s Simply Spray Fabric Paint. Seriously. It is an actual spray paint for fabric. Like, really made for fabric. Not some mixture to concoct with fabric medium, this stuff is actually absorbed into the fabric and leaves a dyed surface-no crunchies whatsoever. I was all over this. I had to try it. And so I did! (I bought my Simply Spray Fabric Spray Paint at Walmart but you can also find it on Amazon as well!)
How to Use Upholstery Spray Paint
I decided the Navy Blue Upholstery Paint would be the best option for the cushion. Maximum camouflage for future stains and it will look just dreamy next to that pool we’re putting in this month. You should have seen me rip open that box when it arrived! I immediately went and laid out my cushion and got to spraying. Here it is after the first coat.
I had to admit, I was feeling a little nervous at this point. This is a large cushion and it was looking a bit streaky. I was worried it was going to turn out looking like old 80’s denim but after {many, many} coats here is the end result!!
I am so tickled with how it turned out! What do you think??
Review of Outdoor Fabric Spray Paint
Okay, back to the fabric spray paint…here is my no-holds-barred low down on using the Spray It New paint:
1. Overall it is fantastic.
2. It took me a LOT of fabric spray paint to get the deep non-streaky look I wanted. I anticipated needing two cans for the one large cushion and it took four. I could have used a fifth and will probably end up ordering an extra can just to get the few little spots out that I can still tell aren’t even. It’s still cheaper than a new cushion!
3. I found the best way to use it was to spray continuously. Whenever I stopped and then when I started back up I got some splatters which I then had to rub into the fabric to fix (which required stopping and starting again-eventually I learned to stop and start away from the cushion!)
4. The little trigger hurt my finger like crazy. Small price to pay though.
Got paint on your hands after your project? Learn how to remove spray paint from skin!
Fabric Spray Paint Update: 2 Years Later
that looks awesome! I was not aware of spray paint for fabric!
This is awesome! I have seen some fabric spray paint at JoAnn’s before but completely forgot about it until I read your post. I already have a project in mind! 🙂
I like the color Plum
I think I’d like to try Saddle Brown, no specific project in mind, but the most likely rooms for something to be painted, brown would work as an accent.
Janet
i would like to try burgundy or plum. i have never used something like this before. this would be a lot of fun to do for i have a couple of things i have been aiming to recover and it would be a lot easier to paint than to make new covers.
I have never seen this..it’s great! So glad I found you (through a twitter link) tonight! Loving the charcoal grey.
Oh wow, I never knew you could spray paint fabric! Loving the charcoal gray color. 🙂
I love the Caribbean blue! It’s awesome.
Sage Green is totally me! But, I love the Burnt Orange and the Camel too…hmmmm 🙂
I did not realize that they had this! Amazing!!!
Wow – thank you for opening my eyes to this product! We have quite a few pieces of patio furniture that we love, but the cushions are so faded! I cringed at the thought of the cost of replacing them and was afraid that fabric paint would be crunchy and gross. Definitely thinking about trying this!
This is totally great. Cannot wait to try this.
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Get a $10 sheet set from WalMart. Available in a variety of colors. Save yourselves the time, mess & Clean up. I can’t even contemplate taking the time to paint my own fingernails! If you’re like me you’ve got Stains, Kids, Pets and bills.
I would love to try this. It is such a difficult decision between the Navy and the Burgundy. I also love the thought of the Plum for a rocker chair I have that I used when my son was born, but now use to read.
Yay, I’ve been looking for something like this! Thanks 🙂
This came out great!!!! I’m digging the Caribbean Blue!
Amazing! It turned out beautiful, I love the color you chose.
That looks fantastic! I had no idea such a product existed.
I have several project this would be great for.
This looks great! and the color is beautiful! I don’t like to sew either, well, really I can’t sew! I’m going to have to give this a try!
That turned out great! I never realized you could spray paint fabric 🙂 My favorite color is probably their Sage Green.
Thanks so much for sharing this at The Fun In Functional!
That is a simply ingenious use of paint and color! I’m impressed and inspired …
I never knew you could spray paint fabric. I should give this a go!!
Visiting via the Fun in Functional Hop 🙂
I have the perfect project to try this out on …thanks for the chance to win.
By now you probably know you can buy a cheap little gizmo that fits over the top of a spray paint can and turns it into a trigger sprayer. Home Depot has them, but you can probably find them plenty of places. No more paralyzed finger.
This looks great! Thank you so much for sharing!
So cool, love it! I have never heard of that paint.
I am going to have to try it….I have some beige furniture cushions on my screen porch just begging for some color!
Nancy
Definitely let me know what you think of it if you try Nancy! I thought it was so cool! If you haven’t entered yet we have a HUGE giveaway going on through tonight and one of the prizes is a six pack of the upholstery paint: https://thehappierhomemaker.com/2012/11/stuff-the-stockings-amazing.html
Take care!
Melissa
Thanks I entered! And I will definitely let you know how it turns out if I end up using this.
Nancy
Does the paint get on you or your clothes when you sit on the fabric that has been painted? Is there a suggested cure time? Just curious. It sounds amazing, but I can just imagine having the paint come through and stain your clothes or skin. Please let us all know. Thanks!
Priscilla we’ve had it for months and months and never after it was dry has any paint come off or stain anything-we have a pool too so we’ve sat on it with wet clothes. It really doesn’t bleed or stain anything we’ve seen!
That looks so great. I just love the wooden bench. I bought paint last fall to spray my old dirty outdoor patio cushions but haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.
Great, now try spraying the frame white or toxic yellow and it will be totally new 🙂
Hi there! Love this project and need to do it with my patio furniture…I am wondering how it has held up since you did it quite a while ago! Thanks
Hi Amanda, it actually has held up fine although the second year I chose to cover the cushions to change my colors on the porch, it had nothing to do with the fabric paint though!
How did painting affect the “feel” of the cushion? Did it change the texture? I am curious how it feels against your skin, like sitting on it with shorts on or without a shirt. Would your skin be more likely to stick to it?
Hi Melissa—-I have a tip I hope will help your sore fingers when you spray. There’s a small plastic nozzle-attachment, kind of like a pistol handle, that snaps onto the tops of spray paint cans, you hold it like a household cleaning spray bottle & spray your paint in a smooth,continuous movement; makes it verrrrrry easy to do. I have arthritis and cannot squeeze the button on a regular spray paint can for more than a few seconds at a time, this spray attachment saves me all the way around. The best part is, it’s super cheap,less than $4 at your local DIY/home repair store. Get one and see what you think, I know it’s made a HUGE difference in my home decor rehabbing. I always buy two or three at a time because they do tend to go after about twenty or so uses.
oh my goodness, I need that…I just did my first spray paint project of the year and my finger is still sore!
Never heard of spray paint for fabric before. Is it available in Australia?
I believe so Kim, check this out: https://www.simplyspray.com.au/
I live in a country that doesn’t have the luxury of Michaels or JoAnn’s, and definitely no Walmart. I have Ace Hardware and they don’t even carry most items you could find in the states. Do you think this could work with other paints as well?? Maybe another type that would not wash out and not be stiff to sit on??Anyone have any ideas??
Did the paint from the cushion wash off on your skin or clothes?
No Chelsea, the paint never washed off on anything after it initially dried-we had it for 3 years and never had an issue!
Hi, When you say four coats, does that include the bottom of the cushion or did you just spray the top and sides? I am trying to estimate how much I would need to spray a jacket. Thanks!
I sprayed the entire cushion so that I could flip it if necessary.
Sounded exciting until I clicked on the link to see about purchasing the paint. The cost of a pack of 6 cans (this post used 5 but needed 6 on one cushion) was advertised at a sale price of $57, with an additional $7 shipping. I’ve seen new cushions in home improvement stores for far less.
You can buy an attachment for a spray can at HD or Lowes. Just clip it on the top of the can and you can spray easily. The one I have works with all cans that have the standard spray button but does not work with cans that have the low, flat button. I haven ‘t looked yet to see if there’s an attachment that works on them.
Do you think this would work if the cushions were a pattern not a solid color? Thanks!
When you do this again there are handles to put on a spray can that make is easier to use
What a great idea – NOT. Just die the fabric in your washing machine – thanks for wasting peoples’ time.
Sorry you didn’t like it Sal…if you had read my post you would have seen that the fabric I spray painted was not removable from the large cushions that I had that were stained. So putting it in the washing machine was not an option. I appreciate your kind words and feedback though. Merry Christmas.
I like your response.
What a nasty person you are!
You are just rude! Why don’t you just move on. My couch doesn’t fit in my washer machine.
Wow – this is genius – however, for 6 cans (which might do 2 of my chair cushions – maybe) would me $100.00 plus shipping – so do do for chair cushions – $200 + – lets say $250 with taxes and shipping. I can get some pretty decent new cushions for half that… LOVE the idea, but I think I’ll pass (and your cushion looks amazing)
Are you outside of the US Marlene? In the US it’s about $10 a can. I’ve seen it for less in my local Walmart craft section as well but the color selection is pretty limited. I’m not sure outside of the US though-shipping spray paint is always a pain so that may be the reason for the higher price.
I love how compact this sprayer is. My boyfriend does professional painting and his industrial sprayer is sooo heavy and clunky. Also, the fact that this one does not require an air compressor is so handy! I might have to convince him to get one of these for his “smaller projects” {but then really just use it for MY home DIY projects ;). Thanks for sharing!
Can you tell me the brand of the paint spray you use? I need to paint a cushion chair.
It’s called Spray it New and it’s linked to in the blog post above if you have trouble finding it, you can get it on Amazon and I’ve seen a few at Walmart in the craft section.
Hi, thank you so much in making me want to finally decorate my home how i visioned it. I just came in from doing my first project. I want to paint my small sofa in grape purple, so i primed it first. Is it normal to finish a WHOLE can of primer on a small sofa or did i go overboard?
I had the identical cushion. I cut off the fabric from the back and dyed mine with RIT fabric dye. Very cheap. The cover looks great after 2 years.
Great idea Sheila!
Hi Sheila, Did you dye your outdoor cushion? If so, how is it holding up with sun fading and rain streaks? Any advice will be valuable.
Thanks,
Valar
It seems to be the same as my non-dyed outdoor cushions. There’s always a little sun-fading gradually but mine are sheltered from the rain in my lanai.
Hi there… just wondering if u had any trouble with dye staining peoples clothes from sitting on them?
No, just follow dying directions exactly to be sure the dye is set. I do caution doing a separate laundry if you are washing dyed fabric, but that wouldn’t apply for upholstery
Hi, so I’m assuming yours took a lot of cans because you went from white/cream to navy, my existing cushions are a darker grey color, so I guess I could maybe go with a darker shade. Do you think it wouldn’t take as many cans then? Thanks!
Also, my fabric is pretty thick, how was your fabric?
This is new idea. I have never listen before spray painting for fabric. I will use spray painting for my outdoor cushions.
I like what you did with the cushion. I do hope that by now that you have one of those handles to put on a spray can now. They really save your finger when you spray paint and make it so much easier to hold the can..
I would like to purchase fabric spray paint in red
Thanks for pointing out that spraying continuously will be better since stopping will create splatters. With that in mind, I will be seeking the help of a professional just to be sure. I know my self well that I can’t trust it with any artsy stuff. I just need to have a shirt painted with the logo of our company to give it to my colleagues on Christmas.
Thank you Melissa, I have an expensive sofa thats in great condition in my living room, the color is white and I had been thinking about having it painted a light gray with fabric spray. Thanks for sharing your experience, I will take a piece of my sofa fabric and try Spray in New. Also I cannot remove the inter cushions from the seat cushion, how long did it take to dry.
Mine was outside but I believe it was just a couple of hours (it has been many years since I wrote this post, sorry to not have a better answer for you!)
Why are people so rude just move along if you don’t like the idea vs wasting my time to read your ugly comment!
Once sprayed, can it fade on someone clothes while sitting on cushion?
I wish I would have read that it takes 5-6 cans per cushion. I bought 20 cans for 12 cushions at 19.99 per can! I thought…better to return the unused than go back and buy more-right? 1 1/2 can per cushion I figured…lol
I can only get 2 sprays before the tip would clog. The can says use hot water but it does nothing (Because it’s “water-resistant” FABRIC paint…is my guess) aacetone or other type of paint thinner work’s with a wire brush and elbow grease (a Lot of work) two coats minimum, 30 minutes between dries, and yes, I have no more fingers to sacrifice for these poor cushions. I managed to get two done front and back two coats each. The math doesn’t figure do it?
Just buy new ones people.
The cushions I have $1,200 for the set (averages @ $100 each)
I used 6 cans per cushion ($20 x 6 cans = $120)
Yep. I feel like a victim Any suggestions or tips about … clogged tips? thx