How to dry fabric paint quickly

When you have already made your design on fabric, you just have to wait for it to settle on the fabric to be able to use it or wash it if the garment needs it. If it is a fabric that has more than one layer, ideally you should use a piece of cardboard, wood, hard plastic, etc. so that while you are painting the paint does not transfer to the other layer.

You need to be especially careful with that piece you have placed when the fabric is drying, as it will tend to stick to the interlayer while wet, and if you let it dry while it is stuck, it can be a problem to remove it once it is dry. To do this, we recommend leaving the garment well stretched so that there is no contact between layers. This way you can remove the intermediate piece of cardboard before the drying process and prevent it from sticking.

How long does fabric paint take to dry?

The time it takes for fabric paint to dry can vary depending on The thickness of the paint layer applied, the environmental conditions and the composition of the paint.

Generally, a thin layer of fabric paint takes about 1 to 2 hours to dry to the touch. For complete drying and to be able to handle the garment without risk of damaging the design, it is advisable to wait approximately 24 hours. In addition, to ensure maximum durability of the design, some manufacturers recommend waiting up to 72 hours before washing the painted garment.

It is important to note that drying time can be reduced by using a hair dryer or a professional heat dryer as mentioned above, although it is always advisable to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results.

To guarantee a good result, it is also advisable to work in an environment with controlled temperature and humidity, thus avoiding problems of slow or irregular drying. Patience will be your best ally when it comes to working with fabric paint, making sure to allow enough time for the paint to dry completely for a durable and professional finish.Make sure to allow enough time for the paint to dry completely to obtain a long lasting and professional finish.

Our fabric paint has a minimum drying time, i.e. in 12h the design will be completely adhered to the fibers, but we always suggest leaving it around 24-48h to ensure that all parts of the design are dry. Obviously it all depends on the season, but we can assure you that our designs in Seville in summer dry very quickly.

With the design completely dry, we only need to activate the fixative, for which we have two options:

Clothes iron

The ironing process is simple, it is advisable to place a piece of cloth or baking paper on top of the design and iron lightly, avoid activating the steam of the iron, as this could wet the design again, it is important not to apply too much force to avoid damaging the paint. You can also iron on the back of the fabric, always taking care to place a piece of fabric to avoid paint transfer between the ironing board and the back of the design. The recommended time is between 3-5 minutes at 100ºC.

Hair dryer

Here is another possibility to get your design completely impregnated into the fibres of the fabric.

We usually recommend it for surfaces that are more difficult to iron such as sneakers, fabric lampshades, caps, etc. The process is exactly the same as ironing, apply direct heat in this case at a distance of 15-20 cm for 3-5 minutes and you will have the design firmly fixed to the garment.