If you have a lot of fabric paint at home, you’ll want to store them so they don’t expire. Your colors will have a long shelf-life if you haven’t opened them. However, you’ll need to take a few extra steps to keep your opened bottles around for longer.
So, does fabric paint expire? Yes, but most acrylic fabric paints last for up to five years. If you want to make them last longer, always store them in a cool place, and out of the sun. Flipping the bottle upside down also helps create an airtight seal so the paint doesn’t dry out.
Technically, acrylic paints can’t “expire” because they include organic materials. However, that doesn’t stop them from drying out or forming chunks over time. You’ll still want to do your best to keep those containers airtight. Below is everything you’ll want to know about the shelf-life of fabric paints. Let’s read on!
What’s the Shelf Life of Fabric Paint?
In general, you can expect fabric paints to last for about five years when you store them properly. Unopened paint can last even longer than that since it has a more substantial, airtight seal. You can even get them to stay in perfect condition for up to 10 years!
My favorite and top pick is always Arteza Fabric Paints. They have so many different colors, and the quality is amazing! I usually use Arteza Paints for all my projects.
Arteza is a popular brand for fabric paints, because they have long-lasting formulas and follow the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard, which means they can last anywhere between 15 and 50 years! They’re the best choice if you want long-lasting fabric paints.
If you know you’re going to keep the paint for a long time, it’s always a good idea to write down some facts about it. That way, you can go back and check whenever you need to. You’ll want to record:
- The fabric paint’s brand
- When you bought it
- When you opened it
- The paint batch numbers on the container
- The name of the paint’s color
Keeping this information in a notebook allows you to check how old the paints are. Plus, if you like a brand’s color, you can always find it again easily. Knowing that you can replace dried-out pigments easily should give you more peace of mind.
How Do You Preserve Fabric Paint?
You’ll know your fabric paints are bad if they’re dried out, have weird chunks, or have a strange smell to them. If you stir the color and it doesn’t smooth back out, you shouldn’t use it as is- it won’t look very nice on your fabrics and may not stick at all.
Luckily, you can easily make them last much longer in their containers. Start by opening the bottle, place a layer of plastic wrap over the open paint, then close the container again. This extra layer helps create a stronger seal, preventing the paint from drying out.
I recommend using an airtight container like this set here. It’s perfect for storing all your paints, and it’s guaranteed to not dry out.
Once you have the container sealed correctly, you’ll also need to store it. Extreme temperatures aren’t suitable for your paint, so it’s best to store it at a comfortable room temperature or slightly cooler. You should also keep the paint out of direct sunlight.
Turning your bottles upside down, so the cap is on the bottom also helps strengthen the seal. If you always store your paints like this, they’re sure to last you many years!
Overall, there are plenty of steps you can take to preserve your fabric paints. The more you do, the longer they’ll last.
Can You Revive Fabric Paint?
If your fabric paint has dried, you don’t need to throw it out just yet. You can quickly rehydrate the paint by adding a few drops of water, then stirring it thoroughly. Often, all you need to do to bring life back to your fabric colors is add water!
You’ll want only to add small amounts of water at a time. If you accidentally add too much, you cant’t undo it. Keep going in short bursts until you’ve reached the texture you want.
Sometimes, you don’t even need to add more water. If the paint has separated, you can close the container and shake it. You also may need to stir it after to remove any lumps.
You can also use water on other fabric mediums. For example, you can dip Arteza 3D fabric pens in water to help them work as they did before. You can do this with tons of fabric paints since they’re usually acrylic.
Does Fabric Paint Crack?
Most fabric paints won’t crack, but it depends on the quality of the brand that you use. If you use a good brand, your designs shouldn’t split. You want permanent paint that dries flexible. Otherwise, it could easily crack, tear, or flake off your fabrics.
MagicFly Fabric Paint is another great brand to work with. It’s affordable, but offers amazing results.
You can add a fabric medium to your paints to ensure that it’s extra flexible. Once you’ve added the color to the fabric, you’ll want to heat set it. Heat setting ensures that the paint can be washed, folded, and more without cracking.
When allowed time to dry and seal, you can even wash fabrics with this type of paint on them in your washing machine. The colors shouldn’t come off at all while staying bright. Additionally, fabric paints work on clothes, canvases, and more without cracking.
Overall, you don’t want to use paints that leave the fabric stiff. I recommend trying Arteza fabric paints for this purpose, as they dry incredibly soft and don’t crack!
How Do You Seal Fabric Paint
You’ll need to seal all of your fabric paints if you want them to last. The best way to do this is through heat setting the color. There are a few ways to heat set, but you’ll always need to wait after painting.
You don’t want to move the fabric, as you could leave creases in the paint. Wait until it’s been 24 hours, so you know the paint is dried thoroughly. If you can give it more time, that’s even better.
The first way to heat set paint is to iron the design. Make sure that you have all steam settings turned off first since they can make the paint run. Flip the fabric over so you aren’t ironing directly on the pigment. Finally, move the iron fast over the design on medium-high heat for about three to five minutes.
You can also heat set the paint in your dryer. To do this, place the fabric in the dryer for 30 minutes on the highest heat you can use on the material. Which method you use will likely depend on the type of fabric you painted on.
Overall, you should never skip out on heat-setting your fabric paints! If you don’t, the color could easily wash off or bleed.
Final Thoughts
In short, fabric paint can dry out, form lumps, or even separate. It’s straightforward to restore fabric paints since they consist of acrylics; all you need is to add some water and store. If the color has a funny smell, it’s time to throw it out!
If you take steps to store your paint correctly, you can expect it to last several years. Depending on the brand and storage methods, making the fabric paint last up to an entire decade is possible! Recording the dates in a notebook can help you determine when to get a new set.
Make sure to follow all my tips and recommended products to ensure your fabric paint project turns out great! Also, don’t forget to check out my other articles for all your painting Q&A’s. Happy painting!