Is Outdoor Fabric Paint Any Good?

Time for me to update my mismatched patio furniture, but is outdoor fabric paint any good? Would it cover? Does it last? There was only one way to find out!

Let’s just say I have not had much luck with fabric spray paints. I keep trying them though in hopes that one of them will do what they actually claim to do. I have had some luck with brush on fabric paints but for my outdoor cushions I wanted something that would give me a quick update.

All of my outdoor furniture was handed down to me by my parents. While they were in excellent shape when I got them two of the cushions were red and one was navy blue. My mom liked to create vingettes on her patio and in her context the cushions made sense. However my patio is small and the chairs would be next to the love seat, which just made it look wrong. They needed to be changed.

My budget for new patio cushions was non-existent. No there are other priorities for my money right now like replacing the 20-year-old rotted deck to make it safe to walk on again. That ate up all my outdoor sprucing up money this year.

Enter Outdoor Fabric Paint by Rust-Oleum

Okay, as I said I have tried other fabric paints and not been happy. So when I saw Rust-Oleum’s Outdoor Fabric Paint I got a little excited. It’s a brand I trust and really my go to brand for things like spray paint. Why go anywhere else when you’ve found the best?

So I bought a can. Just one. Did I mention I have been burned before?

I wasn’t ready to commit to more than one. I mean if this wasn’t good I was going to have to replace two cushions and as I just said my piggy bank was broken.

The cotton wood trees in my neighborhood decided to shed cotton like crazy the day I painted these cushions, so I broke out my spray tent. Unfortunately, my spray tent doesn’t love a windy day but I went ahead anyway.

I propped the two red cushions on saw horses with boards across them. Now you might be asking yourself why didn’t I just spray one cushion in case there was a problem?

Well that would have been smart! Where were you when I need you?

It’s okay we can still be friends. I own my stupidity. I look at that photo now and wonder the same thing.

The first coat went on really wet. It’s not at all like a regular spray paint. I would guess because it’s designed to soak into the fabric. No, I haven’t confirmed that. It’s just a guess.

Second Coat

It covered but soaked in leaving several red spots coming through. So I waited for the first coat to dry and applied the second coat.

The second coat was equally wet. I did struggle a little bit with the dips in the fabric. Because I set these cushions over 2 2×4 boards they didn’t lay perfectly flat. There was a slight sag in the middle and the paint wanted to pool in those areas.

Note to self, and to everyone reading this, make certain you set the cushions on a flat surface to avoid my mistakes.

The seams were another tricky spot. But I managed. So will you!

The Results of the Outdoor Fabric Paint

How did the cushions turn out?

Really Darn good! I’m not going to lie I’m impressed with this paint.

But is the cushion stiff?

Nope! As you can see in the photo above the cushion flexes like it did before I painted it. Most importantly it’s NOT sticky!

There will be someone out there who will immediately comment, “Does it come off on your clothes?” So let’s get out ahead of that question. Rust-Oleum Outdoor Spray Paint does not come off on your clothes or anything else.

Is Outdoor Fabric Paint Waterproof?

Absolutely! Before taking the after photos for this post it had rained for over a week off and on. The cushions are as waterproof as they were when they were new.

Will it make non-outdoor fabric waterproof? I don’t know. I might have to try it.

I’m impressed and bummed out that I didn’t get a second can so I could refresh the loveseat cushion too.

Is There Anything I Don’t Like about Rust-Oleum Outdoor Fabric Spray?

While I love the way the cushions turned out, I do have one complaint. The only draw back is the complete lack of colors! I have a set of four cushions that belong to my outdoor table that could use a refresh as well, but I would love to have them redone with a bright color. Sadly those colors don’t exist in Rust-Oleum Outdoor Fabric Spray.

The color selections are very muddy. There’s olive (no, no, no), khaki (again nope), medium gray which looks like taupe to me, London Gray which looks dark brown to me. The only two I wasn’t completely turned off by were red and navy.

Please Rust-Oleum give us better colors! My outdoor space is where my husband doesn’t mind if I say I want bright yellow and turquois colors. Outdoor spaces are competing with Mother Nature after all and she creates the best color displays ever.

Okay I think you’ve waited long enough! Here’s the set now.

After seeing them together I am going to have to spray the love seat, just to spruce it up. Overall thought it looks like a matching set! Especially since I don’t keep my chairs this close together on my patio.

Rust-Oleum Outdoor Fabric Spray Paint is an inexpensive way to give your sun bleached cushions a quick update. I would 100% recommend using this paint.

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