Dimensional fabric paint or more popularly known as puffy paint is one of the preferred paints of crafters, teachers, and parents. Puffy paint, however, takes quite a while to completely dry out. If you don’t have the luxury of waiting, then here’s a guide on how to dry puffy paint fast.
How Long Does It Take Puffy Paint To Dry?
It normally takes half to one full day or 12 to 24 hours for a thick layer of puffy paint to dry completely. In contrast, a thin layer of puffy paint dries within four to six hours and is safe to wash after three days.
There are various factors affecting the puffy paint’s ability to dry quickly. These include humidity, the material being used, and the quality of the paint. Under ordinary conditions, a tulip puffy paint can dry completely after four to six hours.
Below are some estimates on how long puffy paint will dry on various materials
Fabric: It takes roughly six to 24 hours for puffy paint to dry on fabric.
Glass: You will have to wait 24 hours for the paint to dry on the glass.
Squishy: It takes roughly a day or 24 hours for the paint to dry before you can start applying another layer
Plastic: The wait time for puffy paint to dry is shorter on plastics at four to five hours.
However, take note that these are just estimates. You may have to wait a bit longer if you use low-quality puffy paint.
How to Make Puffy Paint Dry Faster
There are several ways to make puffy paint dry faster. Here are some of the best ones.
Method 1: Use a Fan
- Place the material you’ve painted on in front of the fan and leave it to dry.
- Just ensure that the material won’t be blown away by the air coming from the fan. As such, avoid using the fastest speed.
Plus, do not use a fan to dry puffy paint in a dusty room. This is because the fan can easily blow the dust towards your newly painted material.
Method 2: Use a Blow Dryer
Using a blow dryer is one of the quickest ways to dry puffy paint. Here’s how.
- Place the dryer around half a foot away from the painted item.
- Slowly move the hairdryer around the painted material, so the paint will dry out evenly.
- Move the hairdryer farther once you notice the paint is showing any sign of losing texture. You can also choose to stop blow drying and find other methods of drying the paint.
Use the lowest heat and speed settings when using a blow dryer. Otherwise, the puffy paint can end up losing most of its texture because of the high heat.
Method 3: Use Sunlight
Sunlight is one of the fastest and most natural ways to dry puffy paint. It is, however, recommended that you do not place your painted material under direct sunlight since it can damage your artwork.
- Find a spot where there is indirect sunlight such as an open window and place the painted material in the area to allow the paint to dry faster. The sunlight can help remove the puffy paint’s moisture so that it will dry faster.
- Leave the painted material for a couple of hours to allow the sunlight to do its magic.
- Make sure that the painted material won’t be blown away by the air coming from the window.
Other Tips to Make Puffy Paint Dry Faster
If you’re painting on fabric, make sure to wash and dry the fabric first. This way, the puffy paint will be quick to stick to the fabric given that most fabrics have chemicals to maintain the softness of the material. Washing removes these chemicals, allowing the fabric to absorb paint more quickly.
Make sure you avoid working in a humid room when you are doing your artwork. If the room is humid, you will have to deal with more moisture. As a result, the drying time will be longer.
To remove excess moisture in the room, you can use either an air conditioner or a dehumidifier. Eliminating moisture from the room will cut down the waiting time for the puffy paint to dry regardless of the material you are painting on.
It is also possible to paint only a thin layer if you are in a hurry, as thicker paint layers require more time to dry.
Conclusion
Puffy paint may be one of the sought-after paints by crafters, teachers, and parents, but it takes quite some time before it dries out. Fortunately, the instructions on how to make puffy paint dry faster are quite straightforward. You only need a fan, sunlight, or blow dryer to speed up puffy paint’s drying process.