Tie-dye is not always all about jeans, shirts, or any other type of garment. The charm of tie-dye is that it can be applied on wood as well. You may have seen some beautiful designs before and wondered how it is made. Well, no more a mystery now as we got you an article to walk you through the process of how to paint tie-dye on wood.
Despite being so popular, many of us think that it’s not possible to paint tie-dye on wood but to be true, it’s as easy and simple as dying apparel. However, you have to know the right procedure in order to attain flawless results. So, if any of your friends told you that you could not do this, refer them to this article and do the project seamlessly.
Can you use fabric dye on wood?
An absolute yes, you can apply fabric dye on any kind of wood. Be it pine boards, wicker, plywood, or any other wood material; tie-dye can be done easily and effectively. Softwood or hardwood both will work, though they will absorb the dye differently.
Procedure to paint tie-dye on wood
Knowing that it is easy and something that you can DIY at home, let’s get to know the right procedure.
Starting with, you need to gather the materials required. That include:
- Wood
- Plastic
- Container or a box
- Disposable gloves
- A brush or a rag
Other than that, you need to decide whether you want to use a fabric dye (in this case, it is preferred that you go for Rit dye) or you want to apply acrylic paint.
Preparing the wood
After you have got the supplies, you may start working on the project. To commence with, you need to get ready the wood for the tie-dye process. If you are using the fabric dye, it calls for it to be applied to unfinished wood.
Use sandpaper to clean the wood piece, and then wet the surface of the wood. For enhanced results, you can use a wood conditioner if you like. It helps minimize the blotchiness and makes the wood stain evenly.
Prepare the dye
Once the wood is ready for the process to be applied, you need to make the dye. Arrange and produce as per the instructions written on the specified packet you have got. If it needs to be diluted, add water accordingly.
If you are using acrylic paint, you need to prepare that as well as per the guideline. If you want to attain dark colors, add more paint or dye.
Apply the solution
When everything is arranged, you can then proceed to apply the dye.
Different techniques can be used at this stage. As you want to paint tie-dye, use the technique that helps you make the design you want to imprint on the wood. Nevertheless, we will discuss the two most effective methods.
- Dye bath
For this to apply, you prepare the dye solution in a container and then dip the wood piece into it. This practice is suitable if you have a small piece of wood, such as home décor parts. The container should be large enough for the size of wood material that you are using, or else you may get patchy results.
- Use a brush
The other technique is to take advantage of the brush or the rag to paint tie-dye on wood.
Drop the dye on wood and use your brush to spread it as per the design you like. Apply multiple colors, and you will see how good of a painter you are.
Just be careful during the process that you do not spill over the paint and make a mess around. Do not overlook that you have to clean the workspace in the end.
You can apply paint more than once if you want some dense color on the wood.
Let the paint dry and enjoy
After you are done applying, let the paint dry naturally and see how the wood piece is transformed into different shades and colors. If you like the final product, you can use a paint sealer to make it last longer.
Conclusion
By going through the steps, you can picture that the process to paint tie-dye on wood is quite simple and easy to try at home. From preparing the wood to the paint, it all comes to how you apply the solution to the wood. Use whatever technique suits you the best, and in the end, you will be happy to see results.
After all, knowing the process gives you confidence that you can do the task in a perfect manner. So, what are you going to experiment with, a wicker basket or a chair?