Painting a Tarp?

**Trooper** · 11-28-2009, 18:01

I want to experiment. I have an ENO tarp that I would like to be camouflage. I am not concerned about adding weight, and only mildly worried about the paint flaking off, and I am willing to sacrifice the tarp if it comes to that. Would the spray paints designed for plastics work or will it disintegrate the fabric?

Here is what got me thinking about this from Eberlestock's website:

Painting Nylon

**gargoyle** · 11-28-2009, 18:53

I would find some scrap sil fabric and do a test. I'm thinking the paint's going to have a hard time sticking. Silicone caulk with some dye added to it may work, again test it on some scraps.

**Brian** · 11-28-2009, 19:05

In my experience, I have yet to find a suitable dye or paint that really adheres to silnylon. Things like Sharpie markers and the like provide a bit of color, but I think that anything not on being applied on the nano-scale is going to have a tough time really sticking to the fabric.

With that said, some mixed silicone/dye sounds like a pretty good idea, it's just a matter of getting the right color combo you're looking for!

**Trooper** · 11-28-2009, 19:26

Originally Posted by gargoyle

I would find some scrap sil fabric and do a test. I'm thinking the paint's going to have a hard time sticking. Silicone caulk with some dye added to it may work, again test it on some scraps.

That's what I assumed. I don't have any scraps to try this on, so this is sort of a "scrap tarp". This tarp was an emergency purchase because I needed a tarp and this was all that was in stock.

**sclittlefield** · 11-28-2009, 19:48

Originally Posted by Trooper

I want to experiment. I have an ENO tarp that I would like to be camouflage. I am not concerned about adding weight, and only mildly worried about the paint flaking off, and I am willing to sacrifice the tarp if it comes to that. Would the spray paints designed for plastics work or will it disintegrate the fabric?

Is your ENO tarp silnylon? I think most of their tarps are coated ripstop. If it's not silnylon, you're gong to have much better luck with coloring it.

I've not seen the fabric they use in person, so this may be impossible - but... if it's not sil, and if the non-coated side of the ripstop will take a dye, you may have luck just dying it olive green in a bucket. If it will take dye, that will last much longer than paint.

Just a thought.

**slowhike** · 11-28-2009, 20:04

Originally Posted by sclittlefield

Is your ENO tarp silnylon? I think most of their tarps are coated ripstop. If it's not silnylon, you're gong to have much better luck with coloring it.

I was wondering the same thing.
If it is sil-nylon, I might add one more ingredient to the suggestions above... a solvent like white gas or paint thinner.
100% Silicon
Dye (Rit?)
solvent

When seam sealing a tarp w/ the above formula (minus the dye), the solvent softens the silicon that the silnylon was impregnated with at the factory, creating a true & permanent bond between the original silicon & the new silicon.

**Brian** · 11-28-2009, 20:06

Originally Posted by Trooper

That's what I assumed. I don't have any scraps to try this on, so this is sort of a "scrap tarp". This tarp was an emergency purchase because I needed a tarp and this was all that was in stock.

Need some scraps? I'd be happy to share some of my vast supply for a good cause! Shoot me your address in a PM and I'll get you some!

**Trooper** · 11-28-2009, 20:44

Originally Posted by sclittlefield

Is your ENO tarp silnylon? I think most of their tarps are coated ripstop.

I checked the website and the navy blue tarp is only offered in Poly Coated Ripstop. Also, mine feels like a tighter weave than the military poncho, but not like sil-nylon. Fortunately, I do have some scraps-the stuff sack is made of the same material.

**Trooper** · 11-28-2009, 21:27

Originally Posted by slowhike

I was wondering the same thing.
If it is sil-nylon, I might add one more ingredient to the suggestions above... a solvent like white gas or paint thinner.
100% Silicon
Dye (Rit?)
solvent

When seam sealing a tarp w/ the above formula (minus the dye), the solvent softens the silicon that the silnylon was impregnated with at the factory, creating a true & permanent bond between the original silicon & the new silicon.

I'm thinking this is probably the best as well. I've read that McNett's makes a good bond with the substrate, so I'll try to dye that first then apply it to the sil-nylon.

**Quoddy** · 11-28-2009, 21:57

I've used magnum sized Sharpie permanent ink type pens in several colors to do a semi-camo job on silnylon and even cuben. They're available in green, brown, and black which is enough to get a good stealth coloring. The trick is not to use more of the colors than is necessary, in other words incorporate the initial color into the pattern. I tend to use vertical patterns such as you'd see in natural surroundings.