"Painting Felt: anyone done it?" Topic

Hello, all,

Well, I got myself a big piece of green felt ("hunter green"). It's a bit too dark for my likes (using 6mm figures, it sort of swallows them--at a convention, given the variable lighting, it could be even worse, I'm thinking). My intention was always to sift Woodland Scenics mixed green flock over it to lighten it up and to add some variation, but doing so to such an extent to brighten the overall tone is just too much (a coating of the stuff gets on the stands, etc, not to speak of the floor). This has led me to speculating on other more permanent (and less messy) solutions.

1) Flocking the felt and then spraying it with Woodland Scenics flock cement to hold it in place.

2) Spray painting a mixed pattern of lighter greens and a few browns onto the felt (using latex spary paint).

3) A combination of 1 and 2 (although i don't want to get something that looks too soupy--an easy pitfall, I think, to slide into)

The end result I hope to achieve is a felt game mat that is foldable, portable, and won't shed (which is why I'm thinking about the paint). Being a lazy man at heart, I thought I'd check here to see if anyone has done such a thing before I go through the trial and error of the process on my own (I'm especially interested in the combination of paint and felt--will it work or will it create a crusty, cracking mess?). By the way, the felt I'm using isn't the 100 percent wool felt, but the cheaper stuff (acrylic, I think). Any thoughts would be welcome.

Best Regards,
Ed Mueller

Acrylic felt sheds most paint like water off a duck's back. Your best bet might be using some kind of synthetic fabric dye. Mix the dye and apply using a disposable spray bottle, a dripper, or a sponge.

Never tried it, but I would imagine dye would be the way to go. Paint will simply clog the felt and if you apply too much will set the felt hard removing one of the advantages you're aiming for!

Please report back that an interesting idea you've got.

Ask the fabric experts where you bought the felt...

I made some attractive DBA felt terrain blobs by just persistently dabbing and painting into the felt with a cheap paintbrush about size 1 or 2.

The felt will take the paint with some persistence.

I made a rather nice blob of Marsh/Swamp terrain and a 'cultivated area' where I blobbed down some paint to look like fruit trees and flower garden area.

They are flat and super-cheap but very playable and when you look down on the battleboard from a distance it looks like what it represents pretty well. The added bonus is that they stick most excellently to the battleboard surface and yet will not shred it. It sticks so well I hang the battle board on the wall and all the terrain still sticks. Passersby ask "Is it some kind of modern, abstract art?" "No its a minatures battlefield hanging on the wall." "Huh?"

~mArK

I've painted my ground cloth successfully, but I've never tried painting felt. One thing I would recommend, however. Never fold your ground cloth. It tend to make the paint wear more at the folds and it permanently creases the cloth. I've taken to rolling it, which makes it lay much flatter on the table.

I use spray paint to make it look more realistic. Works fine and the results look good. I use about 3-5 colors.

Thanks,

John

To make a really cool mat, use spray adhesive all over the felt, then throw sand all over it. Afterwards, use various shades of spray paint. It gives the mat texture and it doesn't look like felt anymore.

I've done this and it worked well. I hung it up on a clothes line outside and sprayed the light tan color first to make thin grass areas then when that dried used a lighter green in a misting sort of spray for highlights.

Yes from that point you'll need to roll it up but that shouldn't be a problem anyway.

I have painted and then flocked felt - use the paint as the adhesive for the flock - it works well but eventually wears off. Of course, all flock wears off eventually in my experience. DON'T use white glue - tried that once too - what a mess! It hardened and shrank at the same time making the whole piece of felt a wavey mess.

To flock felt or other table coverings, use spray adhesive (do it in small pactches, until all is done), sprinkle your flocing, roll over it with a cardboard tube or other object (helps press the flock into the glue/fabric). Shake off the excess and repeat until all areas are covered. Then spray/soak with the Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement and let dry. Do not fold, but roll as others have mentioned.

BTW, if you do too large of areas with spray adhesive, I have found that there is some drying and less adhesion, so work in small patches and blend all together.

Doug

[Never tried it, but I would imagine dye would be the way to go.]

Might be hard to dye light colors onto dark felt. Would some kind of bleaching work?

The thought occured to me that if its just too dark , would it be possible to sun bleach it ?

It rather depends on where you are and if you have somewhere to stretch it out . The theories sound . I've seen plenty of pool tables faded by sunlight .

Spray cans, as already mentioned, can work well. An airbrush can produce excellent results.

I've painted several felt cloths with good results.

Spray paint works fine. Don't worry much about stiffening the felt. After a little use, it will limber up. You should be able to speed up the process with some vigorous shaking or wadding, etc.

I've also used acryllic paints. I've done a couple of things. One was to essentially dry brush it on with a 4" wide sponge-type paint brush. This worked well for lighter colors. Use colors that are exageratedly light, since you will not be putting it on heavily. I used this method to lighten up a dark cloth I was given. It's still pretty dark though and will likely eventually become my night scenario cloth. For darkening a lighter color, I have used watered down acrylic paint (the cheap craft store kind). Lay the cloth out flat (a yard to work in is handy here) and slather it with the watered down paint. This makes a nice effect, since the paint soaks into the cloth in a very irregular fashion, pools here and there, etc. This gives you a nice irregular finish.

I've thought that one of those natural sponge paint rollers used for doing texturing effects would be excellent for slopping on irregular patterns of paint to liven up your felt.

Later

Brian

Bleach applied to a green cloth will give you an odd orange stain.

The problem with sun bleaching, Velbor, is that the fading that occurs takes longer than you would think. And since he WANTS this cloth to fade, it'll be color fast, just to irk him.

Spray paint works fine on felt. Though I start with a tan felt cloth and work lighter/darker from that. You could bet similar effects on the dark green.

Any recommendations on washing the felt to lighten it up? Or would the ensuing wrinkles not be worth the effort?

You don't suppose buying a felt in a lighter shade would work out cheaper and a lot less faffing about ?

Velbor,
Good question. I wish it were that simple. I had two color options: the hunter green and a kelly green. The kelly green was pretty lurid and pretty much out of the question (for me, anyway) as a undercloth. I had intended to use some form of effect (loose flock) anyway, and the hunter green, althoug a bit dark (in the store) did fit the maxim of a darker undercoat with lighter effects (as opposed to the kelly green, which would have been a bright undercloth with darker effects--would look like a negative!).

Best, Ed