Denim Painting 101: How to Heat-Set Painted Denim
Published Dec. 2019 | Updated Oct. 2024
Once you are done painting your denim, heat-setting is a step you CANNOT skip if you want your masterpiece to last.
It is crucial to heat-set your jeans so they are wearable and washable.
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What is Heat-Setting?
Heat-setting is the process of applying directed heat to an area of painted fabric to make it permanent.
This must be done to ensure your painting doesn’t wash, flake, or peel off.
Using a heat source, like an iron, on painted denim causes the acrylic paint and fabric medium to react with the heat and permanently adhere to the denim.
When Do I Heat-Set My Painted Denim?
Heat-set your painted denim once you are completely done with your painting and it has had 12-24 hours to dry.
You don’t need to heat-set after each layer, and heat-setting before you paint doesn’t do anything. Even if it takes a couple of weeks to paint your denim, you still do not need to heat-set until you are done painting.
Make sure you peel the tape off BEFORE heat-setting. You don’t want to start any fires or burn the tape.
Heat-Setting Safety
Ventilation
According to Golden Acrylic, GAC 900 Fabric Medim releases low levels of formaldehyde when heated. If you use an iron or blow dryer, ensure you heat-set it in a well-ventilated area.
Golden Acrylic recommends that you use a fan to blow the air outside and have windows open during the heat-setting process.
If you use a clothing dryer, that is already vented to the outside!
Heat/Burning
Heat-setting painted denim causes the painted areas to get very hot. Do not touch the painted areas after heat-setting until it has cooled down.
Ensure you use the proper temperature on the iron so you do not damage the denim. If you painted on 100% cotton denim, it should be able to withstand the high heat.
Hair dryers and clothing dryers can vary in temperature. Check the washing tag on your denim to ensure it can withstand high temperatures.
How Do I Heat-Set My Painted Denim?
There are three methods you can use to heat-set your painted denim. I’ve listed them in order, starting with the best method.
Heat-Setting With an Iron
The best way to heat-set painted denim is with an iron. I use a small travel iron and it’s perfect!
1. Ensure you have proper ventilation — open windows with a fan or heat-set outside.
2. Set the iron to the max setting (or cotton if your iron has it) and turn off the steam. Do not fill it with water! You don’t want to steam your painting.
3. Turn your denim (jeans or jacket) inside out and put it onto the ironing board with the board inside the denim.
If you don’t have an ironing board, put a folded-up towel inside the jeans and place it on a hard surface.
4. Iron the backside of the painting. DO NOT iron on top of the painting itself or you might end up destroying both the painting and the iron.
Iron for 5-7 minutes total, taking a break after each minute to let the denim cool down.
Move the iron constantly — do not leave it in one place for more than a few seconds to avoid burning the fabric/paint.
Let the painted denim cool down completely before handling it. The painted areas will be VERY hot after heat-setting.
Heat-Setting With a Clothing Dryer
If you don’t have an iron or the time/patience to iron, you can turn the jeans or jacket inside-out and toss them in the clothing dryer for 30-40 minutes on high heat.
You can put multiple pairs of painted jeans and jackets in the dryer to heat-set them all at the same time!
This way works well but takes much more energy (hello, utility bill) and the heat isn’t as targeted on the painting as an iron.
Check the tag on your denim to make sure the high heat in the dryer is okay!
Heat-Setting with a Hair Dryer
If you don’t have an iron or access to a clothing dryer, you can try using a hair dryer. This is how I heat-set my jeans when I first started in 2017.
I don’t recommend this method because hair dryers don’t get the painted denim as hot as the other methods, but it is better than nothing.
Set the hair dryer on high heat and blow dry the front and back of the painting for 10-15 minutes total, taking breaks in between to let the jeans and hair dryer cool down.
(This won’t work well for a larger painted area – like a jacket).
After Heat-Setting
Once your jeans are properly heat-set, they will feel more flexible and will hold up better through wearing and washing.
They will have a slightly different texture and will likely be slightly shinier if you used a lot of fabric medium or used fabric paint instead of acrylic.
