How To Make Fabric Water Resistant

In today’s video I’m going to show you a quick easy method for waterproofing fabric. It really makes the fabric resistant to absorbing water, as it is not a perfect sealant. The cloth that I’ll be using is made of 100% cotton but I know canvas and other fabrics will work. You just need to find some wax and apply it evenly and fully to the fabric. You can find special wax online for this purpose but a simple candle will do just fine. I’m put the wax on both sides. More wax will help with the waterproofing but it will make the fabric more stiff depending on the wax. Once applied, just take a hair dryer or heat gun and go to town. The wax will begin to melt and seep in. You’ve applied enough heat when the color of the fabric comes back to normal. Allow to dry and cool down completely. You can see by testing the wax-finished fabric, the water beads and slides right off. It isn’t perfect waterproofing but it’s much better than the leaving fabric untreated. Giving it a few minutes, the wax side will also dry faster.
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Sharp Works

[@rayluxejosephine8548]

This actually works! So cool! I did that with surfboard wax

[@jamesm1297]

Soo simple.. I gotta try this now . Great tip

[@SharpWorks]

Thanks!

[@rayluxejosephine8548]

That’s epic it actually works

[@ozzybrooke]

Very cool

[@Musikizluv]

Any idea what happens to the fabric if left in the sun?

[@meiosullivan6971]

Hi. Thanks for this tutorial. I have been wanting to acquire cotton fabric that has some resistance to water and I’m so glad to have found your video. However, I have a few questions which I hope you can help answer : (1) once the fabric has been waxed, will constant washing of the fabric remove the water resistancy over time? (2) once the fabric has been waxed, will the fabric still be breathable? (3) is it safe to use such waxed fabric for sewing clothes? (4) what other waxing substance can i get from store if i cannot find such big candle? (I live in a tropical city where such big non scented inexpensive candles are not commonly available). Thank you once again.

[@SharpWorks]

I don’t believe candle wax will hold up very long after washing / cleaning. There are products that you can buy online that’ll work much better but are probably more expensive. I haven’t tried any of those so I wouldn’t be able to recommend anything in particular. Honestly I haven’t done much testing on this for clothing. I applied it to rags and canvas for light outdoor use, but not to wearable clothing.

[@meiosullivan6971]

Sharp Works - thanks for your reply. It helps.

[@CalliesInferno2]

Hey, thanks for the tip, but I was wondering about something. Will it work in the pool, or will it wash off? I'm working on a cosplay that needs water proof fabric, and I don't have the money to buy any online.

[@SharpWorks]

Unfortunately, this won’t work if the fabric is fully submerged. The wax makes it resistant to rain and small spills but not water proof.

[@CalliesInferno2]

@@SharpWorks Oh. Well thanks for the response! Have a nice day!

[@guest2007]

15 jan 2021 1:19 pm est(utc-5): thanks.

[@vaibhavjain5446]

For how long the waxed side remain water proof ??

[@SharpWorks]

vaibhav jain it depends on a lot of conditions: outdoor / indoor use, how frequently it’ll come into contact with water, temperature that will be exposed to the fabric, use of fabric (will it be roughed up or lightly used), etc. It’s hard to say how long it’ll last for you so it would be best to test it for your particular application. For me, it lasted indefinitely as long as the fabric wasn’t exposed to excessive heat or rough use.

[@brentsrx7]

Hawk Tools Weatherproofing Wax performs much better. It is not candle wax but a proper blend.

[@Junaid285]

Can it work on polyester fabric?

[@SharpWorks]

Yes this should work on polyester. Just make sure you don’t overheat the fabric when melting the wax.

[@Junaid285]

@@SharpWorks thanx for the reply. I have only one doubt...if we wash the fabric after wash 2-3 times, again it will get same result (waterproof) ?

[@SharpWorks]

I haven’t tested it out but I do think the wax will wear away over multiple washes. But it’s so easy to reapply so it won’t take long to get it back to water proof.

[@TheFella1200]

Yeah put a match to it and you have a big candle 😂

[@kaimiross7517]

is the fabric stiff?

[@SharpWorks]

Kaimi Ross after the wax, the fabric becomes slightly stiffer, but it’s not too noticeable.

[@kaimiross7517]

Thank you I tried it and it works extremely well. I honestly thought that it wasn’t going to work.

[@SharpWorks]

Great to hear, thanks for watching!