Waterproofing (nikwax?)

8

84891jnf92048

Active member
Is it possible to waterproof a fabric that was never waterproof in the first place using a product like nikwax? And if said fabric is stretchy, will it still work? Or would I just ruin whatever I'm waterproofing?
 
What type of fabric would you be putting it on? They make a lot of different products for different fabrics so you might want to check that out. I highly doubt it'll make the fabric 100% waterproof but I'm sure it would help quite a bit.
 
dident even think of that, im looking to make a vest and im wondering if i can just waterproof cheap shitrather than spending 30-50 on 2 layer waterproofed
 
its pretty much just denim. they are actually jiberish chinos, so that fabric i guess. its real stretchy, and most people actually think its denim when they see and feel it.
 
I put some on my Cross Dot and it wasn't actually waterproof but it made it water repellent. I put it under my sink and the water just bounced off.
 
just by how yours went, how do you think a pair of pants would fair if washed with it? would it actually do anything, or would falling and getting snow all over my cuffs get me wet anyway?
(I'm just looking to make these usable as ski pants for the rest of the year, i think they may be done as pants anyway, i stretched the shit out of the cuffs, and i am looking into buying real skinny ski pants next year)
 
most waterproof garments use a DWR (durable water repellent) on the external nylon- this is what makes the water bead up and fall off your jacket. Every clothing company would love to have a perfect DWR, it would make laminates like Gore-Tex obsolete. However, as they wear out, you lose the waterproofing effect and when the nylon starts to soak versus bead, you need to wash it and reapply the DWR.

Nikwax makes a spray on waterproofing designed for garments which works really well, but it doesn't work all that great on cotton, which is too porous/full of seams. And don't use the wash-in kind; no need waterproofing the inside of your gear.
 
thanks for the help!

the pants are cotton, unfortunately. as i've said, im only planning on using these for the rest of the year, skiing max 2 days a week, and i'm going to buy legit skinny, waterproofed pants for next year.

but will they last till then, even just as a mediocre, water-resistant pant?
 
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