How To Weatherproof Ribbon For Outdoors

Have you ever attached a beautiful ribbon bow to an outdoor wreath, only to find it limp and flimsy just a few days later? This has happened to me several times, so I took matters into my own hands and set out for a solution to preserve and weatherproof ribbon.

Although I do buy those stiff pre-made red bows on occasion, I do prefer to shop for ribbon and make my own bows. This year, I started my Christmas decorating earlier than in years past, so it was required to weatherproof the ribbon.

At first thought, my instinct would be to turn to clear spray paint, but let me tell you why this isn’t the solution. First, clear spray paint does have the tendency to yellow some fabrics and textiles. Second, once the paint is sprayed on and dried, the mobility of the ribbon is gone. I found that if the ribbon isn’t stiff as a board after spraying, the paint cracks on the surface, and even sometimes the ribbon even breaks. This is not an option.

After much online digging and going down a few crafting rabbit holes, I was on the hunt for a surface sealer that would keep my ribbons and bows looking beautiful even in temperamental weather conditions. Low and behold, I found this spray.

It’s called Super Surface Sealer. It sprays on clear and is a pretreatment sealer. I tested the sealer out on a metallic gold wired ribbon that I used on the outdoor wreath of my garden house. First, I unrolled a foot or two of the ribbon, enough that I could afford to sacrifice just in case, then I began my product testing, spraying both sides of the ribbon and waiting a couple minutes for the spray to dry. Turns out, the ribbon was still very pliable and easy to maneuver into a bow.

My next test was to weather the storm. Heavy rains were expected, and this was a test to see if that beautiful bow would still look exactly as it was tied, after the soaker had moved out.

No color bleeding off the ribbon, no fading. This spray works like a champ, and is worth its weight in gold.

I’m relieved, actually. Putting in a lot of time decorating, I want to make sure all of the details last through the season. It’s just an extra quick step to ensure the ribbon you’re decorating with outside is weatherproofed.

If you are looking to decorate with a lot of ribbon outside, make sure you have this protective spray on hand to weatherproof ribbon.

You can buy the super surface sealer here.

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