Can You Paint Cellular Shades? The Risky Truth About Reviving Honeycomb Blinds

You are staring at a set of sun-faded, slightly yellowed window treatments, wondering if you can save a few hundred dollars by giving them a fresh look. It is the classic DIY dilemma. The short answer is yes, you physically can apply paint to them. However, the honest answer—the one that will save you a headache—is that you probably shouldn't. Painting cellular shades is fraught with complications that often turn functional blinds into stiff, unmovable decorative statues.

Cellular shades, or honeycomb blinds, rely on a delicate balance of fabric flexibility and precise pleating to stack neatly when raised. Adding a layer of paint alters the weight and stiffness of that fabric. If you are determined to try this project despite the risks, or if the blinds are destined for the trash anyway and you have nothing to lose, there is a specific way to go about it. Using standard wall latex or heavy acrylics will ruin them instantly. The only fighting chance you have is using specialized fabric spray paint, and even then, the results are rarely factory-perfect.

A Personal DIY Disaster: Why I Warn Against It

I feel obligated to share a bit of history before explaining the method. A few years ago, I attempted to refresh a set of budget-friendly light-filtering cellular shades in a guest room. They were a dingy off-white, and I wanted them charcoal grey. I reasoned that since I had successfully painted upholstered chairs before, blinds wouldn't be much different. I set up a spray station in the garage and went to work.

The color coverage looked fantastic initially. But once the paint dried, the reality set in. The fabric, which used to be soft and pliable, felt like starched denim. When I tried to raise the blinds, the pleats refused to fold correctly. They crunched and bunched up unevenly because the paint had filled the weave of the fabric, eliminating its ability to hinge. Worse, I hadn't perfectly masked the lift strings inside the honeycomb cells. The paint made the strings tacky, causing friction inside the mechanism. The blinds eventually stuck halfway up, and I ended up buying replacements a week later. If you proceed, know that you are experimenting, not guaranteeing a fix.

Why Cellular Shades Hate Paint

To understand the difficulty, you have to look at the mechanics. Unlike wood blinds or vinyl shutters, cellular shades are made of spun-lace polyester or similar non-woven fabrics. They are engineered to hold a sharp crease (the pleat) while remaining soft enough to collapse into a tight stack.

When you introduce paint, three things happen:

• Loss of Elasticity: Paint contains binders that harden as they dry. This hardening prevents the fabric from flexing at the pleat lines. Instead of folding, the material may crack or simply resist going up.
• Added Weight: The lift mechanism in your shades is calibrated for the specific weight of the original fabric. Even a few ounces of dried paint can overburden the internal springs or clutches, causing the shade to drift down or fail to hold its position.
• Blocked Light Transmission: If you are trying to paint cellular shades that are meant to filter light, you will likely end up with a blotchy appearance. Paint is difficult to apply evenly on absorbent fabric. When the sun shines through, every brushstroke or heavy spray area becomes visible as a dark streak.

The Only Viable Method: Fabric Spray Paint

If you are still committed to the project, put down the paintbrush. The pressure of a brush will flatten the cells, and you will never get them back into shape. Your only option is upholstery spray paint or fabric spray dye. These products are formulated to remain somewhat flexible after drying, unlike standard spray paints which turn into a plastic shell.

Preparation is Everything

You cannot paint dirty blinds. Dust and grease will prevent adhesion, leading to flaking later. Vacuum the shades thoroughly using a brush attachment. If there are stains, spot clean them with a mild detergent, but do not soak the blinds. Water saturation can dissolve the glues holding the honeycomb cells together.

You must remove the shades from the window. This is not a project you can do vertically. Lay them out on a large drop cloth in a well-ventilated area. Fully extend the shade so the pleats are open.

Protecting the Mechanism

This is the step most people skip, leading to failure. You must tape off the headrail (the top metal part) and the bottom rail. More importantly, you need to protect the lift cords. This is incredibly difficult because the cords run inside the cells. Some DIYers try to thread a straw or a small tube around the string where possible, but inside the cell, it is nearly impossible to mask them completely. This is the main gamble: if the string gets coated and stiffens, the blind won't work.

Application Technique

Shake your fabric spray can vigorously. Apply the paint in thin, dusting coats. Do not try to get full color saturation in one pass. If you soak the fabric, the pleats will lose their memory, and the shade will sag. Spray a light mist, let it dry for 20 minutes, and then assess. You might need three or four light coats to change the color without saturating the fibers.

Flip the shade over and repeat the process on the back side if necessary, though keep in mind that the back of the shade is usually white for street-side uniformity and heat reflection. Painting the back a dark color might violate HOA rules or absorb too much heat, damaging the window glass.

Alternatives to Painting

Before you risk ruining your window treatments, consider why you want to paint them. If it is because they are dirty, a professional ultrasonic cleaning service might restore the original color. These services dip the blinds in a tank that uses sound waves to vibrate dirt out of the fabric without scrubbing.

If the issue is yellowing due to UV damage, the fabric is likely degrading. Paint won't fix brittle fibers; it will just hold them together temporarily before they shatter. In this case, replacement is the only long-term solution.

If you simply hate the color, consider moving the shades to a less conspicuous room and buying new ones for the main living area. The cost of high-quality fabric paint adds up quickly—you might spend $40 to $60 on supplies to paint a large shade, only to have it fail. Putting that money toward a new, budget-friendly blind is often the smarter economic move.

Summary of the Risk

While you can paint cellular shades using specialized fabric sprays, the probability of compromising the lift mechanism and the pleat retention is high. The fabric often becomes too stiff to stack properly, and the internal cords can become tacky and jammed. This project is best reserved for old blinds that you are willing to sacrifice if the experiment goes wrong, rather than high-end window treatments you rely on daily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fabric dye in a bathtub to color my cellular shades?

No, you should never submerge cellular shades in hot water or dye baths. The heat and water saturation will dissolve the adhesives that hold the honeycomb structure together, causing the blind to delaminate and fall apart completely.

Will painting my shades make them blackout?

Painting light-filtering shades with dark paint will reduce light transmission, but it rarely achieves a true blackout effect. The paint often dries unevenly, creating a patchy look when the sun shines through, and heavy coats required for blackout opacity will almost certainly ruin the mechanism.

Can I paint the metal headrail of the blinds?

Yes, the metal headrail and bottom rail are much easier to paint than the fabric. You can lightly sand the metal and use a standard spray paint designed for metal or plastic, provided you carefully mask off the fabric to prevent overspray.