# Liquid Latex on cloth? A pre-season Halloween dilemma. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-latex-on-cloth-a-pre-season-halloween-dilemma/197418 "2003-08-25T00:22:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-latex-on-cloth-a-pre-season-halloween-dilemma/197418/1 "2003-08-25T00:22:03Z")
I’m looking to do an impressive Predator costume this year for Halloween. The local costume store sells an inexpensive cloth ‘muscle suit’. If I buy it and a gallon or two of cold liquid latex, will I be able to apply the latex to the muscle suit and get a decent skin effect? If not, how might I create a decent Predator torso, within reason? (I saw a place that would do the whole costume for me. It looked fantastic - for $80,000. That’s a bit much). Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-latex-on-cloth-a-pre-season-halloween-dilemma/197418/2 "2003-08-25T12:46:09Z")
I’d try a small amount of latex on a similar fabric first. The latex could shrink and cause wrinkling, making your Predator look like the old fella who lives down the block from me. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-latex-on-cloth-a-pre-season-halloween-dilemma/197418/3 "2003-08-26T00:14:24Z")
Perhaps…could you paint the latex onto a (stretched flat) sheet of thin-ish fabric, wait for it to dry, and then attach the “skin” onto the muscle suit? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-latex-on-cloth-a-pre-season-halloween-dilemma/197418/4 "2003-08-26T00:27:41Z")
When I used to work in a furniture repair shop, we used liquid latex to repair upholstery, and I didn’t notice any shrinkage. I think it would work well, but you may have to apply several layers to build up a surface that didn’t look like fabric.