Abstract: A process for finishing a textile fabric by coating the fabric with a compound which is crosslinkable by reaction-initiation radiation, exposing the back of the coated material to reaction-initiating radiation to induce crosslinking of said compound exposed through the fabric web, and removing the non-crosslinked compound.In accordance with the process of the present invention, the individual threads of the fabric act as a screen, so that crosslinking of the radiation-sensitive compounds by irradiation can only take place between the threads and not inside them, i.e. it takes place between the fibrils. This results in a differentiated porosity. The water resistance of the treated fabric is improved due to the crosslinking between the threads.