Painted Floor Cloth

I saw some beautiful painted floor cloths at  a Craft Show that I attended this past winter.  Since then, I have been inspired to make one for my laundry room.  I checked out some instructions on the web to get an idea of how to make one but of course, I improvised with the materials I had on hand. Here is how I did it.

Step ONE –  Wash a piece of heavy weight natural canvas. I happened to have some in my fabric closet. I tossed it into the washing machine to shrink it and take out the sizing. It came out of the wash much smaller and a bit tangled.

Step TWO – Smooth out the tangles and begin to iron it FLAT. I ironed and ironed and ironed until I thought my arm might fall off. This is a crucial process because the rug needs to lay smooth without wrinkles or buckles. Take your time and do this well.

Step THREE – Fold all edges under about 1 inch. Take care to miter the corners for a nice finished look. To do this, fold a  triangle at each corner, then fold the two sides in to meet. There should be a diagonal line like the corner of a picture frame. You can trim away a bit of the triangle to take out some bulk. Then sew.  I first Zigzagged the unfinished edges before I straight sewed the hem. Make sure that your rug is square and even. I have read that you can staple the canvas around a hollow door to create a perfectly straight line for the hem. I did not do this because my rug was not the right size but if you have something like a door that is the correct size, this seems like a good idea.

Step FOUR – Prime the canvas. I rummaged around my left over paint and found some white ceiling paint to prime my canvas. I used a roller and painted both sides. I did this on my basement floor with a piece of plastic under the project. I think I put 2 coats of primer on each side. This is important because canvas is porous and needs to be sealed before the real painting can begin. My 48″ X 58″ canvas used up about three quarters of a gallon can of paint. It soaked and slurped up that much!

Step FIVE – Now the fun part can begin. I found this pattern from a rug that I saw at Anthropologie. You can take inspiration from books, fabric, china; look around. Once again, I used wall paint leftover from a different project. I was feeling mighty fine since I was using all found materials that were tucked away in the far corners of my house.

Step SIX –  Paint the background color first. Let paint dry before applying the next color. Experiment and play. Let the rug dry thoroughly (over night) before the next step.

Step SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE and TEN – Brush on a finish coat of Polycrylic water based Minwax protective finish. Let each coat dry before the next. I did this over the course of a few days.

Ta Da! You are done. Use a non skid pad underneath the floor cloth because it can be slippery. Wipe clean when necessary. Enjoy!

-Peg