How to Create a Stenciled Canvas Floorcloth
The forerunner of linoleum, hand-painted canvas floorcloths offer an inexpensive and practical way to create a floor covering that is as durable and easy to clean as it is decorative. They look particularly lovely on hardwood and ceramic tile floors in country-style and informal homes. They also let you want in your favorite colors.
Choose or Create a Design
A floorcloth can be as small as a 2×3-foot area rug or as large as 8×10-foot carpet (or even larger). Draw the measurements to scale on graph paper and sketch out possible designs. Study interior decorating, design, folk art, and stencil pattern books for inspiration. Make your pattern as traditional or as fanciful as you please. Bold and simple patterns are more effective. Geometric patterns look especially good.
Or go to a crafts store and look for stencils. You may end up combining several stencils to make your own design in a consistently repeating pattern. Or you may use one type of stencil in the corner, another around the edge, and another near the middle. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Prepare the Canvas
Add 3 inches for hems to each dimension to figure the gross size. Order pre-primed artist’s canvas in that size from an art supply store. If you want an exceptionally heavy, durable floorcloth, use a double layer of canvas.
Lay the canvas, right side down, on a flat surface protected from paint splatters. Turn under 1 ½-inch-wide hems on each side, mitering the corners. Seal with fabric-to-fabric glue. If you prefer, sew the hems on a home sewing machine with a No. 18 needle and heavy-duty mercerized cotton thread at eight stitches per inch. Take a large double-layer floorcloth to an automobile upholstery shop for hemming.
Coat with Primer
If you like the natural color of canvas, simply paint the stencil design directly on it. In that case, be sure to give the floorcloth a heavy coating of polyurethane at the end because the light color will not hide dirt satisfactorily.
Lay the canvas on a flat surface that has been covered with a dropcloth or protective sheets of plastic.
If the background color is dark, ask a paint supplier to tint some latex primer so it approximates the color. Apply the primer and allow to dry before applying the base coat.
With a large brush, paint on a base coat of flat latex paint. Work to get a consistent texture. Ideally, the canvas will be completely covered with paint, yet the texture of the fabric will show through. Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours.
Stencil or Draw a Design
To hand-paint a design, use high-quality artist’s brushes. Draw the design with faint pencil marks or at least draw lines that indicate the general outlines of the design. Apply the paint using long, fluid strokes wherever possible.
To apply a stencil, first mark out the general layout with faint pencil lines; a straightedge or chalk line may help. Affix the stencil to the cloth with masking tape.
Using a standard stenciling brush may cause problems if the base coat is still soft (latex paint often stays soft for a week or two after drying). A standard 1-inch brush may work better.
Dip the brush into the paint and remove the excess on scraps of paper. Apply it with pouncing strokes, straight up and down. Either fill the open area completely with paint or fill the outer edges completely, then go over the inside portion lightly.
Let the paint dry for three days. Then seal well by brushing on seven coats of acrylic varnish or polyurethane finish, letting each coat dry before applying the next. Let the final coat dry five days before walking on the floorcloth.
