So I asked this over in House Chat and didn’t get any replies, so I thought I’d try here. Maybe gatherings too.
Has anyone ever made painted canvas floor cloths? If so, what weight canvas do you use, what type of paints, and what is a good source of canvas and paint?
Replies
We use them all the time! Buy them. Lay them on the floor when we work and in a matter of months they are painted. None alike. I suppose that would be the attraction. Want to buy some? DanT
I want to remember that I recall that sailcloth was used in New England. That would be 12-15oz canvas in 24" widths for sailcloth.
Wonder what happens if I google the question.
Ah hah, here go: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=canvas+floor+cloth
The HGTV article is lean, but to the point. Looks like, on a quick browse, that a trip to a fabric/upholstery shop may be needfull to stitch together anything wider than 24" (or to find a width wider than a clothyard).
I went to my usual sourse for such things--Van Dyke's Restorers catalog(http://www.vandykes.com) and couldn't find anything, but they do have a customer service number. You might try calling and asking if they know where to get it. The number is: 1-800-787-3355 and it says to call between 8 and 5 Central Time. Hope they can help.
My daughter had a school project to make an "African floor cloth".
We googled "floor cloths", got a mess of results, mostly artists, galleries and boutiques but among them were suppliers of materials.
Since her project did not involve longevity, we did a lot of substitution of materials.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Brian,
I think it would matter what you want to spend.
Some good local resources would be an art store, or canvas drops that you use for house painting. The drops for painting are variable, they may or may not have sew lines, but are usually at least 4 ft between them. Occasionally they are written on.
Sail Shops may sell you a wide piece, and a fine art store would have a range of widths, or Dick Blick or other mail order art/ craft supplier.
If you wanted to make them bigger you could incorporate sew lines into the cloth like patchwork,...even cord them.
Other options are jute, and duck cloth, you could find them at sewing shops, but they may be regional.
Id use acrylic paint its very flexible and resistant. I would definitely put a couple of clear coats on after any design though.
I think I have a few books with "how to" sections, Ill get back to you.
-zen
Edited 6/15/2005 5:58 pm ET by zendo
I wonder if you are familiar with the history of linoleum. It is not the vinyl sheet goods that are typically thought of when using the name.
a sailclothe would be stretched on the floor and tacked down around the edges. Then it would recieve several coats of linseed ( hence the name lin oil 'um) oil and then painted decoratively, and then severqal more coats of linseed oil.
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Actually, I am familar with the history linoleum, a bit. It's making a major comeback too. I think CNC made any design possible and someone figured out that linoleum was really a pretty nice finish.We need a long, slightly wider than average runner for the front hall. I'm going to try getting a public access design and projecting it onto a canvas to paint.
Ask the same question or search forums at http://www.wetcanvas.com
http://www.rosebrand.com/
Is one of the places we get our groundcloth fabric from. Depending on on what you are doing, a heavy weight muslin might work for you.
Phat
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability
Hello,
A good book on the subject is Floorcloth Magic, by Lisa Curry Mair.
A source for the canvas is:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz073/07/
and
http://www.allenscanvas.com (courtesy of Google).
Don't forget to use something on the backside of the rug to prevent slipping, such as a spray, since the canvas on a bare floor when finished is very stiff and slippery.
Good luck,
S.
Thanks! Just what I'm looking for. That and about 6 extra hours per day...
My wife has made some of these so I posed the question to her. Go to your nearest Walmart store and get everything right there. $3 a yd. for the canvas. She folds over all edges and glues them, paints one coat of latex paint on backside, 3 coats on front side for background color, paints the picture with craft paint{ I think it's acrylic } and then 2 coats of polyurethane. I don't know if it's the best way but hers have held up in our bathrooms for 4 years now.
Incidently, a store near us sells floor cloths like these for $4-500 a pop and they're only about 3'x4'. Maybe I should change buisnesses.