Protect bare floors against furniture scratches with a floor cloth.
Floor cloths are cool underfoot, making them ideal for summer's warm temperatures. They don't trap allergens like traditional rugs, and their maintenance involves only a broom and a mop. Painting your own summery floor cloth puts you in charge of the finished product; recreate a patten you like or design one unlike any you've seen before. When laying out your finished creation, be aware that the canvas foundation can scratch your floor's finish over time, so invest in a protective rug pad.
Instructions
1. Select summery stencils. Seashells, "flip-flop" sandals, lighthouses and seagulls can all be used to create a beach theme. Alternatively, you can capture the growing season with flowers or a large and cheerful sun shape. Patriotic stencils are appropriate for national summer holidays.
2. Select your paint colors for both the background and the stencils. Lighthouses could be white and black, while seashells are often pastel-colored. Seagulls can be white and gray, while almost any color is appropriate for flowers and sandals. Patriotic colors are red, white and blue; yellow is the quintessential color for sunshine.
3. Launder and dry the canvas.
4. Measure the width and length of the space for your floor cloth with a measuring tape.
5. Measure along one edge of the canvas to the width measurement plus 2 inches. Mark the measurement with a pencil.
6. Measure along the perpendicular edge of the canvas to the length measurement plus 2 inches. Make another mark.
7. Cut the canvas with scissors from the width mark to the opposite edge, following the straight weave. Cut the canvas from the length mark in the same manner.
8. Fold the left and right edges of the canvas over 2 inches; insert pins to secure the hems.
9. Sew a straight seam 1-3/4 inches in from each edge and remove the pins.
10. Fold the top and bottom edges over 2 inches, inserting pins.
11. Sew a straight seam 1-3/4 inches in from the folded edge and remove the pins.
12. Spread a drop cloth on the floor and center the canvas on top, right side facing up.
13. Place a liner in the paint tray and fill it with a summery shade of paint, such as yellow, coral, mint green, cool blue or white; this will serve as the background for your finished design.
14. Roll the paint roller through the tray and paint the floor cloth using long, overlapping strokes. Let the paint dry before applying a second coat, and letting it dry.
15. Tape the edges of the stencil to the cloth using painter's tape.
16. Pour quarter-size amounts of the paint designated for your stencil onto a paper plate.
17.Dip the flat end of the pouncing tool into the paint and dab the tool across the stencil's opening. Paint the entire stencil in this manner.
18. Reposition the stencil in another space to continue the design in your preferred manner across the cloth. After the stenciling is complete, allow the paint to dry.
19. Place a clean liner into the paint pan and fill it with sealer.
20. Attach a new roller cover to the roller, roll the paint roller through the sealer and apply it to the cloth with long, overlapping strokes. Let it dry.
21. Apply another coat of sealer, and let it dry before walking on your new floor covering.
Related posts
Use a yardstick to draw your tile edges and patterns directly on the concrete floor.Perhaps you'd like to retile your floor but don't have the funds or expertise to install it yourself, or maybe y...
Add some personality to your porch with a painted canvas floorcloth.Hand-painted canvas floorcloths are mini works of art used to keep you and your family from tracking dirt into the house. You ca...
Floor cloths make attractive accents.Make a floor cloth as an inexpensive way to decorate your home or office. You start with a blank piece of canvas of the size desired and transform it into a pe...
Paint a Finished BasementOnce you finish your basement walls and ceilings with drywall, painting it is relatively easy and much like painting any finished walls. To make the process safe and make...
If you have a home decorating budget but have an unsightly 70s vinyl floor in your kitchen, bathroom or other area of your house, don't rush out to replace it. You can paint over the vinyl and cre...
