Floorcloths (aka canvas rugs) are fun and easy to make and you don't have to be an artist to create your own work of art. There's a variety of different paints and paint markers that you can use to decorate your floorcloth. All you need to add is your imagination to create a unique, one of a kind, hand painted original.
Floorcloth material comes in a variety of different sizes and can be used to make floorcloths, personalized placemats or pet mats.
Fredrix pre-primed artist canvas is ready to be painted. Unroll it and place heavy books on the corners for a few hours to fully flatten.
Flip your floorcloth over and place it on a flat surface. Using a ruler, mark off a 2" edge on all four sides.
Make a small pencil mark 2" from each corner
Draw a diagonal line connecting the marks.
Cut along the diagonal line to remove the corner.
Put 2" carpet tape around all four sides of your floorcloth
Press the corners together for a snug fit.
Paint a 1" black border along all 4 sides. When dry, place your stencil along your border.
Blot off any excess paint so that your stenciling with a dry brush.
Hold the stencil brush straight up and swirl the paint into the floorcloth.
After the red paint is dry stencil black paint on top for a shading effect
After the border is dry, place the jalapeno stencil in the middle of the floorcloth.
To prevent smudging place a towel over the border before you stencil the middle.
Use a hand held hair dryer to speed up the drying time, then slowing remove your stencil.
After the floorcloth is dry apply 3-5 thin coats of waterproof sealer.
Floorcloth Paint
I'm a big fan of artist acrylic paints. Artist acrylic paint is thick, easy to control and it remains flexible after it drys. It also has a high pigment content so the colors remain bright. I've had very good results with Liquitex Basics and Golden heavy body artist acrylics paints. For the jalapeno floorcloth project I used Basics paint colors Mars black, Cadmium red and Permanent green.
Basics is a thick, creamy artist paint that goes on smooth so it's less likely to run under the stencil. It also remains flexible after it drys. The colors can be easily mixed together to create your own colors. Cleans up easily with soap and water.
I've also had very good results with Golden heavy body acrylics. Golden is a thick, artist paint that goes on smooth, covers well and doesn't run. It comes in a range of various colors and cleans up with soap and water.
I like to use water based clear sealers for my floorcloths. They hold up well and clean up easily with soap and water. Sealing your floorcloth will protect it from wear and tear. And yes, you can walk on it when finished.
Fantastic Floorcloths has great tips and techniques for floorcloths that you can paint in a day. Colorful, easy to follow directions and lots of fun ideas.
