Painted Floor Cloth

Did y'all think I fell off the face of the bloggy world? It has been so long since I have posted!

I am joining in on the party over at The 36th Avenue.

Now your asking, what in the world is a painted floor cloth?! Well, it is heavy weight canvas which has been painted to be placed on the floor like an area rug. I made a few of these several years ago, and recently decided to make one for my granddaughter Josslyn's room. She likes all the cute girly stuff....such a DIVA!  LOL. I have actually been making a few different items for her room to coordinate. I will show you the floor cloth, then a step by step tutorial on how you can make one.

 For the butterfly and bird, I used free coloring pages for the designs. I drew the flowers myself. Coloring pages are a great resource for patterns.

Here is what you need to get started.
heavy weight canvas  (I have also used jean weight material with great results)
primer (latex)
acrylic paints
ruler
painters tape
transfer paper
patterns
heavy duty glue
rubber shelf liner (optional)

Cut the canvas in your desired size, adding an inch for the edging hem. Mine measures three and a half feet by three and a half feet. So I cut it four and a half feet by four and a half feet.  

Fold and press the edges, creating a hem, then miter the corners.

Now you are ready to tack down the hem. I use Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Glue. I have found this works the best for me. It grabs fast and holds FOREVER. Run a bead along the edge and press firmly down. Let it set for at least an hour. 

You will then be ready to prime. I recommend applying two coats of primer on both front and back. Waiting for each coat to dry before applying the next.

Once primer has dried, you are ready to begin painting. I always start with painting the back of my piece first. I generally use the basic craft acrylics. However, you can use latex paint as well.

Once the back is dry, it's time to flip and let the creativity begin!

I knew I wanted a 4 inch frame around the edges and down and across to make four boxes, so I made a template out of card stock in the shape of an L. Placing it along the edge, I drew a light pencil line then taped off the boxes.

I then painted them in in my color choice and removed the tape after the last coat.

Once dry, I transferred my designs. 

Then I painted...and painted....and painted!  LOL

Now that I look at it, all my dots are a lil wonky...LOL!  oh well...adds character. I let the finished piece dry for 24 hours, then i added three coats of Polycrylic. Letting each coat dry completely.

I love the ease of clean up of this product, just warm soapy water. Now you can even wipe the floor cloth with a damp mop. 


If you were to make one for outside your front door, you will want to use regular polyurethane, which will make it more durable for the weather.

To finish it off, I purchase the rubber shelf line from the dollar store and adhere to the back. This keeps it from slipping around.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this, and if you happen to make one, please come back and link to your project in the comment section of this post....I would LOVE to see them!


Here are some close ups.

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