Making art on vinyl flooring material—who knew?

Anne Shields started this. She brought a floorcloth that she had made to class, along with supplies for others to do something similar. Here’s what she told us:

“Two hundred years ago, homeowners who couldn’t afford better rugs had painted floorcloths on their floors. These were painted on canvas cloth and were often highly decorative. They were also pretty dangerous, since the canvas tended to curl up on the edges, and people tripped on it.

A friend of mine came up with a new method that mimicked these floorcloths–painting the backs of modern vinyl flooring with decorative designs. I have made many of these cloths over the last 20 years and have enjoyed using them in my home, primarily in a beach house where the decor is pretty casual.”

Anne explained the supplies and method to use:

“Go to a carpet store or Home Depot and ask to buy a piece of vinyl flooring. If you can get a remnant at a carpet store, it will cost you next to nothing. Home Depot has this flooring in 12-foot widths. You really don’t care what the pattern is, since you are going to turn it over and paint the back. Just be sure it is thick enough to hold up and has as few pock marks as possible.

Use acrylic paint from a craft store or paint store to paint your design. When it is dry, cover it with three coats of polyurethane. I think that Benjamin Moore eggshell or semigloss works well.”  

Anne had checked with our teacher, Ellen Cornett, on the idea of having the class do this. Ellen told me, “I saw what Anne did and thought it was really delightful. I thought the class would like doing something different.”

And that’s just what everyone thought.

Most of the Wednesday Studio members who tried this cut pieces from the flooring and made placemats.

Lynne Schlimm (above) said, “I really enjoyed doing something different.” She went to a website she had used to make a hooked rug years ago and took inspiration from their designs for the two placemats she made.

Martha Pope (above) made her own drawing after seeing a design in one of the books Anne brought. Martha noted that she finds the work relaxing.

Kay Elsassser (above) made up her own drawing of a bird with leaves and blossoms. Kay usually works in watercolor and said “I never tried this. Acrylic is new to me, and drawing is always fun.”

Carolyn Rondthaler went through one of the floor mat books and found a design that appealed to her. Carolyn is a watercolorist and said she had never worked with acrylic before. “It was a break from what I usually do, and I found it very challenging.”

Tara Hamilton told me, “My grandmother had French pottery. I grew up seeing it. I kept several pieces. My niece loved them, and I gave them to her for her wedding present.” Tara made two placemats using this design from a “Quimper marriage plate” (her grandmother’s pottery), and has now given the placemats to her niece.

And there you have it!