Instructions on Painting a Canvas Floor Cloth

Take measurements to determine the size of your floor cloth. Add at least 2 inches all around to allow for the hem. Replace your regular sewing machine needle with a heavy-duty one so you can plow through layers of thick canvas without breaking the needle. If you like raw edges, skip the hem entirely. Obtain a vintage feel and appearance by pre-saturating the hemmed canvas in linseed oil (both sides) and then air-dry the canvas for several days to stiffen it. Some canvas floor cloth designers substitute shellac to achieve the same degree of thickness.

Tape down the hemmed canvas with the "wrong side" up so it doesn't slide around while you work to waterproof the underside of the floor cloth. If you have no intention of flipping the floor covering over, use white, but if you'd like to have an alternate color floor mat, use a color that you'll incorporate into your finished design on the finished side. Put down at least two coats of acrylic paint with dry time following each. Paint on a varnish product to encapsulate the paint on the underside to complete the waterproofing process.

Tape down the "right side" of your canvas so it stays put while you accomplish the "artistic side" of the floor covering. Start with your background color: apply between three and five coats of paint undertaking this process with each one: once the paint is dry, sand it lightly and brush off the loose paint flakes before moving on to the next coat of paint. Plan to devote some time to this part of the project -- particularly if you decide to paint/dry/sand five times to obtain a thick coat of background color.

Time to create your design over the background. Choose from these techniques: 1) Use a stencil and stippling brush to transfer images to the cloth, taping down the stencil with each move so the paint stays within the stencil's boundaries. 2) Paint a freehand design if you're an artiste with a vivid imagination and lots of colors or 3) Apply strips of blue paint tape to the canvas to define whatever geometric pattern you like. Paint non-taped areas and pull off the tape after drying so the background color is revealed.

Don't stop with a customized canvas floor cloth. Make art work to coordinate with it. Replicate the patterns and colors you've used on your floor covering within small sheets of canvas cut to fit whatever frame size you like. Use the same basic technique for your wall art, dry and frame each behind a piece of glass. Guests will look twice when they notice that your floor cloth matches your wall art. Pull off this project successfully and your appetite may be whetted for making more of these decorating accents and selling them at craft fairs.