How to Make Painted Canvas Floor Coverings

Wash cotton canvas in hot water and dry it in a clothes dryer on a hot setting. Press the canvas with a steam iron to remove wrinkles. Remove any loose strings along the edges of the fabric with sharp scissors.

Fold over each edge of the canvas 1/4-inch and iron the edge down. Sew each edge with a 1/8-inch seam allowance, using a straight stitch.

Lay out the canvas unfolded on a flat surface with the folded edges down. Use a wide paint brush to apply primer onto one side of the canvas. Let the primer dry completely for at least 24 hours.

Sand the primed side of your canvas lightly with the sandpaper.

Paint the entire primed side with a base color of acrylic paint. Let dry for at least four hours. Apply another coat of the base color and let dry.

Design your rug. You can trace bowls of different sizes with a pencil to create circles. You can use masking tape to mark lines or a checkerboard pattern on your rug. The Martha Stewart website has templates for leaves, swirls, and several other shapes available for download. Mark all your shapes with pencil.

Fill in your shapes with paint. Let the paint dry for 24 hours.

Apply a coat of varnish to the painted side of your rug with a large paintbrush. Let the varnish dry for 24 hours and apply another coat.

Let the varnish dry for four days. Lay the rug out on the floor over a piece of rug gripping material. Add rug tape to hold it securely to the floor if necessary.