Create a Floorcloth

I love floorcloths. I started out painting them on canvas, but they’d curl up on the edges. Then I tried linoleum scraps. Just turn it over, prime the under side, and paint any design you want.
This reader combined paint and scrapbook paper to create a beautiful floorcloth.
If you want to learn how to create the perfect floor cloth, look no further!  Monica Jessup of Temecula, California, has mastered the art of creating these beautiful floor decorations.

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Inspired by a book on fabric floor cloths, Monica decided to give her projects a twist. “Since there are so many beautiful papers out now because of scrapbooking, I decided to make them with the paper,” Monica says. 

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To start, Monica bought a section of vinyl flooring from a local home store and cut it to the size she wanted—3 x 4 feet. Then she used gesso to prime the back of the vinyl, making sure she primed only the back. (That is, the back of the vinyl will become the top of the floor cloth.) 

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Once the primer dried, Monica chose a background color and painted two coats on the vinyl. While the paint dried between coats, she cut shapes out of paper for the design. Starting with the largest shapes on the bottom, Monica decoupaged each layer of shapes onto the mat.

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Monica used five coats of polyurethane to seal the floor cloth. “The last coat should include one tablespoon of a nonskid additive to give the floor cloth texture. This also can be used on the back,” she says.

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Tip from the creator: The final result doesn’t have to be used on the floor! “I’ve made these out of posters that I love and hung them on the wall. They’re a great art alternative,” Monica says.

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To see more of Monica’s floor cloths, click here!