Floor cloths can be a stylish way of covering a large area without the expense of purchasing extra large carpets. If you are looking for a unique color theme, with a particular style in mind, custom painted floor rugs might be the way to go.
You can use large scale canvas drop cloths from Home Depot or a plain rug purchased from Ikea. Others have used vinyl remnants to make their painted rugs. Here are some tips for making your own rug from a canvas.
1. Set Up In A Room That Won’t Be Disturbed– Chances are a project like this will take more than a weekend to complete. You don’t want the kids or the family dog tracing their little prints across the cloth. Set up in a space that is dust-free and well-ventilated. Consider working in a garage or a room which you can close the door and open the window.
2. Shrink The Cloth– Canvas is made of 100 percent cotton, so needs to be preshrunk before painting. When purchasing canvas, it is suggested to allow yourself 8 extra inches in all directions for shrinkage and hemming. To shrink the canvas, soak the canvas by scrubbing hot water onto the entire surface. When the canvas has been evenly soaked, turn the canvas over, and wet the other side. Leave the canvas flat and allow it to dry completely for a day or two.
3. Hem The Canvas- Measure the area of your floor again, and cut your canvas leaving extra room for hemming. This part of the process is important to take your time, as clean stitch and a great hem is imperative to stand up to daily wear and tear.
The easiest way to get clean folding lines on a large scale cloth is to use a pencil to draw four lines 1 inch in from the edges of the floor cloth. Then using an iron on the highest setting, and a spray bottle filled with water, fold the edge and press it with the iron. Water, and stem will give you that crisp edge you are looking for. Repeat this process on the other three edges.
4. Sew Your Corners, And Sew The Edge
Making mitered corners will give your floor cloth that polished look. There are several ways to sew a professional edge that looks attractive. Here are a few links that show step by step instructions to pulling this look off. After your corners are pressed, use a straight stitch on your sewing machine and sew all the way around the perimeter of the floor cloth.
How To Sew Mitered Corners- Here Sarai Mitnick shows us two ways to getting a mitered look. See detailed instructions along with pictures at her website coletterie.com
Sewing Mitered Corners – YouTube
How to Sew Mitered Corners – YouTube
5. Deciding On Your Graphic- Decide on a graphic which you are confident will look crisp and clear. Consider making your own large scale stencil using a stencil cutter, and clear stencil sheets.
Here are a few companies who make floor stencils:
Floor stencils.Cutting Edge Stencils
Wall and Floor Stencils – Stencilease.com
Designs that have straight edges might allow you to use masking tape instead of a stencil. Clean lines will give the appearance that your rug isn’t painted. Purchase stencil spray adhesive to keep your stencils in place, or consider using an airbrush to get the ideal amount of coverage without leakage.
Here are my all time favorite rugs featured in Katrin Cargill’s designs and Shannon Bowers home
If you like this simple design, consider this stencil– Linen Stripes Wall and Floor Stencil -20″ x 20″ Stencil Sheet – here
6. Apply Your Paint- Decide on the color of your base coat. Use that color to paint the hem of the cloth. By painting the hem, it will ensure your stitches remain intact, and prevents fraying.
Tip: Purchase latex enamel paint, as the plastics keep the cloth flexible. Latex paint can take up to a week to dry completely, so give yourself enough time to allow the paint to cure. Even though the paint may be dry to the touch after an hour, the longer you allow the latex to dry, the less cracking you will see at a later date.
When the hem is completely dry, turn over the floor cloth, and with a lint remover, lift off any debris from the canvas before painting. Using a paint brush, paint the entire surface of the floor cloth and allow it to dry overnight. Apply a second coat and allow the cloth to dry overnight. When sealing your cloth, always allow 24 hours of drying time before applying another coat of clear polyurethane finish
Liquitex Professional Fabric Effects Medium
Additional Articles On Painted Floor Cloths:
Floor rugs made from remnant vinyl flooring–addicted2decorating.com
A note about painting vinyl –“This primer never dried to a completely dry finish. I waited several days between priming and painting, and even several days later, the primer still had a tacky feeling to it. Dirt, dust, animal fur…everything would get stuck to it. As I was trying to mark my lines for the stripes, my hands would stick to it, and the oils from my hands would leave marks on it. It was incredibly frustrating, but once the paint was on and dry, that tackiness went away. So if you experience the same thing, just know that it’ll all work out in the end. Mine did!” Read more at addicted2decorating.com
Painted Place Mats Using A Quatrefoil Pattern– Using stencil or painter’s tape, take a sharpie and outline the pattern on the canvas. Paint in the pattern using craft paint. Hem or heat ‘n bond the edges Read more at sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com
How to Turn a Canvas Drop Cloth Into an Outdoor Rug See it at diynetwork.com
How to Paint a Rug — 7 Tips to Painting a Perfect Rug See it at tatertotsandjello.com
Dina at Honey and Fitz painted her living room IKEA Erslev rug a bright yellow with a stencil from Cutting Edge stencils and some leftover paint.
Where do you begin, once you have your stencil, your paint and you are ready to go?
One of her best tips is to start by finding the center of the rug and the center of the stencil and work your way out. See more of her project at honeyandfitz.com
Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs stenciled a white floor rug purchased from ikea in a moroccan pattern. She traced her pattern onto a piece of plywood and cut the design with a jigsaw. While firmly pressing on the plywood, she used an airbrush to get her curved edges crisp, which she later filled in the rest of the pattern with a paint brush. See more of her project at the36thavenue.com
Leopard Print Floor Stencil- 16 wide x 16.4″ high on a 19.5″ x 19.5″ plastic stencil sheet – here
Linen Stripes Wall and Floor Stencil -20″ x 20″ Stencil Sheet – here
Moroccan Wall and Floor Stencil -16 wide x 16″ high on a 19.5″ x 19.5″ plastic stencil –here
Greenwich Key Floor Stencil -Actual Size: 16.4 wide x 16.4″ high plastic stencil- here
Floral Punched Tin Wall and Floor Stencil – 17 high x 17 wide-here
Acacia Ikat Wall and Floor Stencil- 16.4 wide x 16.4″ high – here
Holmby Hills Wall Painting Stencil – 17″ wide x 17.98″ high- here
Moroccan Stencils Template -12.9″ x 9.05″, Design size: 7.4″ x 12.1″ here
Floral Pattern Damask Stencil- Image size: 14.7″x 12.4″ here
Millicent Allover Geometric Stencil Design size: 18.9″ x 31.3″here
Geometric Art Deco Medallion- Actual Size: 15.6 wide x 15.6″ high here
Brant Point Wall & Floor 14.7 wide x 16″ high on a 19.5″ x 19.5″ plastic stencil sheet-here
Marrakesh Wall & Floor 17.75 wide x 17.9″ high here
Amina Wall Painting Stencil -Actual Size: 18 wide x 15.89″ high Amazon
Lobster Stencil – Small 9.9″x7.1″ Design measures 8.3″x4.5″ here
Compass bearing Stencil – Entire design size: 17″x 17″ here
Design Star Season 7: Photo Highlights From Episode 2 Found on hgtv.com
Natalie Wright transformed her daughters room by taking a previous rug she had already owned and simply stenciled it. She took a light peachy color and painted the entire rug, and then worked with a large stencil she bought from Hobby Lobby. It took her two hours to stencil the entire rug. See more pictures of the finished look at natalme.com
Pam from Simple Details took an Ikea rug, and cut her own stencil pattern for a rug for her entry way. She used stencil adhesive spray found at Hobby Lobby, and a stencil brush to apply the paint. Check out pictures at her site simpledetailsblog.blogspot.com
In her many tips, Sarah suggests that if you don’t have an airbrush, to consider using Simply Spray upholstery, which is a spray paint formulated to spray upholstery or textiles.
Lucy from Craftberry Bush created this beautiful rug using Cutting Edge Stencils Ikat Samarkand stencil. She used frog tape to keep the stencil in place, and stencil adhesive spray to anchor down the stencil while painting. See more of her project at craftberrybush.com
Sarah from Diddle Dumpling made her own quatrefoil patterned rug using fabric paint and a white ERSLEV rug purchased from Ikea. She used photoshop to make her pattern, which she transferred to a plastic stencil sheet she purchased at Michael’s crafts.
She used DecoArt Americana Mediums Fabric Painting, which when mixed with acrylic paint, produces a washable, permanent paint for fabrics. It improves penetration and bonds to the fabric while helping to prevent, cracking, peeling and fading.
She suggests when stenciling on fabric, to pounce, don’t brush on the paint. View this post at diddledumpling.blogspot.com
Katie from Creatively Living Blog decided to stencil an 8 x 10 rug that she had sitting in her basement. She used the Shipibo stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils, a roller and a smaller stiff brush which worked well on her berber carpet. Check out pictures of her process at creativelylivingblog.com
Katie from Upcycled Treasures created a painted rug inspired by West Elm, for just $20! She finds her inexpensive rugs from the remnant sales from Home Depot and Lowes. She used the computer to create her graphic, then used a piece of cardboard, which the stencil pattern was drawn out and cut. She lined her template on the carpet, and traced around it using a sharpie marker. View her completed project at upcycledtreasures.com
Vinyl flooring is a popular choice for painting floor rugs. Here, an 8′x 12′ piece of vinyl flooring was purchased from Home Depot for $50 dollars. The vinyl was turned upside down, and painted on the opposite side which worked better for the paint to adhere to. A fish scale was the inspired design, so a paper plate was used as an outline which was then copied on to a clear stencil sheet. Instead of a paint brush, a 4″ foam roller was used to transfer the pattern on to the rug. To seal the design, 3 coats of Minwax in Clear Satin Polyurethane was used. View more of this project at lovelycraftyhome.com
Erin from DIY On The Cheap stenciled an outdoor rug found at Home Depot. If you are looking for an attractive rug, this one costs under $20 dollars, or go with the checkmate textured rug which also costs under $20 dollars for a 6 ft. x 8 ft rug.
Erin started out with a roller, but ended up using a 2-inch stencil brush for her project. Her tip is when you use a brush, use circular motions and do not slant the brush. Hold the brush vertically, otherwise paint will seep under the edges of the stencil. Read more at diyonthecheap.com
Cheetah Spots Wall Stencil Found on royaldesignstudio.com
J BOUTIQUE STENCILS Lace With Blossom- Entire design size: 21.2″x 21.5″,- Amazon
J Boutique Stencils Trellis Allover Stencil – Amazon
Charlotte from City Suburb Sanity also worked with a low pile outdoor rug from Home Depot. She used two pieces of foam paper, which she cut out her design onto. This foam paper has two pieces of paper, with foam sandwiched between. You can find this at your local walmart, or any craft store.
She printed out her design on her computer, then taped it on to the foam board, and proceeded to cut out her design with an exacto knife. She then spray painted the design, using the template on to the carpet. Check out more pictures of her process at ciburbanity.com
Sarah Gunn from Yummy Mommy Club started her painted rug DIY with an Ikea Egeby rug. She taped the corners of her rug, and used the intricate stencil pattern “Lisboa tile stencil” from the Royal Design Studio. Check out more of her project at yummymummyclub.ca
Geometric Stencil Madeleine- Stencil size: 39.3″x 23.6″, Entire design size: 22.5″x 31.1″ – Amazon
Liz From Ela’s Smile added color to her breakfast nook by stenciling a bold pattern onto a blank rug. She cut out her own stencil and stenciled over 90+ pattern marks. Check out her painted rug at elassmiles.blogspot.com
Lindsey From Better After decided to take her previous white area rug from Ikea and spray painted her rug using a stencil and gold spray paint. Check out the finished rug at her blog betterafter.net
Navajo Arrows Allover Stencil – Design: 21″x22.9″ Amazon
Triad Allover Stencil-Stencil size 21.5″x25.9″ Amazon
Archery Allover Stencil-Design: 21.3″x32.4″Amazon
Hedgehogs Allover Wall Stencil -Design: 21.75″x23.2″ Amazon
Stencils I Have My Eye On
It seems like over the last 5 years the stenciling market has opened up for larger scaled attractive designs. I have had my eye on a few favorites that I am debating for my own bedroom:
Tell me which one you like best…….
1. A Poppy Stripe Stencil $39, this stencil combines the classic vertical stripe with a floral pattern. The stripe/ floral combination is a classic Swedish look. If you want an all over pattern on your walls, but don’t want a really heavy or busy look, think about this stencil for your room.
For a white background -consider a baby blue as your base color, and use a vibrant blue like cobolt for the poppies, and the stems in a natural brown paint. Or for a bolder background- borrow ideas from the bedroom seen in Joy de Rohan-Chabot’s home in Auvergne France, Seen In Architectural Digest, and and work with a white based poppy, with a stem that is slightly darker than the shade of your walls. If red is your desired choice for your wall, look for rusty browns for the stems. If you go with a lilac theme, consider going for a really dark gray which borders on dark purple for your stems.
A Poppy Stripe Stencil $39 (This stencil has been featured in Oprah Magazine!)
Wall Stencil Peony Allover $46 From From Cutting Edge Stencils
This is another really pretty floral pattern that could be used as an all over stencil. Make the flowers pop with color, or go for a subtle appearance. As you can see above, the color gray allows a bit of a contrast with the yellow toned flowers. This pattern is very soft in a bedroom.
Another stencil I have considered is this lovely Pheobe’s Tulip Stencil From Royal Design Studio Stencil. You can see the stencil on their website against a brighter colored background, and it looks terrific. My favorite color scheme comes from Busily Spinning Momma. The color combination that Dorian used for her bathroom gives her room a soft and lovely appearance. Go for green on green, or a soft light yellow as your base color with green as your main stencil color. A very light blue wall base, with green would also work quite nicely.
Stencil cs11 From The Stencil Library
This is a classic 18th century motif that could be used in a number of ways. Consider making a border along the edge of the ceiling. Instead of using paint, consider using plaster.
The music motif gives your room a French or Swedish appearance. Buy this stencil from The Stencil Library This stencil design does also have a matching repeating pattern stencil with a smaller motif called the “Sweet Music Repeat”, which can be found here
The Cornucopia No 1 Solo Stencil is another stencil that I adore. Use this stencil with the stencil above to form an attractive simple vertical pattern. Buy the Cornucopia No 1 Solo Stencil in a smaller repeating version here
The “Hunting Horn Repeat” is another one of my favorite stencils. It would look terrific in a bathroom, or even a child’s room for that matter. It also sort of has that 18th century feel to it.
You can buy a larger version of the “Hunting Horn” which you use in combination with other stencils to form a simple vertical pattern or an all-over pattern.
So, which one do you think I should go for? Which one is your favorite design?
Genesee Country Museum – Seen On blackcreekcolonial.blogspot.com
Genesee Country Museum – Seen On blackcreekcolonial.blogspot.com
Additional Pictures Of Beautiful Stencil Work:
- – Early American Stenciling – See it on pinterest
- – A Simple Early Colonial Style Stenciling- See it on pinterest
- – H.R Thurgate and Son Builders, builders, contractors, Jericho, Vermont – See it on pinterest
- – Early American Stenciling – Seen on Brian Vanden Brink
- – White Colonial Stenciling Work – Seen on Brian Vanden Brink
- – Abner Richmond Tavern in Westford, CT –Historic House Blog
- – Stencil House- Parlor, Shelburne Museum – colonialsense.com
- – The Tavern – Stenciling By Moses Eaton– palatinesettlementsociety.org
- – Historical Floor Stencils By Moses Eaton(1740-1840) , mbhistoricdecor.com
- -The Moses Eaton Collection (1800-1840) , mbhistoricdecor.com
Raised Plaster Stencils
Victoria Larsen’s stencils have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Day, The Wall Street Journal, and so many more publications. Victoria’s website features ideas to improve your walls with plaster stencils, and plaster or concrete molds. She gives techniques, stencils and ornamental wall molds that could easily update your home into that French Provence, or Italian old world looks we all adore and admire.
Creating a stone wall could never be easier with plaster stencils. She shows us how to pull of this look in 7 easy steps:
Supply List:
- 1. Raised Plaster Stone stencil: From Victoria Larsen
- 2. A bucket of joint compound (or more, depending on how large the intended wall is).
- 3. A small mixing bucket
- 4. Wide masking tape
- 5. A 3″ wide plastic scraper
- 6. Darkly colored craft or wall paint in natural colors such as brown, rust and beige to pre-color the joint compound. The colors you choose will become the “base” color of your stones, with beautiful variations through out each stone.
- 7. Clear, Polyurethane sealer.
-Spray the poster board lightly with aerosol hairspray or matt spray varnish to seal the paper surface which will help prevent the moisture in the joint compound from penetrating it before you have completed your wall project.
-Apply wide masking tape to adjoining walls, the ceiling and baseboards to protect them from unwanted joint compound. Be sure to protect the floor with a drop cloth or plastic sheet, then apply your stencil to one upper corner of the wall and tape in to place.
-Transfer 1/2 of the bucket of joint compound in to a clean mixing bucket. Squeeze about 1/4 cup of each of the three paint colors you chose in to the bucket. Stir the joint compound only enough to “swirl” the colors in to the compound. Do not over mix. You want to see the literal variations in color.
-With your scraper, apply a thin coat over all of the stencil openings. The action of smoothing the compound over the stencil automatically blends the paint colors in with the joint compound which colors each stone through out.
-As you smooth on the compound, allow it to be bumpy, with dips and crevices, swirls and ridges. This will help to create very natural looking stone. Remove the stencil and allow the compound to dry before repeating your stone pattern.
-Turning the stencil in a different direction or flipping it over helps to vary the stones and prevent the “repeated” look.
-To speed things along, we do the first repeat, skip the second, apply the third repeat and so on. To accomplish this, simply measure over the width of your stencil openings and apply the stencil at that point.
Once all of the stones have been completed and are dry, apply a coat of clear polyurethane to seal and protect. Enjoy the look of a stone wall you created yourself !