How Do I Stencil Floorcloth?
Floorcloths became popular in the colonial period as way to decorate plain wood floors at a low cost. A stencil is used to create an artistic design over a solid color on heavy canvas. Traditionally designs included simple floral or scenery, shapes of trees or homes or other common objects of the home. Geometric borders were also used. Today floorcloths have a larger variety of decorative styles to include the primitive, colonial designs but also more abstract, modern designs.
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Preparation
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A heavy canvas is cut to the desired size with an additional two inches included on each side. Two inches squares are cut from each corner followed by folding the border toward the back. That border is secured with glue to create a rounded edge on the floorcloth.
Painting
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A base coat of gesso is applied and allowed to dry. A base color of acrylic paint is applied to the floorcloth. These coats may be applied with a brush or paint roller.
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Stenciling
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The stencil should be taped in place to prevent shifting. A small amount of paint is applied to a stencil brush. Using small circular brush strokes, the paint is applied to the stencil cutouts, beginning at the edge and working toward the middle.
Finishing
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After the stencil paints have dried, several coats of matte varnish are needed to keep the paint from being worn off by use. Each coat of varnish must be dried thoroughly before another coat is applied.
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References
- Photo Credit paint brushes image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
