Floorcloth Magic: How to Paint Canvas Rugs for Decorative Home Use

You're tired of staring at bare hardwood floors, but the Oriental rug you covet is prohibitively expensive. The solution? A floorcloth that you can make yourself for a fraction of the cost of an area rug or carpet. Floorcloths - hand-painted durable canvas rugs - have become popular again because of a renewed interest in Early American decorating techniques. And since the most appropriate place for a floorcloth is on the hardwood floors used in so much of today's interior decoration, they complement today's lifestyle. The design possibilities, from country to contemporary, are endless.

Filled with essential techniques and sensational color variations, FLOORCLOTH MAGIC: HOW TO PAINT CANVAS RUGS FOR DECORATIVE HOME USE is the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to creating beautiful paint-based rugs for your home. It provides basic how-to instruction on every material, tool, and technique, plus recipes for paint finishes, including sponging, stamping, marbling, stenciling, ragging, and more. An introduction to color palettes and pattern development makes this a useful guide for a beginner as well as a valued resource for any craftsperson.

Lisa Curry Mair has been designing, painting, and selling floorcloths since the early 1990's. She operates her floorcloth business, Canvasworks, from a restored 18th century carriage house in Vermont.