Hands On Floorcloths- Early Homes

This really nice article just came out in Early Homes magazines’ Winter 2009 edition. To get a good look at the pictures, pick up a copy at your local newsstand.

It will be very hard to read this because it’s a scanned image of the magazine’s text. If you would like to read the article, scroll down to the bottom.

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Some people live wholly integrated lives—like Lisa Curry Mair, whose art is her work, and whose work takes place in the carriage-house wing of her family’s 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont. Across the street from the farmhouse is the old Henry Gould barn, a post-and-beam structure built into the hill, which houses Lisa’s competition horses and sleighs, carts, canoes, and kayaks.
The work at hand is the art of the floorcloth: a durable, painted-canvas floor covering that was the forerunner to linoleum. Doing business as Canvasworks Floorcloths, Lisa has recorded over 720 finished floorcloths signed by her. They were sold to private homeowners and museums; a recent project was the re-creation of wall-to-wall cloths for four rooms at Rosedown Plantation in Louisiana. (Her advisor on design and colors was no less than the eminent historian William Seale.) With a recent addition to the workspace, Lisa can now produce floorcloths up to 40 feet long and 18 feet wide. Canvasworks also produces painted stair risers, as well as blanks for people to create their own work and kits.
Lisa is an enthusiastic teacher who gives beginner-to-advanced workshops at her own studio and at such venues as the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton, Maine. A typical beginner class has participants making a basic checkerboard floorcloth with a simple stenciled border. Intermediates learn to line a mariner’s compass on a checkerboard. The advanced class produces a freehand-painted landscape scene on the floorcloth (starting with plein-air sketching). Lisa also teaches marbling, sponging, even using Photoshop in the design process. She has also become a historian of the craft: “If readers have found any remnants of floorcloths, please let me know,” she asks. “Photos are very much appreciated—I am compiling a history.”
The studio and gallery are open to visitors, with a day or two’s advance notice. Lisa shows how the floorcloths are made, and will sit down with potential clients to personalize the design of custom work.  (Meantime, look at the portfolios on her website to spark ideas.)
Visitors and workshop attendees end up at the Gallery, which looks out over horse pastures and a pond. For sale are completed floorcloths, canvas blanks, placemats and table runners, fireboards, framed paintings, and even canvas earrings.
CANVASWORKS FLOORCLOTHS, Perkinsville, VT: (802) 263-5410, canvasworksfloorcloths.com

Sidebar 1:

Weathersfield
IN VERMONT

You can turn a floorcloth workshop into a mini vacation, as the Canvasworks Studio is in beautiful south-central Vermont. Located at the base of Mt. Ascutney, the Studio is in the midst of well-known venues for winter skiing, spring hikes, summer events, and fall foliage. Perkinsville is a village of Weathersfield, itself a historic town. (Visit the Dan Foster House, dating to 1785 and 1825.) Attractions include state parks and covered bridges, and nearby are several historical museums, Dartmouth College, Simon Pearce Glassblowing, Saint–Gaudens National Historic Site, the Vermont Country Store, the Vermont Craft Center, and Quechee Gorge.
Here are some places for workshop attendees to stay:
• Ascutney Resort 4-season ski area and Holiday Inn affiliate; 200 rooms; restaurant, tavern, and café (dinner only, off-season). 485 Hotel Rd., Brownsville, VT: (front desk) (802) 484-7711; ascutney.com
• Baker Road Inn (B&B) Simple accommodations including twin and bunk rooms, with a common room and library. 29 Baker Rd., Springfield, VT: (802) 886-2304, bakerroadinn.com
• Golden Stage Inn Member American Historic Inns; 9 guest rooms; breakfast and dinner, guests only. Dates to 1791, with additions. Okemo Valley. 99 Depot St.,_Proctorsville, VT: (802) 226-7744, (800) 253-8226; goldenstageinn.com
• The Inn at Weathersfield Member American Historic Inns; 12 guest rooms; restaurant and tavern. An inn for 200 years. Route 106, Perkinsville VT: (802) 263-9217; weathersfieldinn.com

Sidebar 2:

Floorcloth Q&A

How can canvas stand up to that kind of wear?
Lisa Mair explains that she uses heavyweight No. 8 canvas (18 oz./sq.yd., with a tight weave and proven durability) for pieces under seven feet wide. For larger ones, she uses No. 4 canvas (24 oz./sq.yd.) Such heavy canvas ensures that the covering will lie flat for years and withstand even furniture legs and dogs.

Is there a finish on it?
Oh yes. Sealing the high-quality decorative paints, each cloth is finished with five coats of polyurethane. You can clean spills easily. A revitalizing coat of clear finish is recommended every one to three years: just clean it thoroughly, allow to dry, and apply water-based polyurethane, allowing it to cure for at least 48 hours. The colors will come back bright.

Do you put it right on the floor or use a pad?
You should place the floorcloth on a hard surface (wood or linoleum-type floors are best). Do not place on deep-pile carpet; heels etc. may poke through. Mats are not recommended, unless the floorcloth is being used on a tiled floor (because of the grout lines), in which case a thin rubber non-skid mat should be cut to fit inside the hem.

Is it tacked down or loose?
Do secure the floorcloth to the flooring. The floorcloth must not slide on the floor, and the edges should not be allowed to be bent up. Use double-sided carpet tape or poster adhesive to secure it and to maintain a flat edge. Mounting putty holds well, is easily removed, and will not harm finished hardwood or vinyl floors.

What are the cleaning instructions?
Wash it with warm water and rinse thoroughly. A slight milky film will appear when the floorcloth is wet. This will dry clear and can be hastened by toweling. Clean tough spots with a spray kitchen cleanser. Clean it in place; the less the floorcloth is moved, the less it will crack.

Can the floorcloth be stored?
If the floorcloth needs to be moved or shipped, roll it around a tube with the painted side out. DO NOT FOLD IT, as creasing may cause paint to crack. If you plan to store it seasonally, keep the original packing material. Cover the entire piece with plastic and roll it on a large cardboard tube to prevent it from being creased.

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