Chalk Paint™ Stenciled Floor Cloth

Chalk Paint™ Stenciled Floor Cloth

Painted and stenciled floorcloths have a rich history - used in homes throughout England and the United States prior to the invention of linoleum, they were often made from recycled canvas ship sails. For a quick and easy alternative floor covering for a trade show, Melanie created this amazing stenciled vinyl floorcloth using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on the BACK side of some pre-cut vinyl.

Basic Stencil Tools and Supplies Reading Chalk Paint™ Stenciled Floor Cloth 4 minutes Next Chalk Paint™ Tutorial-Part 2

Painted and stenciled floorcloths have a rich history - used in homes throughout England and the United States prior to the invention of linoleum, they were often made from recycled canvas ship sails. For a quick and easy alternative floor covering for a trade show, Melanie created this amazing stenciled vinyl floorcloth using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on the BACK side of some pre-cut vinyl.

chalk paint stenciled floorcloth

You can create a similar project with either traditional floorcloth canvas, but we recommend using a better quality, thicker vinyl for usein an area with not so heavy foot traffic. 

Supplies Used:

Inexpensive sheet vinyl - thicker and harder for traffic areas
White Primer
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the following colors:
Short-nap 4″ roller
Annie Sloan Lacquer

How-To:

Apply 2 coats of white primer to the BACK of your sheet vinyl:
vinyl floorcloth

Roll on on two coats of  Annie Sloan Graphite Chalk Paint. 

chalk paint colors for DIY floorcloth project

You can easily mix and match several stencil patterns on a large surface to create your own custom design. Choose stencil designs in a variety of scales with similar elements.  For inspiration, take a look at the stylistic variety within a typical oriental rug. 

For this project, Large Eastern Lattice Stencil is used at the centerpiece, framed with the Classical Border & Corner Stencil. The Florentine Damask Stencil creates the lacy scalloped edge and corner detail.

Next, mark off the placement of your border - calculate the space needed for the outer elements and measure in from the outside edge.

measure and mark stencil placment

For this project:

  • Measure in 14.5" from the outside edge (space for Florentine Damask "lace edge"
  • Mark with a chalk pencil; tape off outside the marks
  • Measure in an additional 4" for the border; leave 4" space between for placing the border
  • Burnish the tape to prevent paint from seeping under

Next, Roll on two coats of Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint with a short nap 4" roller for the border.

mark off stencil placement with tape

Measure to locate the center of the large inner rectangle

Center one repeat of your stencil design element to ensure symmetrical pattern placement at both edges

allover stenciling with a dry brush

Alternate stenciling with a brush (2" stencil brush shown here) for detail or use a roller to cover larger areas more quickly

stencil with a roller to cover larger areas

Tape the stencil securely to minimize seepage.  Chalk paint dries quickly so you can go back over to touch up details with a smaller stencil brush.

Stenciling the corner detail with a small brush

Mark off corner blocks first, and center the border pattern to be symmetrical along each edge:

Here, the petal details in Duck Egg Blue are stenciled over the white border background using a dry brush technique with a 3/4″ stencil brush.


Position the Florentine Damask Stencil edge, taping off to protect your work on the border.

position edge stencil detail

 The size of your floorcloth will determine the number and spacing of the lacy petals

tape off stencil to protect painted areas

Again, notice how she's taped off the black areas of the design while working with the Old White Chalk Paint

Melanie taped of part of the stencil design to fit a damask stencil "petal" in each corner - the perfect finishing detail!

Finally, Seal and protect your work with 2 two thin coats of Annie Sloan Lacquer, a matte, water-based finish designed to work with the Chalk Paint.

This tutorial was originally published on Melanie's blog. To see more details, and the floorcloth in her chalk paint display at the San Diego Home Show, visit her blog, Designamour!

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