Painted Floor Cloths History

Vintage vinyl floor cloths by spicher company are a great reasonably priced alternative to traditional cottage rugs for family rooms kitchens baths offices and high traffic areas.

Painted floor cloths history.

Patterns including diamonds squares and cubes were hand painted or stenciled frequently by the lady of the house. Painted printed stamped or common carpet oil floor cloth wax cloth fancy pattern cloth masonic flooring summer floor mat drugget crumb cloths and various combinations of the above. Originally made from recycled ships sails they were used to cover dirt or wooden floors in early american homes. Floor cloths are considered one of the earliest forms of floor covering.

They are very durable and have an easy to clean non slip vinyl surface. The earliest colonial floorcloths were hand painted with geometric designs or fancy patterns on canvas material. The painted canvas rugs also known as floorcloths or oylcloth were in wide use during most of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Floorcloths went by many names.

A brief history of floorcloths. Floorcloths in early american life directory. George washington s was purchased from roberts and company in 1796 at. The first written reference to a painted floor cloth is a 1722 british receipt for a floor oyled cloth.

Floorcloths are a part of our american heritage. Floor cloths were a traditional covering used in many homes in the early 18th century. They served the purpose of adding style and color to a room while protecting wooden floors. Design village floorcloths has been recognized as one of america s top floorcloth makers by early american life magazine a national magazine focusing on architecture decorative arts period style and social history from colonial times through the mid 19th century.

His early cloths most likely consisted of only one color but by the 19th century as many as five colors were not unusual. The factory of smith and baber of south kensington london produced painted floor canvases prior to 1754. Floorcloths have also been called painted canvas oil cloths and floor canvases. More on floorcloth history.

Nathan smith the founder of the above firm first produced block printed cloths in 1754. Floor cloths originated in france in the 1400s and were introduced to the american colonies in the early 1700s. By the late 19th century these designs were applied to. Referred to by most today as floorcloths only remnants of these cloths remain in historical collections including colonial williamsburg museums.

Floorcloths went by numerous names including painted printed stamped or common carpet oil floor cloth wax cloth fancy pattern cloth and various combinations of the above.