Look down and be uplifted by these bold rugs

MILWAUKEE - The kitchen in Marley Stein's home has neutral floors, neutral cabinets, neutral countertops - and a boldly colorful floorcloth right in the middle of the workspace.

"Adding the floorcloth brought excitement into the room,'' Stein said, referring to the piece in blocks of reds, oranges and blues over turquoise that artist Fran Rubinstein created for the Steins. "It also was a way of introducing art into an area that didn't have much wall space.''

Floorcloths have a way of making a statement, whether traditional or contemporary, bold or subtle.

An alternative to area rugs, they are made of heavyweight cotton canvas that is painted with latex or acrylics and then sealed with many coats of a clear protectant for substantial durability.

They can be seen in historic homes at Colonial Williamsburg as well as at some of today's most contemporary art venues - not to mention homes in cities and suburbs alike.

You probably won't find them in stores. They are, instead, created by experienced artists who sell them and amateurs who dabble just for fun.

Rubinstein, an artist who calls her business Divine Inspirations, developed an interest in floorcloths after moving to a new home in 1979.

"I needed something to cover our floors and bought some canvas … to paint,'' she said. "I didn't know much about floorcloths, but I found that it was just another art form for me, with a very practical side.''

Rubinstein is still creating floorcloths of all sizes, and displays her work at juried art shows.

She takes custom orders and does placemats, table runners and chair covers.

At first she painted her floorcloths at a pingpong table in her basement, but now she has a studio where she has much more room to spread out.

"Some people buy floorcloths because they want something different and special for the floor,'' she said. "Others just do it because they have a bad floor and want to cover it up. And some people don't even put them on the floor, but hang them on the wall instead.''

Not just for professionals

While it helps to have an artistic side, of course, amateurs can create floorcloths, too.

"If you can paint a wall, you can paint a floorcloth,'' said Lisa Curry Mair, a floorcloth artist who is the author of "Floorcloth Magic,'' which was published by Storey Books in 2001.

It is a guide to creating floorcloths that are perfect for their settings - regardless of whether you have an artistic gift or not.

Stenciling, sponging and stamping designs are some of the ways the artistically challenged can get started.

Some people replicate patterns from a wallpaper print or border or use quilt-type patterns.

"Geometrics and stencils are totally appropriate,'' she said. "And checkerboard borders or using computer-generated designs are fine, too.

"The thing about floorcloths is that they are very forgiving,'' Mair said. "If you don't like something, just paint over it.''

The colors of the floorcloth can be even more important than the pattern or design.

"Colors can help bring a room together,'' she said. "And when you choose the paint colors for your floorcloth yourself rather than buying something that already exists, that's easily done.

"That's one reason floorcloths so often are used in foyers where the colors can bring a sense of unity to the whole area and the rooms that open to that space,'' she said.

Sometimes, the biggest challenge related to floorcloths is finding a place to work on it.

"It's best to begin small so that you can do it on a table,'' Mair said. "The most popular size for someone just starting out is a 2-by-3-foot rug that can be placed in front of the kitchen sink. Then people gradually work up to a larger rug. But you don't want to be overwhelmed.''

The sheer size of some of the floorcloths done by Natalie Browne-Gutnik eventually discouraged her from continuing in that art form.

She and her husband, Martin, spent years loading her work into their station wagon and taking them to art shows to sell; these days, the Bayside artist does more jewelry than floorcloths.

"It was fun for me to take a floorcloth from a blank canvas, literally, to a colorful and creative finished product. But I'm so short and have such a limited wing span, it just got difficult'' she said. "It's hard to work on a 10- by 14-foot rug for a dining room, though they are beautiful when they are done.''

Browne-Gutnik, whose work is featured in Mair's book, would price her floorcloths from $100 to $7,500.

Rubinstein, whose work is featured in the book "Painting Floorcloths'' by Kathy Cooper, sells her work from $220 to $350 for a small rug to more than $3,000 for a large piece. Mair, who works out of her studio in Vermont, charges from $20 to $40 per square foot.

Each has her own style, with Mair's work being the most traditional.

"I was a math major in college and an art minor,'' she said. "I use both of those interests in my floorcloths. There is a preciseness about them that I enjoy.''

She started doing floorcloths 14 years ago.

Now she works out of Perkinsville, Vt., and also sells preshrunk and hemmed canvas in a variety of background colors.

"It's difficult to find the heavier canvas in small quantities,'' she said. "I found there was a need, so I help get people started.''

Quality canvas that is prepared and finished properly results in a floorcloth that will remains attractive and useful for decades.

"You can find canvas floorcloths that are hundreds of years old in museums,'' she said. "So you know they last.''

They can remain an attractive focal point.

"When people come to my house, they often comment on the floorcloth and it becomes the subject of conversation,'' said Stein. "Fran is a wonderful artist and what she has created is different, it's beautiful and it's perfect for the room.

"I love that.''

Floorcloths, step by step

Here are Lisa Curry Mair's recommended steps to creating a lasting floorcloth. There is no one correct way, however, and other artists use different approaches.

Cut a piece of canvas slightly larger than the desired finished size. She uses No. 4 canvas; the higher the number, the lighter the canvas. Some people use No. 8 or No. 10.

Soak it and let it air dry so that it shrinks.

Prime one side first with latex paint.

Cut it to size, allowing for a hem at least 1 ½ inches wide.

Fold and press the hem. Use a mitered corner so that all the rough edges are contained. The hem is noticeable, so it must be straight. It can be worked into the pattern border.

Stitch the whole thing all the way around the edge.

Paint the base or background color. Use several coats.

Lay out your design. Make sure it is centered.

Start painting from the middle to the outside, from the background to the foreground. Use several coats of paint if necessary. Do the border last.

Let dry for about one week.

Start the protective finish process. Her preference is Minwax Polycrylic, which doesn't yellow over time. Use four coats of semigloss and one coat of satin finish. Some people prefer the final coat be a glossy finish.

Allow to dry completely between coats, at least 24 hours if it is humid.

After the final coat, allow it to dry one week before putting it on the floor.

Floorcloth artist Lisa Curry Mair said an easier way to produce a floorcloth is to cut a piece of vinyl flooring to size and paint the reverse side. It is smooth and doesn't require hemming or other special preparations.

After you apply the base color, lay out and paint your design, then finish it as you would a canvas floorcloth using polyurethane or Minwax Polycrylic.

The downside is that you can't produce the same subtle paint effects that you can with canvas. But the process is quicker.