~ The Floorcloth Advantage ~

One of the best benefits of today's floorcloths is that it is allergen-free. It will not collect dust or pollen and leaves no surface upon which dust mites can penetrate to make their home. The surface of a floorcloth has a barrier of polyurethane which will not allow any foreign particles to penetrate and scratch your hardwood floor underneath.Water will not seep though to destroy laminate flooring which can be damaged easily if it stays wet. These floorcloths are pet-friendly! Pets have fewer tendencies to chew this type of rug because there is no nap sticking up to tempt your dog, cat, Capuchin monkey or Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. All the sand and dirt that our wonderful pets track into the house cannot sift through the rug to scratch and grind down your hardwood or laminate floor finish.

These rugs add color to any room in your home that has a hard floor such as laminate, tile, linoleum, wood and even cement. They make great personal statements in front of doors, in hallways, in front of sinks, under your pet food dishes, under dining, coffee and decorator tables. If using under dining tables, it is a good idea to put felt on the feet of your chairs to greatly extend the life of your rug. Sharp edges can cut or wear down your rug as it would any other type of rug. Place mats and table runners are another wonderful addition to the floorcloth line. The place mats are easy to clean and durable. With the non-skid backing on the placemat and table runner, they stay in position on smooth surfaces. Floorcloths can also be hung on walls, for a splash of color and style.At Little Jade Lizard Studio, we use a 14oz, 100% cotton duck material for our place mats and table runners which has been infused with an anti-skid backing.


There is a one-inch mitered hem on all of our place mats and a two-inch mitered hem on floorcloths and table runners.

They are primed with two coats of premium primer and two base color coats before the design is stenciled, hand-painted or airbrushed on. Six coats of water-based polyurethane are applied afterward. Care should be taken to keep the anti-skid backing clean of debris. If it does become dirty use a stiff, dry plastic-bristled brush to clean the backing.










The rugs are made of #8 (18 oz) double-filled heavy canvas. We first prep them with a two-inch adhesive-sealed hem, then two coats of primer or gesso on both sides. Next, two base color coats are applied to the top. The design is then hand-painted, and allowed to dry. Finally, they are sealed with six coats of water-based polyurethane protective finish. Each coat of primer, base coat, design and varnish is allowed to completely dry before the next coat is applied to ensure complete adhesion and color-fastness.

~ Eco-Friendly Reusable Tote Bags ~

ECOBAGS® Recycled Cotton Tote bags are large and hefty; carries over thirty pounds! Made from pre-consumer cotton "table waste" clippings that would otherwise be dumped in landfills, it may be the most environmentally-friendly fiber on the planet!

• Made with eco-friendly recycled cotton - even more sustainable than organic cotton
• Double-stitched at all stress points for added durability
• Holds a full load of groceries
• Comfortable 22" web handles are long enough to sling over shoulder
• Made with Fair Trade/Fair Labor
• Dimensions: 15.5" H x 19" W x 7.5" D
• Handles: 22" loop
• Volume: 2208 cubic inches (a bit bigger than a standard brown paper grocery sack).

Our recycled-material canvas tote bag designs are either stenciled, hand-painted or airbrushed on the raw canvas. Then a sealer coat is airbrushed on the design and allowed to completely dry before being heat-pressed to lock the paint into the canvas. This prevents your design from easily being washed off.


At Little Jade Lizard Studio, all of our paints and top coats are water-based to maintain the true colors of the design without yellowing, as oil-based polyurethanes tend to do.


~ A Bit of Floorcloth History ~

Floorcloths, also knows as oylcloth, or oilcloth (which is what they are still called in England) is a canvas or duck material treated with primer and varnish. The floorcloth originated in England in the seventeenth century, and in the eighteenth century a few wealthy Americans started to import them for their estates. There is a hand-written document from George Washington proving that he bought a floorcloth for his Mount Vernon estate for $14.28 (a large sum of money back then). There are bills of sales found from others such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams who had floorcloths imported for their homes and the White House. Eventually, oilcloths were being made in the America and started to be called "floorcloths" instead of "oilcloth". Still, it was only the affluent that could afford them. Today, with the advent of better quality paints and varnishes, anyone can enjoy a splash of color along with a touch of history in their home. Any design imaginable can be painted on the floorcloth. Some are crafted purely with stencils, such as earlier floorcloth designs and, in modern times, hand-painted with a variety of artistic styles.

Vintage Photo from: Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540