Discovering Canvas Rugs

by Laurel Anderson
(Santa Barbara de Heredia)

Mexican Tile Octagon

I wanted to share my discovery of Canvas rugs and how well they work for the tropical climate. This is a heavy weight canvas that is preshrunk, sewn with mitered corners, painted with an exterior latex paint then coated with several layers of polyurethane varnish. What you get is a durable mat for the floor that does not collect sand or dust, does not stain, you just sweep it and mop it along with the rest of the floor. Mud washes right off, no sand sifts through or animal hairs collect,or bleaching from the maid using too strong a solution. Any of this sound familiar?

Having lived in Costa Rica for 32 years, 20 of them on the beach, I have gone through many types of floor treatment. The beautiful petates, the woven mats found in the local marketplace, jute rugs, regular rugs, and many others. One day I saw an article for Canvas Floor cloths and realized "Now this is a product for Costa Rica!" and started making them for interior designers.

It's a very old art form that went out when linoleum came into use but is coming back into popularity as people look for more exclusive designs for their homes.