Not Your Grandmother’s Oilcloth

The perfect blend between fabric and plastic – the boon of the 1950’s is showing up all over today, but in some interesting applications.

Image from The Decorologist

Modern Atelier

 

It’s spill-proof, waterproof, kid-proof.  Obviously that makes it great for tablecloths, lunch bags, aprons, etc.

Image from The Decorologist

via Crafterholic

 

Perfect for outdoor (or indoor!) pillows.

Image from The Decorologist

Oilcloth Fabric from My Girls And Me

 

What about using oilcloth to cover chair bottoms – in your dining room!  I love how fresh and fun these dining chairs look with this application!

Image from The Decorologist

via Strictly Simple Style

 

 

Who would have thought to paper the walls of a room in oilcloth?  Fabulous.

Image from The Decorologist

Caroline Bruns’ bedroom featured on Ohdeedoh

 

 Cath Kidston loves those nostalgic retro fabrics, and so do I.  Here’s a little Cath Kidston oilcloth:

Image from The Decorologist

via Sophie Honey Suckle

 

Lots of the oilcloth fabrics you’ll find are nostalgic, but not all.  Check out this modern oilcloth tablecloth by Denmark’s Ferm Living:

Image from The Decorologist

via More Ways to Waste Time

 

This piece of oilcloth was simply tacked under the table to create a custom topper for a breakfast area.  What a way to treat a dated tabletop!

Image from The Decorologist

via ReadyMade Magazine

 

 

 

14 Comments

  1. Heather

    I’ve always wondered what to do with oilcloth because i am so naturally attracted to it. im especially loving the pillows, seat covers and that doily print covering an old table!!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      I’m thinking an oilcloth-covered message board would be cool for my office!

      Reply
  2. Naturally Carol

    I am quite enamoured by the idea of using oilcloth on dining seats..seems so practical yet looks great as well.

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      i can totally see you doing that, carol! or you could make some of your fabulous pillows out of it 🙂

      Reply
  3. joy

    are these sold in fabric stores? how is this different from the kind of table cloth that has a wool-like backing we normally see?

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      there are limited patterns in most fabric stores, and most are felt-backed (they don’t have to be). there are lots of etsy stores that sell a fabulous variety of oilcloth, just go to etsy and search “oilcloth.” one great website source for oilcloth i found was sited in the post: http://mygirlsandme.com

      Reply
    • Brenda Stolecki

      The flannel back is cheap plastic. Oil cloth as we know it is laminated cotton fabric. Waterproof, wipe clean only. Not to be left in the sun too long, it fades, but wears like iron. My parents actually used it for wallpaper in the 60’s. We had the yellow gingham check in our kitchen. We had to keep a piece of it in school to cover our desks for art class in the 60’s also. I am going to use it to recover cushions for a retro aluminum glider.

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    That is a fabulous idea on the last table! Inexpensive and pretty.

    Reply
  5. Danielle@freshquince

    Love all of the images and for years I have been in search of the real oilcloth…one that is protected using natural wax and not vinyl. Vinyl takes a long time to off gas. I have even contemplated creating my own line of natural oilcloth, but that seems so daunting and I wouldn’t know where to start. I believe the original oilcloth was swathed in lanolin. Hmmm…this has gotten me to thinking about it again :)…

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      wow, danielle – i didn’t know that about “real” oilcloth. thanks for the info – definitely think you should create your own line!

      Reply
  6. Sheila Zeller

    This is a great post – who would’ve thought? I love the pillows and seat covers. Hmmmm, has got me thinking 🙂

    Reply
  7. Pam Barnett

    Wow, I hadn’t thought of oilcloth in years. I want to recover my dinette chairs, maybe have a cloth instead of placemats. Oilchoth is the perfect idea! Durable and wipe-able for little ones messes. Thanks

    Reply
  8. Robin Zaleski

    I have a problem I’d like to see if anyone can solve. My mother has a room in her home the has oil cloth wallpaper on the walls. She tried to paint it with flat paint and it rubbed right off! Now look terrible. Can someone give me an idea how to cover this mess? My husband and I are goint to be moving in with her and need to have a solution ASAP !

    Reply
    • Brenda Stolecki

      You simply pull off the oil cloth wallpaper. You may beed to sand the walks a bit to remove the wheat paste adhesive. You can find instructions online.

      Reply

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