Custom Canvas Rug – Size Large Gets Wet
Making a very large canvas rugs requires plenty of planning. For this hotel project, a rug was requested for the open air, upper level restaurant. Tables, chairs and floor umbrellas were to placed atop the rug. So it was necessary to make the rug large enough that when chairs were moved in and out from tables they not get caught on the rugs outer edge.
The theme throughout this beach front hotel is tropical and surrounded with bamboo so it was no surprise when the owner was drawn to our standard bamboo designs. He decided upon a custom yellow bamboo design for the wide border and agreed the inner area, which would not be visible due to the furniture, be more neutral.
Because the rug was to be subjected to some of Mother Nature’s elements, like salty, sea air, additional coats of protective varnish were applied. Instructions were provided for its care to ensure a long life, but this was the first canvas rug exposed to the sea air and moisture. A couple months after its installation we received a call. The rug was wet; could we salvage it?
Pronto, we drove out to the beach to collect the rug. What we discovered was not only that the rug had become wet…nobody knew how exactly…there is a jacuzzi tub at the far end of the restaurant, the rain, washing down the cement floors, but that it had been rolled up (wet) and stored for sometime before we got the call for help.
At the studio we unfurled the rug. It was not a pretty sight. Gravel, dirt, the wetness… had cracked the varnish, damaging several areas of the painted design. But more importantly, certain areas of the canvas material were compromised. This was clearly a major repair.
The hotel owner couldn’t blame us; not everyone on his staff had been given instructions for cleaning and care of the rug. That we had not stated “do not roll rug when wet” on the care sheet was a lesson learned. Generously, the owner accepted responsibility and we agreed to absorb a portion of the work to repair it.
In the end, this large canvas rug serves its purpose still. For a large open-air cement room, it adds not only decorative color and design to the restaurant but helps to absorb sound. When we checked in with the hotel months later, we cheered when told that the rug was doing well and holding up to the elements. Obviously, everyone got the message that you never, ever roll up a wet canvas rug, regardless of its size.
