The new oilcloth project started in 2018 and was possible thanks to external donations and the support of our members and visitors who played their part in the Special Places Raffle and Winter Raffle.
A year later, we appointed Cardiff Theatrical Services (CTS) to replicate the old oilcloth, but with a smarter design. Instead of three small pieces of canvas sewn together, our new and improved oilcloth would be a single large piece of seamless canvas; this means it is less likely to fray and tear along the seams. It also includes a weight system of metal bars along the edges that can be easily removed to roll the cloth up and clean the floorboards underneath.
Accurate colour-matching with the old one was key in order to obtain the desired result and was a very fun part of the process. When the exact shades of yellow, red and green (and brown for the border) were found, the CTS artists were able to start painting the pattern by hand.
To protect the Little Chamber floor, we had an underlay fitted. We chose a synthetic one, otherwise natural fibre, such as wool, would have provided a three course meal for moths!
