How to Decorate with Drop Cloths

Featured Pro: Kristan Cunningham
Category: Home Décor
Time: 2:46


KRISTAN CUNNINGHAM: Hey, there. I’m Kristan Cunningham. Are you ready for your next GMC Trade Secret?

If you’ve ever shopped for fabric, you know it’s expensive. And not only that, but you’re limited to 54 inches wide. That’s how wide fabric comes; every once in a while 60, but 54 is your standard. So in a lot of cases, I like to use drop clothes. For $20, or around that, I got a 9’x12’ here, and what’s great about it is it’s cotton. This looks like muslin. It’s a classic, classic fabric, and it’s washable.

So there’s a lot of things you can actually do with one drop cloth. For instance, this guy we split into two panels; once I trim it with upholstery webbing, which is a great natural fiber, again, so it’s a classic, timeless look. Glue it down. Use curtain rings at the top. Fantastic window treatments.

Second great use for drop clothes: They’re mildew-resistant, they’re corrosion-resistant, and they’re water-repellant – great for outdoor curtains, right? So I used my little chart, measured out my chevron pattern, so it’s going to be a nice, big graphic pattern. I’m using a fairly neutral paint. So the idea is that it’s an over-the-top pattern in a very kind of subtle, neutral color way. And this will provide a really, really nice backdrop to an outdoor room. Because they are so heavy, these curtains, they can make almost an outdoor kind of wall.

Start rolling on our paint. Okay, the color is looking terrific. I love it. But I’ve obviously got a lot left to do. What I’m also going to add to this guy are these plastic grommets – really inexpensive, really lightweight, and they just snap together. They’re also waterproof and they’re not going to rust, which is great for this outdoor treatment, obviously.

Another use for drop clothes: Slipcovers. Have you ever priced a sofa slipcover? It can run you a couple of hundred bucks. This 9’x12’ was around $20. Once I drop it over the sofa, kind of tuck it in with your hands, then take one of these guys. This is plumbing insulation - you can also use a pool noodle or rolled-up newspaper – and you tuck that down. What it does is it grabs that fabric and it jams it down in place so you get a nice, tight, seamless look for a fraction of the cost of ordering a slipcover.

And that’s just three of the myriad of things that you can do with drop clothes. They’re such a great investment. You get so much bang for your buck.

I’m Kristan Cunningham, and that was your GMC Trade Secret.