Drop Cloth Camper Curtains

Supplies Needed To Paint Drop Cloth:

• Drop Cloth (I got mine at Lowe's or Amazon has these)
• Paint (I used Waverly chalk paint from Wal-mart)
• Paint Sponge Brush
• Painters tape
• Something to measure with
• If making into curtains you will also need fabric scissors, sewing machine, etc.

Not interested in all my rambling and just want to know the steps?! Skip to the bottom for a step by step list!

Ok lets talk curtains. If you are looking to redo your camper curtains there are many options.... almost to the point of overwhelming!

First you have to pick out a fabric or pattern. This was where I had a hard time. I just could not find anything I loved..... I found a lot of "likes" but no LOVES (there will be a future post on the curtains I ended up going with).... I looked at curtain panels that I could cut down to the sizes I needed. If you decide to go this route I advise black out curtains -- why?-- because this will save you a step in the future. 

But I couldn't find any blackout curtains that I liked. I had quite a bit of drop cloth leftover from redoing the dining area cushions so I thought I would experiment with it. Now I knew I didn't want them to be plain so why not add some paint? 

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---> SIDE NOTE: Pinterest Fail

Now before I go into painting let me share a Pinterest Fail with you. I had seen where some people bleached out the drop cloth so that it was not as tan. It was not fully white but definitely lighter than it is straight from the store. I thought I would try it. I placed my drop cloth into a large storage tub and added a mixture of bleach and water. I used a broom handle to stir the cloth around. I let it sit for a couple hours then stirred it around some more. 

And because I am impatient I added more bleach.... After 24 hours I couldn't tell much difference. So in went the remainder of the bottle of bleach. I stirred some more and let it soak another 24 hours stirring it with my broom handle from time time. This was such a waste of time. After 48 hours I really couldn't tell much difference. It may have been a little lighter but when I say a little I mean like one shade lighter. Oh well! I washed it and continued on with my experiment of turning drop cloth into curtains....

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Before painting my drop cloth I wanted to attach the curtain hangers so that when painting I was sure my stripes would be where I wanted them. Keep in  mind I was making these to go in Miranda the Avion. In the past I had redone our pop-up's curtains and had attached the hangers by hand.... Lets just say that took FOREVER and was something I swore I would never do again if I could avoid it!

So when making curtains for Miranda I cheated a little. *GASP* What do you mean you cheated?!

To save myself time and a potential headache I removed and washed Miranda's existing curtains. Now there was nothing wrong with the curtains they were just dated. Once the curtains were clean I measured out the existing curtain and then added some to each side and cut out my drop cloth to those measurements. (Why add some? I was allowing some extra so that I could fold over and make a finished seem.) Then, this is where the cheating begins, I cut the curtains just below where the hangers were...

Now I had a strip of original curtain with the hooks attached. 

I took this strip and pinned it to my drop cloth folding the drop cloth over about an inch. I also did a stitch at the bottom of my original strip so that it was firmly attached to the drop cloth. I also went ahead and did a half inch seem around the rest of my curtain so that it was finished. 

Top Stitch

Bottom Stitch

NOTE --> if you want to add blackout material to your curtain I would sew that to your drop cloth or fabric before attaching the original strip with hooks. 

Since I was experimenting with the drop cloth I did not do this step. 

Time to Paint!

It was time to get to painting, For my pattern I decided I wanted one thin stripe on top, then a larger/thicker stripe, and then a final thin stripe on the bottom. I measured out my lines and then taped them off. Notice from the picture that I did wrap my painters tape around the edge of the curtain so that I could paint the edge as well. 

Close Up

After taping

Now there may be a better method or type of paint to use, I am just sharing what I did and for this entire project I just used what I had on hand. I knew I wanted my stripes to be gray and I had some Waverly Chalk Paint Steel on hand so I decided to go with that. 

I had a smaller roller brush I thought (thought being the key word) would work. It didn't. This type of brush did not apply the paint evenly. So I went into my craft stash and found a trusty sponge style paint brush.

This worked much better! I could control the paint easier and ensure that it was being applied evenly. Plus it being smaller it was a lot easier to touch up places I may have missed.

You can see from the picture it looked like a train wreck! I wasn't sure if the paint was going under my tape. And look at all those patchy areas?!

Oh well! I shrugged my shoulders and continued on. I painted my lines and then went back and touched up places where I could still see drop cloth. 

Once the paint was dry it wasn't perfect but looked vintage or rustic where you could still see some of the drop cloth. Below is a picture before I pulled off the tape.... Looks like a hot mess doesn't it?!

Once the paint was dried it was time to see how it turned out. I admit I was a little nervous as I pulled off the tape. 

Not to bad! Lines are pretty good for the most part... maybe a little bleeding under the tape in a few spots but nothing to noticeable. 

Overall I was pleased with the farmhouse look that these had. 

Is it really what I wanted for Miranda? No. 

But when I made these we were leaving in a week to go the beach on Miranda's maiden voyage and I had to have something to cover the front window! So for the meantime this would do!

You may have a few questions like - can you wash these? And I'll be honest and tell you... I have no clue! With the paint I would think these would need to be spot washed as needed. I would not try throwing them in the washing machine but you may be able to hand wash them. 

Durability? It is now January 2021 and the two panels I painted have been in our camper since June 2020 and they still look good. 

Steps For Painting Drop Cloth

1. Wash your drop cloth
2. Measure and tape out your lines
3. Use a foam paint brush to dab/brush on your paint
4. Wait for your first coat of paint to dry
5. Touch up any spots or paint any spots that may have been missed
6. Wait for it to dry
7. Remove the tape and your done!

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This opens up a whole new list of possibilities now for future drop cloth projects..... I am thinking pillow covers perhaps? If you enjoyed my post or decided to give it a try I would love to hear from you and see what you created!

-Beth