Oilcloth is a heavy, waterproof cloth used to cover tables and walls that must be washed often. It is made of coarse cloth coated with heavy paint. The cloth is stretched on a frame and stiffened with glue. The paint is applied in several coats. Each coat is smoothed with pumice stone after it has dried. Blocks coated with paint then are used to print patterns on the cloth. Oilcloth was first used in China between the 600’s and 900’s, and in England in the 1500’s. The first American oilcloth was made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1809. The term oilcloth is sometimes used to describe any smooth, vinyl-coated fabric.
