oilcloth
(redirected from oilcloths)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.
oilcloth,
originally, cloth treated with oil or other substances so as to be waterproof and used for fishermen's and sailors' wear, for coach robes and covers, and later as a floor covering, called floorcloth. Subsequently it was made of heavy canvas, jute, or burlap, sized with glue, and coated with a thick oil paint, several coats being used and successively rubbed down with pumice stone. It was machine printed, dried in a drying room, varnished, and rolled. Linoleumlinoleum, resilient floor or wall covering made of burlap, canvas, or felt, surfaced with a composition of wood flour, oxidized linseed oil, gums or other ingredients, and coloring matter. An English rubber manufacturer, Frederick Walton, patented linoleum in 1863.
..... Click the link for more information. and various kinds of vinyl products have superseded oilcloth as a floor covering. A variety of oilcloth fabrics is now produced for wall, table, and shelf coverings, for raincoats, and for many small wares.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2013, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/
oilcloth
[′ȯil‚klȯth] (textiles)
A fabric coated with a mixture of oil and clay, used as a waterproof covering.
A floor covering made of a heavy fabric treated with oil paint.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
oilcloth
waterproof material made by treating one side of a cotton fabric with a drying oil, or a synthetic resin
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005