FLOOR

(Saxon, flore.) In Architecture, the pave ment or boarded lower horizontal surface of an apartment It is constructed of earth, brick, stone, wood, or other mate rials. Carpenters include in the term the framed timbei work on which the boarding is laid, as well as the boards themselves. FLOOR Floor. The CLOTH.lower part This of useful a ship's and bottom.ornamental nianu facture originated in this country about the year 1740, when a manufactory of it was established at Knights bridge, near London, by Mr. Smith. It was originally made of narrow canva sewn together like sail cloth, to which Succe ive coats of paint were applied; but the seams proving inconvenient,a canva was wove for the purpose, about four yards wide; it was then extended to seven yards in width, and afterwards to nine, which is the widest at present made. The manufactory at Knightshridgc, now carried on by Mr. Baber, is the largest establishment of the kind; the common dimensions of the oil cloths produced there being 20 yards by 8, and 30 yards by 7, giving therefore entire pieces of 160 and 210 square yards without seams. These canva es are stretched upon frames, and acce ible over their whole surface by stages erected for the puri>ose: these are the circumstances which render the large dimensions of the manufactory requisite. The canva being duly strained, is rub bed over with pumice stone, which renders its surface smooth and even, and then brushed over with a weak solution of size; when this is dry, the first coat of oil colour is laid on, not with brushes, but with trowels, something in the manner of plastering; when this is dry a second coat follows it;and in this way seven coats of paint are usually applied in succe ion, three on the back and four on the front. When the cloth in this state, and of one colour, is sufficiently dry, it is removed from its frame upon a large roller, and carried to the upper part of the building to be printed; that is, to receive its pattern. This was original!) effected by a proce of pencilling; but in the year 1780, Mr Smith introduced the great improvement of block-printing, by which the colours are more correctly laid on, and iu greater body and variety. The printing table, which j> about 30 feet long, 4 wide, and 2 feet 6 inches high, is very firmly constructed of deal timbers laid edgeways and claiu»- ed together, the surface being truely planed; the roll:( painted cloth is placed underneath it, and ns it is unrolled it gradually pa es over the table, where it is printed, and is then drawn forward so as to hang perfectly free while diying, the height of the building being such as conveniently to admit of this, without rolling, doubling, or folding the material, which In these stages would of course injure it. The colours, which are the usual oil colours very carefully prepared,arc put on In succe ion with wooden blocks, which are made of pear-tree, box, or holly wood, and upon which [s. 474]