I've seen quite a few mentions of oilcloth tablecloths on various car camping/teardropping forums. Here's my experience, so far (about a year):
I wanted an oilcloth tablecloth because most of the tablecloths I've found won't fit the ginormous handicap picnic tables in Wisconsin. And they're ugly and the flocking on the back always gets snagged and ratty-looking. And they don't wash well.
My tablecloth is 48" X 108" (a 3-yard piece). I was going to hem it, but it doesn't ravel or fray and I think it's heavy enough that it doesn't need it - it's basically just a big piece of vinyl. It's been plenty long enough for most of the picnic tables we've encountered so far and the width seems about right. My bench covers are 16" X 108" - they're way too long and I need to trim them down but I haven't decided on a good length yet.
When I'm camping at a TearJerkers gathering, I like to put the tablecloth and bench covers on my picnic table - it's a nice, clean place, and a little more inviting, for people to gather. If it rains or gets dewy at night, no worries, I just wipe it off in the morning - nice and clean. If the tablecloth/bench covers are too long for the table, I just fold them into a pleat near an end to shorten. It's pretty heavy and doesn't rattle around too much in the wind but they do need to be secured to the table somehow.
I've been using (metal) tablecloth clips to hold the cloth to the table - they work, but they do kind of "scuff" the vinyl and I'm worried about people scraping their legs on the bench clips. On our last campout, I just looped some bungee cords around the table and it seemed to work fine. I've seen posts where people have put grommets along the edge of the tablecloth and then string bungee cords/paracord under the table to hold it on. Pretty slick, but I would definitely reinforce the grommets so they are less likely to pull and maybe tear the vinyl. This stuff is expensive!
Another benefit of securing the tablecloth under the table/bench - when it's hot and humid, you do not want that extra, floppy vinyl touching your bare legs! Ugh!
I really like my oilcloth tablecloth and bench covers, but there are a few issues:
1. "Back in the day" oilcloth was literally linseed oil-coated canvas. Now, it's PVC vinyl with who knows what kind of chemical softeners and UV-inhibitors added. There may be non-PVC options out there, just beware what you're buying. Another possible option might be the polyurethane (PUL) waterproof fabric that they use to make baby diaper pants. Or course, there's also linseed oil-coated canvas....
2. It's a bit bulkier than a generic Wal-mart tablecloth so you might need to find a new "home" for it. I keep mine in a "miscellaneous" bin that's got a bunch of other stuff that we might not use but we always take with us (umbrellas, lantern, bug spray & suncreen, etc). Because it's so thick, it likes to keep a fold so it might be a bit bumpy at first when it's cold or it's been folded-up for a while. It does relax after a while although you might need to pull it taut to get it lay flat.
3. The vinyl is getting a little scuffed where the tablecloth is folded, especially the last cross-wise fold. The bench covers seem to be OK - I think because they're only folded in one direction.
4. The back of the tablecloth and bench warmers can "pick up" the spunk (mold, slime, squirrel poo, ???) that's on the table. If the table is moldy and yuckie, the back of your tablecloth is likely to get some mold & yuck on it, too. My oilcloth has some kind of mesh on the back - they say it's cotton mesh, but it seems to be embedded in the vinyl. It isn't as easy to wipe off as the nice, smooth top, but it is washable. I put my tablecloth in the bathtub with some soap & water (plus a small amount of bleach, if necessary) and use a small scrubbie brush to clean the back. Then I towel-dry it as good as I can and hang it up somewhere to finish air drying. It's kind of a pain-in-the-neck to clean, so I always brush off the picnic table and bench seats with a little whisk brush before I put my tablecloth down and then I try to fold it up so the clean top-side is on the inside. I've only washed the back once, at the end of the season.
Hope this helps anyone out there who is debating whether to invest $5-$10/yard in an oilcloth tablecloth.
I wanted an oilcloth tablecloth because most of the tablecloths I've found won't fit the ginormous handicap picnic tables in Wisconsin. And they're ugly and the flocking on the back always gets snagged and ratty-looking. And they don't wash well.
My tablecloth is 48" X 108" (a 3-yard piece). I was going to hem it, but it doesn't ravel or fray and I think it's heavy enough that it doesn't need it - it's basically just a big piece of vinyl. It's been plenty long enough for most of the picnic tables we've encountered so far and the width seems about right. My bench covers are 16" X 108" - they're way too long and I need to trim them down but I haven't decided on a good length yet.
When I'm camping at a TearJerkers gathering, I like to put the tablecloth and bench covers on my picnic table - it's a nice, clean place, and a little more inviting, for people to gather. If it rains or gets dewy at night, no worries, I just wipe it off in the morning - nice and clean. If the tablecloth/bench covers are too long for the table, I just fold them into a pleat near an end to shorten. It's pretty heavy and doesn't rattle around too much in the wind but they do need to be secured to the table somehow.
I've been using (metal) tablecloth clips to hold the cloth to the table - they work, but they do kind of "scuff" the vinyl and I'm worried about people scraping their legs on the bench clips. On our last campout, I just looped some bungee cords around the table and it seemed to work fine. I've seen posts where people have put grommets along the edge of the tablecloth and then string bungee cords/paracord under the table to hold it on. Pretty slick, but I would definitely reinforce the grommets so they are less likely to pull and maybe tear the vinyl. This stuff is expensive!
Another benefit of securing the tablecloth under the table/bench - when it's hot and humid, you do not want that extra, floppy vinyl touching your bare legs! Ugh!
I really like my oilcloth tablecloth and bench covers, but there are a few issues:
1. "Back in the day" oilcloth was literally linseed oil-coated canvas. Now, it's PVC vinyl with who knows what kind of chemical softeners and UV-inhibitors added. There may be non-PVC options out there, just beware what you're buying. Another possible option might be the polyurethane (PUL) waterproof fabric that they use to make baby diaper pants. Or course, there's also linseed oil-coated canvas....
2. It's a bit bulkier than a generic Wal-mart tablecloth so you might need to find a new "home" for it. I keep mine in a "miscellaneous" bin that's got a bunch of other stuff that we might not use but we always take with us (umbrellas, lantern, bug spray & suncreen, etc). Because it's so thick, it likes to keep a fold so it might be a bit bumpy at first when it's cold or it's been folded-up for a while. It does relax after a while although you might need to pull it taut to get it lay flat.
3. The vinyl is getting a little scuffed where the tablecloth is folded, especially the last cross-wise fold. The bench covers seem to be OK - I think because they're only folded in one direction.
4. The back of the tablecloth and bench warmers can "pick up" the spunk (mold, slime, squirrel poo, ???) that's on the table. If the table is moldy and yuckie, the back of your tablecloth is likely to get some mold & yuck on it, too. My oilcloth has some kind of mesh on the back - they say it's cotton mesh, but it seems to be embedded in the vinyl. It isn't as easy to wipe off as the nice, smooth top, but it is washable. I put my tablecloth in the bathtub with some soap & water (plus a small amount of bleach, if necessary) and use a small scrubbie brush to clean the back. Then I towel-dry it as good as I can and hang it up somewhere to finish air drying. It's kind of a pain-in-the-neck to clean, so I always brush off the picnic table and bench seats with a little whisk brush before I put my tablecloth down and then I try to fold it up so the clean top-side is on the inside. I've only washed the back once, at the end of the season.
Hope this helps anyone out there who is debating whether to invest $5-$10/yard in an oilcloth tablecloth.