DIY Painted Rug Using Drop Cloth

Hey friends! I am back today with a fun DIY project!  And there isn’t just one, but 11!  Today we are talking all about DIY doormats!  Today I am sharing a DIY painted rug using drop cloths that can be made for fall, or for any season!  You will die when you see how easy these are to make!

DIY projects are kind of my jam. I love using drop cloths for projects around my home.  I have made curtains, pillow covers, bed spreads, fall flags, banners and more!  Today I am checking another project off my list!  I have been wanting to make one of these for a long time.  And I have the coolest drop cloths to use!  I cant wait to share.

The other day, I ran to the hardware store to grab a canvas drop cloth, but where they should be, was an empty shelf.  I was so bummed.  I did have a bot of drop cloth at home, but I was hoping to get a heavier weight piece that would be easier for a drop cloth rug.  As I wandered to the front, I was chatting with the owner, and low and behold, sitting next to her was a stack of brand new drop cloth packages.  

Then I got closer and  what was revealed to me, was so magical!  It was a non slip drop cloth, with the rubber anti skid material you usually buy to put under a rug…

I did cartwheels!  I mean, come on!  It was like they were meant to be turned into a rug. Whats even better it that the size was really great, a 9 by 6, so I bought two!  One to cut into smaller rugs and one to use as a larger rug in the future!

So, the fact that it already had the rubber backing made this project a whole lot easier.  It added an extra layer of firmness to the rug, which meant I did not need to add any extra paint or fabric stiffener to give it some strength.  

I have been wanting to try making a drop cloth rug for a long time, but I just kept putting it off.  But, this project seemed to be the perfect time to do it. 

Okay, let’s talk about how easy it was to make this drop cloth door mat.

First, you need to decide what size you want.  I did a 48 inch by 30 inch size that will go at my front door.  I plan to layer it with a brown natural fiber outdoor rug, that will be more for functional since it’s outside.

I measured and drew lines where I needed to cut.  I used my large ruler to do this.  Once it was cut, I quickly hemmed it on my sewing machine.  Since I was using drop cloth, two sides of the rug I cut were already hemmed, so I only had to sew two sides.  If you didn’t know, drop cloths come hemmed on all sides, so it makes it really easy to transform it into a project.

Once I had it hemmed, I ran a quick iron over the top, being mindful of the rubber underneath.  I just wanted to get some of the fold lines out of it.

Next, I decided what pattern I wanted.  I knew I wanted to attempt a plaid look, so that it would go with my fall decor.  There are plenty of inspiration pictures on Pinterest that can be a great guide for designing your floor mats.  I found an image of a plaid that I liked.  It had some blueish gray tones and a bit or orange and brown. I went through my paint supply and found what I needed.

This is where it gets tricky….

Painting plaid onto a drop cloth rug may seem like quite a task, but if you break it down into steps, its really quite easy.  I will try to explain as best as I can.

I laid out my rug on my kitchen counter.  I then started with some wide vertical and horizontal stripes.  I used my Frogtape or painters tape for this.  I love that it prevents bleeding!  I created wide stripes and a thinner stripe with the same tape and painted the wide ones grey blue and the thinner ones an orange.

I used a dry brush technique for this. This means that you dip your brush in paint and then brush off the excess before applying it to the dropcloth.  This gives you a weathered look, and prevents any puddling of paint.  I did not want solid lines, since plaid patterns do not have solid colors either.

I then removed the tape and added more going horizontally.

Starting with the blue horizontal lines, I then added the orange ones.  Painting stripes take a little bit of time, I made them smaller than the other orange lines because I did not want a ton of orange, and if you look at many plaid patterns you will find that they have a variation of thickness of lines…but they have repeating pattern to them, so keep that in mind.

The last thing I did was tape of and paint thin brown lines to break up the other two colors.  Since I am dry brushing this rug, the paint dries really fast, so I was able to move to the next step without waiting for the paint to dry.

And thats all.  After I was done, I let it dry completely.  You can add a clear coat to protect it.  I sprayed mine with a waterproofing spray.  It really was fun to make.

I topped my painted dropcloth plaid rug with a natural fiber rug that could be a bit more functional.  This way people have a place to clean their shoes.  It also looks really cute with my painted rug. I think it looks great on my front porch!

And how perfect do they match my peaches!  I tell you I have peaches coming out my ears! But thats okay because I can use them as decor!

Well, I feel like my porch is starting to look ready for fall!

Slowly but surely I will get there.  I cant wait to show a few more of my fall decor ideas for this year!

So, what do you think?  Would you try this out?  

Now make sure to check out all these other amazing fall door mat DIY ideas!

DIY Doormat | Modern Glam

Cute Doormat | Happy Happy Nester

Drop Cloth Doormat | Twelve on Main

Fall Doormat | Zevy Joy

Easy Fall Stenciled Doormat | Tatertots & Jello

DIY Fall Doormat | Your Marketing BFF

DIY Fall Stenciled Doormat | Lolly Jane

Layered Fall Doormats | Inspiration for Moms

DIY Fall Doormat from a Shower Curtain | The DIY Mommy

How To Layer Doormats | My Sweet Savannah

Welcome Mat Ideas | Pink Peppermint Designs

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