I have been perusing Pinterest and Etsy for years now pinning away and bookmarking my favorite Etsy sellers. Finally, I actually got up and did my first true DIY project. It took all of 30 minutes of total work. The time in between for drying took longer.
We've had a standard, ugly door mat since we moved into our new home almost 2 yrs ago. It served its purpose collecting dirt, snow and sand. However, after seeing another mother's transformation of her very own ugly mat in her kitchen and hallway, I have been wanting to try it.
I had bought some fabric months ago to put over some throw pillows, but the texture didn't feel as nice when lying on the couch. I decided it was best served as something that didn't actually touch our skin since it was a bit rough.
Here is the before and after:
* The door mat is from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Apache-Mills-Enviroback-Charcoal-36-in-x-60-in-Recycled-Rubber-Thermoplastic-Rib-Door-Mat-60-443-1902-30000500/202072107
* The fabric is from Jo-Ann fabrics from Winter of 2013. It was 2 yards for about $20.
The only other supplies I needed was to adhere the fabric to the mat and to coat/seal the fabric after.
I purchased the Elmer's spray adhesive ($5.99) over the other heavy duty brands so that I could re-use it with my son for other projects. Elmer's just feels like it's more kid-friendly since the brand is popular in schools - whether it is or not is beyond me. I used the adhesive to secure the fabric onto the mat. Note: The mat is a carpet surface with a rubber bottom. I put the fabric on the rubber surface so the carpet surface became the bottom.
I also got the Ace Premium Enamel in clear gloss ($3). I read on another blog that water based polyurethane is also a good alternative, but as a first time DIYer, I wanted simple - no brushes or cans of liquids.
I placed the 2 yards of fabric over the rubber side of the mat and then folded/rolled it over into 6 inch sections (kind of how you see the fabric in its holder at the store). The fabric went over the mat about 3-6 inches on each side. You need this extra fabric so you can fold it under later. I sprayed the adhesive onto the mat in 1 foot sections and started at the top of the mat. With each section I pressed down on the fabric so that it would be smooth. Tip: Use a 18 inch plastic ruler to smooth out the fabric to avoid any wrinkles or creases when adhering the fabric to the mat. Once complete I flipped the mat over to fold over the extra fabric that extended on each end. I've seen others use duct tape to fold this side down, but I continued using my spray adhesive. It doesn't really matter since no one will see the bottom of your mat! The spray adhesive I got actually worked on the carpet side of the mat too! Let it sit for the time suggested on the can for drying.
Once the fabric was secured onto the mat I sprayed 3 coats of the enamel so that it would be easier to vacuum and clean later on.
I guess we'll see how long this bad boy lasts!
We've had a standard, ugly door mat since we moved into our new home almost 2 yrs ago. It served its purpose collecting dirt, snow and sand. However, after seeing another mother's transformation of her very own ugly mat in her kitchen and hallway, I have been wanting to try it.
I had bought some fabric months ago to put over some throw pillows, but the texture didn't feel as nice when lying on the couch. I decided it was best served as something that didn't actually touch our skin since it was a bit rough.
Here is the before and after:
* The door mat is from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Apache-Mills-Enviroback-Charcoal-36-in-x-60-in-Recycled-Rubber-Thermoplastic-Rib-Door-Mat-60-443-1902-30000500/202072107
* The fabric is from Jo-Ann fabrics from Winter of 2013. It was 2 yards for about $20.
The only other supplies I needed was to adhere the fabric to the mat and to coat/seal the fabric after.
I purchased the Elmer's spray adhesive ($5.99) over the other heavy duty brands so that I could re-use it with my son for other projects. Elmer's just feels like it's more kid-friendly since the brand is popular in schools - whether it is or not is beyond me. I used the adhesive to secure the fabric onto the mat. Note: The mat is a carpet surface with a rubber bottom. I put the fabric on the rubber surface so the carpet surface became the bottom.
I also got the Ace Premium Enamel in clear gloss ($3). I read on another blog that water based polyurethane is also a good alternative, but as a first time DIYer, I wanted simple - no brushes or cans of liquids.
I placed the 2 yards of fabric over the rubber side of the mat and then folded/rolled it over into 6 inch sections (kind of how you see the fabric in its holder at the store). The fabric went over the mat about 3-6 inches on each side. You need this extra fabric so you can fold it under later. I sprayed the adhesive onto the mat in 1 foot sections and started at the top of the mat. With each section I pressed down on the fabric so that it would be smooth. Tip: Use a 18 inch plastic ruler to smooth out the fabric to avoid any wrinkles or creases when adhering the fabric to the mat. Once complete I flipped the mat over to fold over the extra fabric that extended on each end. I've seen others use duct tape to fold this side down, but I continued using my spray adhesive. It doesn't really matter since no one will see the bottom of your mat! The spray adhesive I got actually worked on the carpet side of the mat too! Let it sit for the time suggested on the can for drying.
Once the fabric was secured onto the mat I sprayed 3 coats of the enamel so that it would be easier to vacuum and clean later on.
I guess we'll see how long this bad boy lasts!
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