I painted this rug on my mudroom floor about 14 years ago. I call it my antique rug nowadays as as it is getting a little shabby. The hardwood floor in this room is going to be re -done soon and the rug will have to be sanded off for refinishing. I will miss it, but I am eager for the look of darker hardwood - all shiny and new.
I previously painted a rug on a friend’s porch as a project for my book, Instant Decorating. When we moved into this house, I didn’t want a rug in this room because it would just get in the way. There are three exit doors and it would have been a hazard with people and little kids in and out all the time, so I decided a painted rug would be a good alternative.
The stencil is is just a repeat of the same block of little squares, a circle of leaves, a flower, and the center of the flower. I used 5 different colors of craft paint and latex eggshell for the base color(green).
I drew the bound edge and tassels free-hand with craft paint and a fine-tipped brush.
I have created a pdf. for you of the actual design and tassels as well as the instructions from the pages of my book for you to download and print out.
Click links below:
Download Step-by-Step Instructions
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Very cute and clever!
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You have been holding out on me. I love this and almost did a huge one in my Dining room, But more of an outline with some details. But toally chickened out. We have since ripped up the carpet on our stairs going to the basement and they are pretty ruff and I am thinking of painting them and doing something simalar. Thanks for sharing and hopefully giving me the guts to try this. You inspire me.
Cha Cha
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Hi Ann and Cha Cha-
Thnaks for the comments. Don’t be afraid to do it, you can always paint over it if you are unhappy with your efforts, or in the case of your steps, re-carpet. I think doing something on your stairs would be great and easier, as you can do one step at a time. The real key to making it last is a few coats of polyurethane. Go for it!!
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This is just amazing. At first I thought you were joking. It is just beautiful.
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I thought it was real, too!
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I have wood floors and want to try this, just not brave enough, thanks for the inspiration, love your rug! Lezlee
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this is such a great idea! it looks so real!!! what a good idea.
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I agree – it totally looks real – you are very talented and crafty. (From someone who couldn’t be crafty to save her life).
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Wow, so much work! Who would have thought that sanding would be this exhausting?! The floors look FANTASTIC.
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Great post!!!
Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure…..
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That looks great! I never thought of doing anything like that before, although unfortunately we need real rugs being on the second floor!
It’s so detailed, I stared at the tassels for ages wondering if you’d stuck real ones on, lol
Stopping by from SITS!
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Very cool! I bet it’ll be sad to see it go!
stopping in from SITS
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Stopping by from SITS! I can’t believe it is not a real rug.
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WOW! You did such a good job on that! We are installing hardwood floor in our house this spring, and I wanted to put a rug under our dining table, but I couldn’t find one that would be the right size for the space. I had thought about painting a rug on the floor, but I am a little afraid to. I know it wouldn’t turn out as nice as yours, and I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything as intricate, but I may have to give it a try. I LOVE yours!
Hope you have a great day! Beth.
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Great getting comments from all of you. This did take a bit of guts, but I did do it previously at a friends house, so I had confidence I would like it. Try it in a bathroom or a small room for starters, if you are happy with your results you can take on a bigger floor.
Diane
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That’s pretty cool. The dog wouldn’t slide that halfway across the room during her nightly wild time!
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This is stunning! I would have never known just by looking at the photos that it wasn’t real…what a terrific job you did!
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that is unbelievable! i had to go back up to the top to fifure out what in the world you were talking abot. at first i really thought i was looking at a real rug!
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Hi Janelle-
It does look pretty real. Even knowing it is fake, I have come in to the house and have wiped my feet on it. I laugh at myself everytime I do it.
Diane
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Oh, wonderful! I so wish I could just paint the plywood underneath the carpet in the bedrooms!
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Fantastic job! I thought it was real too.
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wow, it looked like a real rug, i had to really look. Awesome Job!
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Great job – you are so creative !
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That is gorgeous!!!!
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Beyond clever – ha, ha – you wipe your feet on it.
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I’ve been meaning to paint a rug on my patio but I needed a step-by-step. Thank you SO much!
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