During my latest post about our dining area progress I showed what was the first step in my first ever rug painting effort. Many years ago I painted a few canvas rugs, but painting on actual fabric was a new experience for me. I read about it over at Tatertots & Jello and it looked pretty straight forward and I’m happy to say it was!
I’ve been to Ikea more in the last three months than probably the last three years combined. Their merchandise is super inexpensive, and the Erslev rug was not only the perfect size (5′ 11″ x 8) for our space but only $59! Oh, and did I mention it’s reversible? The paint didn’t bleed through, and I’m considering stenciling ferns/leaves on the other side. I think that would go nicely with our drapes.
Here are a few tips just in case you decide to tackle this project:
- Get a rug with a low nap. The Erslev rug only comes in two sizes, so if none of those work for you, consider a sisal.
- Unless you’re really good at this kind of stuff, I suggest trying a simple pattern like I did. Stripes are almost foolproof.
- Don’t skimp on tape. I used Frog Tape and made sure I burnished the edges. This will save you time later and touch ups will be minimal or non-existent. I didn’t have to do any :).
- Foam rollers are best, but I didn’t have one handy so I just used a regular roller. It was fine, but if you’re buying a roller anyway, go with foam.
- Don’t overload the roller and paint away from the tape.
- Apply two coats and use some spray fabric protector when it’s dry.
As you can see, I didn’t do an ‘evenly’ striped rug. I didn’t really want a nautical look, and the wider and more even the stripes the more nautical it would feel. Whatever you do, just make sure you measure it out on paper before you start taping. Even though this rug makes taping easy because it has a natural line on it, it still is a bit time consuming so try to get it right the first time. I may still do a few very thin, dark brown stripes.
If you’ve been following along this spaces progress, you might notice we moved the piano and skooched the table over a bit so it’s no longer centered and closer to the window. This gives us a clearer path from the porch and I think a cozier feel to the dining area. Unfortunately the table base is cracked and beyond repair. You can see the piece of wood that is in place to keep it level. We’re looking for another table, but I like the chairs and would like to keep them. We’re also going to have to have the chandy moved from its current spot to over the table.
Here’s a view from the kitchen. (Sorry for the over exposure of the piano, but it was a sunny day and it was the only time I could take the picture.)
There’s still lots to do for this space. I’m deciding what to do with that little window. Maybe a small valence? The small rug from the sliders needs to be replaced, and we need to replace the table and get four cushions for the chairs. There’s just two because that’s all they had (got them at HomeGoods) so it’s temporary. Some colorful items for the top shelf, move the chandy and maybe I’ll be done :).
So what do you think? Any suggestions for this little space? Would you consider painting a rug?
Bronwyn says
I’ve never thought to do that with a rug, it looks great!
leslie says
What a neat project. I love the way your rug turned out.