DIY Doormats

Doormats can be a way to express a family’s personality. They are also the first piece of decor that a visitor will see before entering your home. So why not make it a conversation piece?! I’ve tried a few different methods on painting your own doormat and I want to share the way that was the easiest for me.

For this project you will need:

• Blank doormat (Target has them for $11)
• Cricut or Silhouette machine
• Cricut or Silhouette adhesive mat
• Vinyl
• Tape Measure
• Clear Contact Paper
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• Black outdoor acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Picking or weeding tool

Directions:

The standard door mat you can find here measures 18” x 30” so you will want to first design your mat with those dimensions in your Cricut or Silhouette program. I use a Cricut so my directions will align with that machine. For my example, I used two different fonts that spell out “Will Answer for Happy Mail”. The fewer sheets of vinyl you use, the easier but I ended up using up to two 12” x 24” sheets. Color of the vinyl doesn’t matter so this is when those extra scraps come in handy!

Once you cut out your design, only weed out the letters since you are creating a stencil. Use your weeding tool to peel out the letters from your design and discard them.

Then, use your contact paper (or shelf liner) and place on top of your remaining vinyl. Clear contact paper works the best. This will help you later center and align your stencil on the mat straight. You can find this at your local dollar store! Smooth and press the contact paper on top of the vinyl the best you can. This contact paper works better than your regular vinyl transfer paper because it’s not as sticky and, you can reuse the same sheet multiple times. 

Once the contact paper is stuck to the vinyl, begin to peel the items off of the vinyl back and place on your mat. The vinyl will not stick very well so this is where masking tape helps. Gently pull off your contact paper from the vinyl while holding the vinyl onto the mat. Stop every few inches to place making tape to secure the vinyl from moving. Once you’ve finished you should see your stencil centered on the mat and taped down. Gently push down the vinyl in every spot possible. It won’t stick well but that’s okay.

To begin painting in the stencil, be sure to use only a straight up and down motion. Using any angles will cause the paint to bleed or get into places that isn’t in the stencil. The dabbing might not seem like it will stay within the lines, but the vinyl does a pretty good job to hold it in the right places. Once you are finished painting, you can immediately peel off the vinyl and pick out the small pieces inside letters. Use your picking tool for the smaller pieces. If there are a few places that need touch ups, simply use a smaller brush to fill those spots in.

Let your mat dry overnight and you could even seal your mat with a clear polyurethane spray to give yourself extra insurance.

I find that these mats are perfect for every season, as well as, great gifts to loved ones at a great cost. Total, I would say the project cost around $15. I would love to see your imaginative creations! Here you can find how to make a fun tile mat to layer under your door mat.