DIY Doormats with Canada Mats

We are all about doormats (obviously!) and we have many pretty doormats for you to choose from. But, today we are not talking about what we have... we are going to talk about what you can do to own an awesome doormat. DIY COIR DOORMATS!!! Do-it-yourself coir doormats so are so pretty (given that you made it, so ofcourse, its pretty!) but they are also so much fun to work on.

Creativity knows no bounds when it comes to DIY doormats. You can use a variety of methods to transform plain coir mats into a statement piece - something fun and pretty that adds colour and style to your entrances. This is also a great way to give a faded old mat a colourful makeover. Painting doormats is easy and good fun if you know how (and here is where we come in). Here are all the things you need to DIY yourself an amazing doormat:

A Plain Mat

The first step is to buy a plain coir mat. Get this from us. Canada Mats has premium plain coir mats or vinyl backed coir mats in different sizes. We even have a thin coir mats, if that is what you are looking for. Get in touch with us for the type and size of mat you need as you DIY canvas and we would be happy to help.

If the mat design you have in mind calls for a border, save yourself some trouble by buying a coir mat with a bold border like the one shown below. We have different border options in different colors for you to choose from us. Just go to our Plain Border Coir Doormats page for inspiration.

Paint

Next you will need the paint. Couple of ways to paint a design on a coir doormat - use spray paint or good old outdoor acrylic paint with paint brushes and/or foam daubers. All these can be purchased from any hardware store or borrowed from friends, if they have one.

Stencils

Next, its time to get your design ready. Design stencils can be made out of thick paper or cardboard using a cutter or scissors if you want to print letters or even designs on the mat. They can be cut out on a piece of paper like the image below:

Or they can be cut-outs of an alphabet or a shape that you want, like the one done below:

If you want to create a line based design, you can use masking tape.

You can also use lids of old cans and jars and cookie cutters as stencils to paint a shape on the surface of the mat. Moulds, easily made out of potatoes, are useful for stamping custom design prints on the mat.

Method

a. Choose a spot that can be used for the whole design process – one that will not be greatly affected by the mess the process can create.

b. Place your coir mat on your chosen work surface. Please do ensure to first cover the surface with a newspaper or any other protective material.

c. Place your stencil on the mat. The placement of design is of your choice. And then, paint away.
- If using paint and brushes - then load up your brush with paint and gently dab it on the mat over the stencil.
- If using spray paint, spray 6 to 8 inches away from the mat and do a thin, even coat while moving the can in a sweeping motion from side to side. Several thin coats will look much better than one thick coat and will help prevent drips.

d. You can paint the mat with a background colour and then use the stencil to create shapes/alphabets. Alternatively, you can leave the mat plain and use the stencil or moulds to stamp the design on the surface. The matter has to be decided by your heart.

e. Allow 48 hours to dry before use.

f. Finish the doormat with an outdoor clear coat spray in order to try to protect the rug a little bit and help keeping the mat looking great for as long as possible. Let it dry for 24 hours before use.

Enjoy the end results!!!

Alright, time to flex those design muscles. Try making the mats out at home and tell us how they turned out! Oh and... bring in the cheats, improvements and other pro-tips that worked for you and will be of help to others. And we’d love to pictures of your creativity. Happy DIYing!