Knock It Off

Aztec-inspired Painted Dropcloth Rug

Design + Build

Crafty Projects

Business + Life

Holidays

The Weekender Series

As Seen on TV

Room Makeovers

All DIY Projects

Search...

blog Categories

hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

DIY painted Rug Lg

 

 

Why are pretty rugs so darn expensive? Please, tell me…why? It’s a crying shame because a great rug can totally change the feel of a room and finish it off so well.  Well, on Knock it Off, we are forced to come up with inexpensive alternatives to dress the floor and we found a winner with this painted drop cloth project. Of course, we are head over heels in love with any tribal printed rug, so we decided to give ours an aztec feel, but really, you could do any pattern you wanted. Stripes would look super cool, too! Drop cloths are readily available, cost less than$20 a piece and are very versatile. The key to turning a plain jane drop cloth into a rug is using several coats of paint to give it weight and stiffness.  The process is ridiculously easy, and the possibilities are endless with your design!

Here’s what you need to make your own:

(1) 6×9 drop cloth

Sponges

Base paint color

Various paint colors for detailing

Paint tray and rollers

Serrated Knife or scissors

Painters tape

IMG_6274

Step 1:  Lay the drop cloth out flat after ironing it.

(Oops! In the crazy time crunch that is TV world, we forgot to iron!)

IMG_6271

Step 2: Using a roller, paint the drop cloth with your base color.

Let dry and repeat again with a second and third coat. Don’t skip this step! In order for your rug to stay put and not slide around, you want to make sure it’s stiff and sturdy, which is what several coats of paint does for the drop cloth!

IMG_6285

Step 3: We wanted a border for our rug, so we taped a 2 inch border all the way around and painted it black. We like that the border gave our rug a bit more definition and style, but you don’t have to do a border.

IMG_6296

Step 4:  Cut the sponges into different shapes using a pair of scissors or serrated knife. Aztec rugs are categorized by lots of geometric shapes so we went with triangles, rectangles and squares in varying sizes.

 IMG_6302

Step 5:  Dip the sponge in the paint making sure to evenly coat the entire shape. Offload onto a piece of cardboard or paper towel before stamping on the rug. For clean lines, place the stamp straight down onto the rug and gently apply pressure over the entire shape. Don’t rock it back and forth! Lift the stamp straight up and repeat….over and over and over again. 😉

IMG_6309

IMG_6315

We started at one end with our pattern, then flipped to the opposite end and repeated the same pattern so that they met in the middle. Then we did a different pattern in the middle of the rug.

IMG_6323

The end result is a cool, imperfect, totally custom rug that just screams for attention.

IMG_6326

IMG_6377

We loved the way this rug looked in the Global Vintage  Basement makeover we did for an awesome, trendy young couple. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the full episode, you can watch it here. We had so much fun creating this earthy, trendy, global-inspired space!  Be on the look out for these other tutorials from this episode in the new few weeks!

Bar Large

Upholstered Bar Stools

KIO LOGO 300dpi

Time to go buy a few more drop cloths!

The comments +

  1. This rug and upholstered stools are awesome. Like blown away. And so my style!

  2. Jessica says:

    I love the rug!! I just made some curtains and I’m painting them this weekend…maybe I’ll add the rug to my list!

  3. Love the look. Such a great look and DIY!

Leave a Reply to Julia@Cuckoo4Design Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Make a Kid's Mud Kitchen and Produce Stand

DIY PROJECT

Work From Home Corner Office Makeover

VIDEO MAKEOVER

Yard Game Ideas ASO Live! with Kelly + Ryan

DIY IDEAS ON TV

Today Show Nursery Makeover

MAKEOVER

Outdoor Living Space Makeover : Home Becomes

VIDEO MAKEOVER

Must Reads

Get updated on what we're working on

Follow along!