Dorsey Designs

DIY and Interiors by Sarah + David

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DIY Striped Painted Rug in about 2.5 Hours!

After the time intensive driftwood herringbone table, we were definitely ready for a quick and easy project! Painting stripes is probably one of the easiest projects to tackle. Laying out the tape takes about an hour, and painting (depending on amount of coverage you want) takes about 1.5 hours (a little more for drying time in between coats) Definitely achievable as a day or less than a day project!

He’s how we did it! 
We decided to give the rug a little extra interest by offsetting the stripes, similar to this rug from Ikea. It only took a little extra effort and probably made it a little easier to keep the tape straight. Definitely worth it! 
We divided the rug into thirds, starting in one corner we laid a piece of 3m edge seal 2″ tape (a little over a third of the rug so there would be overlap). We repeated, using little pieces of the 2″ tape to set the offset between stripes. 
After all of the tape was laid out, we measured the thirds again, drew a line with a pencil, and cut the tape down the pencil line. At first we used scissors, but then moved to lightly cutting it (not through to the rug) with and xacto knife. It moved faster since we didn’t have to lift the tape up and reattach it. 
I then walked around on the tape to make sure that it was secured to the rug… Annabelle thought I was crazy … I put paint tarps around the edges to protect the carpet (always a must!) Then I mixed up a custom gray with flat paint that I had laying around the house and started rolling it on! I did three light coats (letting it dry in between) until there was even coverage. 
The only thing that I would of done differently was carry it down to the garage. As you can see from the first picture, we did it in the office area and it was very cramped! It took some interesting maneuvers get around the wet paint. Rolling on an even surface (instead of the carpet underneath) would of been easier too. 
I took the tape off and that was it! This was such an easy and fast way to get a large graphic pattern.

I picked up an acrylic picture frame to use as a tray, idea thanks to Just a Girl! I love that you can see the herringbone pattern through the tray!

The living room is really coming together! Just a few more finishing touches!

Sources/Price breakdown:

Ikea Erslev rug: Already owned, but Ikea doesn’t carry it anymore (anyone know of a good substitute?)
Painter’s tape: 2″ 3M Edge Seal painter’s tape $8 – Wal-Mart (we used exactly one roll, I know random!!)
Paint: Custom mixed light gray from leftover Behr and Glidden flat paint – Home Depot

Total Cost: $8 (since I had everything but the tape on hand!)

If you haven’t tried a striped rug yet, you MUST! It is super fast/easy and can add the perfect punch of contrast, pattern, color to a space!

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Comments

  4. Hi,
    I came across your blog through Vintage Revivals and the contest, and I am so excited to find another blog to follow. Your style looks like it's something I would love, so I am really excited!

    Reply

  9. Great job. Looks terrific in the room. We did a painted rug for our front porch and used the Cheap $15 indoor/outdoor rugs found in Home Depot. It looks great and I'm even thinking about picking another one up to paint for our dining room. Love your blog.

    Reply

  11. Looks fantastic! I have a rug that you've just inspired me try this out on. And I have a few questions. How do you find the paint holds up on the rug? How does it feel when you're walking on it? Does it matter what kind of paint you use?

    Reply

    • I used flat latex paint (like you would use on walls). I've painted one rug with fabric medium added and another without and didn't notice a difference with how it wore, both still look great! Walking on it, it's a little stiff, but not too noticeable. But I wouldn't recommend if you want something super plush. Hope this help! 🙂

      Reply

  13. I love this! We might have to do this for our living room since we haven't found a rug we love yet . . . and we've been in this house for 9 months now! Please let us know if you come across a similar rug since the one from Ikea is no longer available! Thanks!

    Reply

  14. I've always loved that pattern, yours looks great in gray! I painted a rug and used the Ikea Hessum, it is holding up GREAT our front door, but is a runner size 2'7 x 6'7. I've heard bloggers talk about loving the Egeby, too.

    Reply

  15. I love it! I've been following your blog ever since Creating with the Stars and I love so many of your ideas! I've read in some other places that they mixed fabric medium in with the paint. Any reason you skipped that step? Is it unnecessary or does it just depend on the rug you're painting? Or does it just depend on if you ever want to be able to wash it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thanks Lisa! 🙂 I've read that fabric medium is used to make an item washable after heat setting and it reduces the stiffness of the paint. I used fabric medium on my Moroccan rug and skipped it on my herringbone kitchen rug and didn't notice a difference in how it wore (both have held up well!) So I think you could go either way. Spot cleaning was fine with both, in general I wouldn't recommend for high traffic areas because of the white, it will get dirty fast and need lots of cleaning. Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

  17. I may have missed it, did you mention what rug you used? I saw the comment about the other two IKEA rugs, yours looks nice and soft. I love this idea because I loved that black and white IKEA inspiration rug! All the designer books I have use it in at least one of their rooms! Thanks! Kelli

    Reply

    • Hi Kelli! We used Ikea's Erslev, unfortunately they no longer sell it (this is the other side of our moroccan rug). Others have recommended Ikea Hessum and Egeby, though I don't think they are white. I hope Ikea brings the Erslev back!

      Reply

  18. Hi:)
    I just wandered over here from Domestic Imperfection… I really love your designs and styles. This rug is so fantastic!

    Question: Did you design the print on your wall "Be Kind – For Everyone You Meet Is Fighting A Hard Battle"? If so, I was wondering if you sell it on Etsy? I really love it.

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  20. Great rug! I actually own the ikea version of this rug and black and white and I love it. Question for you: Can I ask about the source for the gorgeous chevron wood coffee table in the photo? I am in love with that table.

    Reply

  21. Are all your flowers around your home fresh? I love the look of flowers but they can be so expensive. Do you have any recommendations for quality faux flowers? Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Just curious, if you dont mind my asking…where did you get your teal bench ? I love the rug & your room looks great! Absolutely love the bench I can see from the room overshot. Thanks so much 🙂

    Reply

  29. Hi Sarah,

    Did you end up finding a substitute rug for this project? I would love to give it a go if I know where to find a decent plain white rug to begin with?

    Thx

    Kaycee

    Reply

    • Hi Ashley! I just used left over latex wall paint. I've added fabric medium in the past for other projects, as far as I know, it just makes it machine washable after it's heat set. Depending on the paint used, it naturally resists stains/is scrubbable. But adding fabric medium to the paint and heat setting should make it even more durable!

      Reply

  35. Hello! So sorry if you get this twice. I'm not sure I did it correctly. I love this room soooo much! Would you be willing to tell me where you got the curtains or the curtain fabric from? They are to die for!

    Reply

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