A step-by-step guide to stenciling cotton rugs. Here’s how I made a harlequin pattern rug using only materials I already had on hand.
Last month, my friend, Annie of @zevyjoy challenged me to make a project using only materials I already had around the house as part of her #zevyjoydiyworkwithwhatyouvegot series on Instagram.
I’d pinned a few painted rugs over the years and decided this would be a great opportunity to pull my old cotton flat woven rug out of the basement and paint the backside a harlequin pattern inspired by this harlequin Rug and this checkered rug for the new playroom space upstairs.
Check out the step-by-step guide below for stenciling the rug, and don’t forget to watch the Instagram Reel too. It’s always fun to watch the project in action!
Materials:
- Flat Woven Cotton Rug
- Latex Paint
- Stencil Paint Brush
- High Quality Painters Tape
- Foam Core for Stencil (Optional)
How To:
- Because the rug had been hanging out in the basement for over a year, I machine-washed it on delicate cycle. Then I air-dried it, and ironed to smooth wrinkles.
- Decide on your pattern. If it’s a simple pattern like diamonds, it might be helpful to cut a foam core stencil like I did. The diamond shown is 10″.
- Starting in one corner, begin laying out your diamond grid by taping around the foam core stencil with good quality painter’s tape. I chose to lay out/tape out the diamonds along one long edge and one short edge first, so I’d have a sense of how many rows and columns I was working with.
- Use an exacto-knife to trim excess painter’s tape from inside each diamond.
- Mix 4-5 tablespoons of water into roughly 1 cup of latex paint. It’s not an exact formula. You’re just looking to water down the paint so it soaks into the rug like a dye, rather than sit on the surface.
- Use a stencil brush to dab the paint onto the rug.
- Once the paint starts to set up, remove painter’s tape.
More Project Resources:
- My friend Ursula is a rug painting pro. Check out her tips on Better Homes & Gardens, as well as on her own blog, Homemade by Carmona!
- Marian of Miss Mustard Seed painted a similar harlequin pattern directly onto her studio floors. Check out her in-depth guide for taping out the harlequin pattern. It’s super helpful!
