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My Pretty Custom Welcome Mat Makeover With Spray Paint

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I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or amused that our new custom welcome mat belonged to the previous owners.

We never threw out their old worn-out rubber welcome mat when we moved in.

Who does that??

Apparently us.

It’s not my fault. The welcome mat was dirty, but it was still in solid condition. And you know how we do here at Thrift Diving: we don’t throw out perfectly dirty items…..now, do we?? 😉

Everything gets a new life.

Even my dirty ‘ole front door DIY welcome mat could use a good makeover!

(UPDATED: Keep reading to find out if this custom welcome mat held up over time!)

Watch My Custom Welcome Mat Makeover!

You can also subscibe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss the next project!

 

 

BEFORE

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Rubber welcome mats can be painted. Here's how! - Thrift Diving

 

AFTER!

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - AFTER - Love the coral and turquoise paint colors! - Thrift Diving

The problem is that, aside from painting our front doors a punch of color last year, I’ve ignored the outside of my house. I can barely get through transforming the inside of my house, much less the outside. But I could at least make a painted custom welcome mat for the front door! 🙂

This is pretty much how my front walkway looked. It needed a good pressure washin’, needs some crack repaired, and you see those curtains at the windows?? Yep, they were also left over from the previous owners from years ago. EEK! I know….don’t judge.

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - BEFORE - Rubber welcome mats can be spray painted! - Thrift Diving

 

See, this is how inspiration works for me–ideas just come out of the blue.

I got the idea to paint this mat while sitting on the stoop with my son.  I looked down at the dingy mat and thought, “Why haven’t I done something with this rubber welcome mat in all these years?? I should totally paint it.”

The swirly pattern–how could I have missed that prettiness before? And how cool would it be to paint the letters “WELCOME”?

BEFORE

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - BEFORE -Yes, rubber welcome mats CAN be painted! - Thrift Diving

 

AFTER!

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - AFTER -Paint your rubber welcome mats for a personalized look! - Thrift Diving

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - AFTER: Turquoise and coral painted custom welcome mat! - Thrift Diving

STEP 1: Go Grab These Materials to Make a Custom Welcome Mat

Here are the supplies you need to paint a welcome mat:

(I participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites).

 

These paint colors were too gorgeous to pass up!

I knew they’d be perfect for the custom welcome mat and allow me to easily layer the colors.  I just hoped they wouldn’t clash with my red door.

Related: How to Pick Awesome Color Combos

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Use turquoise and coral spray paint for a pretty custom welcome mat! - Thrift Diving

Protect Your Lungs From Spray Paint

Get yourselves one of these babies: a real face mask! If all you have are the small paper ones, that will work, too. Your neighbors might think you’re fighting some outbreak in your garage or yard, but hey–as long as you’re not wearing a hazmat suit, you’re all good. You won’t scare them too much. 😉 These things block the nasty smell of spray paint, and are awesome for any sanding or stripping you might do.

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - A mask like this blocks all the nasty spray paint smells when painting your rubber welcome mat. - Thrift Diving

Okay, so back to materials.

I also made sure I picked up a primer. I really wasn’t too sure how it was going to stick to the rubber welcome mat since I’ve never painted rubber anything before. I am hoping the primer works well to keep the spray paint adhere.

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Use a spray primer to help your spray paint adhere to the rubber welcome mat. - Thrift Diving

 

STEP 2: Clean the Grime Off the Old Rubber Welcome Mat

I tried to clean off as much dirt as I could. We’re talkin’ years worth of dirt, my friends!

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Brush off the excess dirt from your rubber welcome mat before painting it. - Thrift Diving

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Wash off the excess dirt from your rubber welcome mat before painting it. - Thrift Diving

 

My 3-year-old helped me scrub it down

If you have a pressure washer, you’ve got to thoroughly clean off the rubber welcome mat before getting started with painting it. With dirt, the paint won’t stick!

 

How to Paint a Custom Welcome Mat - Use a pressure washer to remove the excess dirt from your rubber welcome mat before painting it. - Thrift Diving

 

Let a little boy get his hands on a hose, and it’s pure joy:

 

Pure water fun joy

 

My son spraying himself.

 

STEP 3: Prime the Rubber Welcome Mat

Okay, so while Kojo wasted water (haha), I laid the mat down on some old boards to spray paint, first with the primer.

 

Primed mat

 

STEP 4: Add a Coat of Ocean Mist Spray Paint

Once it dried, I added a layer of Ocean Mist. I figured it would be easier to start with that so that I could saturate the valleys of the mat with the turquoise.

Then I sprayed some of the Coral into an old bowl, to collect the paint, and used the craft sponge and a paint brush on the swirly parts.  I used mineral spirits to clean up the brush, but threw out the sponge, since it got all ratty-tatty.

How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - First spray on primer, then Ocean Mist, followed by the sponge to paint the decorative part. - Thrift Diving

 

How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - Use an old container to collect paint in the container. - Thrift Diving

Because of the uneven-ness of the rubber welcome mat, getting nice, clean lines was nearly impossible. But again, we don’t expect perfection here, do we? 😉


How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - Use a foam brush to paint the custom welcome mat. - Thrift Diving

 

I lined the inside of the letters with the Cora, and painted the oblong shape in a bright white. I love the way it looks!! It looks so fresh!

Hubby thinks I’m crazy for taking on a project like this. He may have said I was “wasting my time.” LOL. Men just doesn’t get it, do they?? Having a personalized custom welcome mat like this, knowing that I did it–how awesome is that?? I bet no one else in the world has one exactly like mine! 🙂

 

How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - AFTER: Pretty painted welcome mat. - Thrift Diving

 

I didn’t spray this with a clear sealant. I honestly wasn’t sure if this will “work” or not, or if it will get all gunky and chippy after people start stepping on it. Only time would tell!

 

How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - AFTER: Pretty painted welcome mat with Coral and Turquoise spray paint. - Thrift Diving

 

BEFORE

Let’s have another look at that old, ugly rubber welcome mat that was left by my old sellers years ago!

 

How to Paint a Rubber Custom Welcome Mat - BEFORE: Old dirty rubber welcome mat is about to get a fresh coat of spray paint! - Thrift Diving

AFTER!

The custom welcome mat makes the entryway look so pretty!

 

DSC_5849

Did the Painted Custom Welcome Mat Last??

I’m updating this blog post a couple years later with this fun video on my YouTube channel to find out….did the painted custom welcome mat last?

Watch the video: 7 DIY Projects THEN and NOW…Did They Last??

 




This combination of coral and turquoise is so pretty

A Couple Other Outdoor Projects

Before you go, you might want to check out a few other outdoor projects:

So what do you think?! Have you ever thought about making  DIY custom welcome mat with paint?


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94 Comments

  1. Wow! This looks great! I’m definitely going to have to try this with my old doormat!

  2. YES! we have a rubber mat and a matching stair step tread that have both completely lost all color in 10 years since we got them after buying our house, but the mats are still perfectly usable and i can’t justify throwing them out! they had such a nice cross-hatch pattern in nice colors. thank you! i’m totally going to try this.

  3. Marianne Jelley says:

    I just found your site, blog and your you tube videos and it’s all terrific. You are ADORABLE-so pretty and full of character. I used to DIY a lot when I was a young bride and new mom but I’ve gotten lazy as I got older. Now at almost 67, I’m enjoying watching your videos and admiring your skills, energy and actually finishing each project. Thanks for the five freebies that I’ve saved to
    iBooks for future reading. I wish you long days enjoying your boys and your crafty talents. Hugs from Connecticut.
    Marianne

    1. Awww, you are so sweet, Marianne!! Thank you for those awesome comments! I hear ya on the getting lazy as we age! As much as I do now, I still feel like I have a bit more laziness that I’ve got to fight off now more than ever! LOL. Glad you found me and introduced yourself! Sorry it took me a while to respond, but I always do (eventually!). 🙂

  4. I will definitely make this welcome mat because it looks great and also creative. Thank you for sharing 🙂

  5. What a great transformation!! This would make an awesome welcome to the neighborhood gift, too!! Thanks for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty! Have a great weekend!

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