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!

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BEFORE

 

AFTER!

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.

 

 

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

 

AFTER!

 

 

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).

• Rust-oleum Ocean Mist spray paint
• Rust-oleum Coral spray paint
• Primer
• Small foam brushes
• Old bowls
• Respirator or face mask
• Water hose or pressure washer for cleaning the rubber welcome mat

 

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

 

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.

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.

 

 

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!

 

 

 

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!

 

 

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

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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? 😉

 

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! 🙂

 

 

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!

 

 

BEFORE

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

 

AFTER!

The custom welcome mat makes the entryway look so pretty!

 

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??

 

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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