If you have an old rug on hand and a couple of Paint Colors then you should definitely repurpose it into this Easy and colorful Rainbow Inspired Mat.
Okay so this DIY Repurposed Rug Into a Rainbow Mat has to be hands down one of my quickest, easiest, and the cutest DIY project I have made thus far. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish to make this adorable Rainbow Inspired Colorful Rug.
And the best part about all of this is that you will most likely have all the supplies already at home.
For this project, I repurposed an old Rug I had at home which honestly was not being used at all and was hanging around in my storage closet. So it was high time to give put it to good use.
But if you don’t want to paint your Rug here are some other fun ideas and ways you can repurpose an Old Rug
Ten Clever Ways to Repurpose and Upcycle an Old Rug
- Make a Pouf or FootStool out of the Rug.
- Make Easy DIY Pillows such as this No-Sew Throw Pillow Idea.
- Makeover a Bench using Rug Fabric-like my Easy Throw Blanket Bench. Makeover.
- Create a Wall Tapestry and hang it up on a bare wall of your house to add color.
- Bleach or Tie-Dye the Rug to create fun patterns.
- Cut Out a Different Shape a Triangle, Circle, or Dome Shape to make it more interesting.
- Spray Paint the Rug.
- Give it a good wash. Sometimes an old rug needs a little deep cleaning to give it a fresh new life.
- Make Outdoor Placemats for your Outdoor Tables.
- Lastly, Paint the Rug using colorful multi-surface paints and completely transform it.
If you like fun colorful projects like this one then you will enjoy my DIY Anthropologie Inspired Bench Makeover as well as my Bright and Colorful Balcony Makeover post.
Tutorial for How To Repurpose an Old Rug into a Rainbow Inspired Colorful Mat
STEP 1: Choose Your Rug
So this is the Rug I chose and decided to go ahead for my project. I had this Rug with me for almost 5 years but didn’t use it for the last two years so it was time for me to do something about it besides storing it away.
The front side had a pattern to it but the flip side of the Rug was completely white which was what I used for my DIY Rainbow Rug.
But if you have a rug like mine you easily just fill in the colors in the empty areas or paint over the design to enhance it or just freshen it up.
Step 2: Cut Out the Design
So this is the part you can cut out any shape you like. If you have a square rug you could cut out a circle shape or a triangle shape. Sometimes just cutting up an old rug into a different shape make a huge difference even if you don’t paint it afterward.
I was going to place this Rug outside on my balcony which isn’t a high traffic area so I wasn’t too worried about the paint wearing off anytime soon.
I measured out the size I wanted for my Rug. The length I kept about 36 inches and height to about 23 inches. I just marked three points, two at the base and one at the top, and connected the three dots into a dome shape.
Then with a pair of scissors, I cut out the semi-circular shape which was going to be my Rainbow.
While I was at it, I also roughly sketched out “Rings” all around to see how many different paint colors I could use on this mat.
This is what I was leftover with, a rough sketch of how my Rainbow Inspired Rug was going to turn out.
STEP 3: Paint the Rug
So I wasn’t going to follow the same exact colors of the Rainbow but I wanted to use a lot of different colors on this Rug to really brighten it up.
I started off with the darker colors on the outer rings and made my way to the lighter paint colors as I went towards the Middle.
I used Multi-Surface Paints which is what I mostly use on projects which are going to placed outdoors as I know it is a really durable paint.
I added a mix of reds and purple which I contrasted with blues and light green paint colors.
You could of course any color of your liking. I wouldn’t suggest really light colors throughout as any stains or marks could easily show up.
The final step which made all the difference, in my opinion, was to use black paint color. I used it to separate all the colors I used and it gave it a really nice clean finish.
And here is how it turned out.
Isn’t this just the cutest Mat you have ever seen. Not only is this so easy but literally costs no money to make.