How to Make Your Own Outdoor Rug

Outdoor rugs are the rage these days and you can make your own rug out of artificial turf. It is an inexpensive way to add punch to your outdoor space!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• measuring tape
• painter's tape
• spray paint
• scissors
• pencil
• artificial turf (from your home improvement store
• poster board or grocery bags to make stencils

1. Measure your outdoor space and decide the size of your rug. Note: Artificial turf is available at home improvement stores in 6’ and 12’ widths, but not all colors are available in both widths.

2. Purchase your artificial turf and supplies based on your color scheme and design. Turf colors I found available in home improvement stores: blue, green, gray, black, and tan. I bought gloss paint designated for painting plastics, where possible. Since the design of my rug was tropical, I chose spray paint in teal, coral, aqua, lime green, and medium pink to go with my black piece of artificial turf.

3. Lay your material in a large flat space where you can work. With scissors, square off uneven edges of the turf (where the turf was cut off the bolt). Note: Edges may fray a bit, but wear well left raw and go unnoticed.

4. 
   Lay tape pieces side by side.

   Create a border for your rug, if desired. The easiest way to do this (although it takes more tape) is to start at the outside edge and lay 4 lines of tape side by side all the way around. (See picture.)

5. 
   Count from the outside edge, remove the third line of tape.

   Remove the third line of tape from the outside. This creates a space for you to paint a border. In the example, using 2 1/2 inch tape, you will get a 5 inch edge with a 2 1/2 inch border.

6. 
   Cut out your design to make your stencil.

   Make your stencils. Freehand big designs onto grocery bags that have been cut open to create a large piece of paper (but you can also use poster board). Cut out the design.

7. 
   Paint within your template.

   Place your stencil template flat onto your rug. (Don’t forget to take off the fourth line of tape that created your inside border edge. You can leave on the first two lines. This will protect your edge from being oversprayed by the paint.) Spray paint close to the surface of the turf. Try not to spray underneath your stencil. As soon as you are satisfied that this design has been painted to your satisfaction, place your stencil somewhere else and paint again. Alternate your stencil designs. Use multiple colors within a stencil. Create shadows with darker colors and highlights with lighter colors. Wherever your rug needs color, place your stencil there!

8. 
   The finished product..

   When you are satisfied with your painting, then remove tape and examine your finished work.
   One of a kind!

Tips & Warnings

• Use big designs when creating your stencils. Artificial turf is made from synthetics and the combination of its “blades-of-grass” texture and spray paint doesn’t show up fine designs well. The high contrast of spray paint and turf will allow a bit more (for example, black spray paint and tan turf).
• If designs fade over time in sunlight, they can be spruced up by spray painting over again. If you follow lines with spray can close to the surface you don't need original stencil and you can even do it without moving the rug!
• Artificial turf can be very hot on bare feet if placed in direct sunlight.

[RouletteC]

on 4/16/2009 I'd love to see pics when you're done! [e-mail]

[trhoneywood]

on 4/15/2009 I'm going to try this next weekend. Thanks!

[RouletteC]

on 1/29/2009 Once it dries, traffic isn’t a problem that I have noticed. I have it placed on a small covered deck. It has been out there for 2 years and about 6 months ago when I was spruced up the house for a party, I brightened the colors by spray painting back over my design in places (the sun fades it over time) I didn’t even move the furniture! It doesn’t go through to the other side, and different times I have vacuumed it and hosed it down. I can’t say whether the vacuuming or water affected it, but if it did I believe it was minimal. I've never seen the paint chipping.

[red63corvette]

on 1/24/2009 This sounds just like what I'm looking for. How does it stand up to traffic (tables, chairs, people) I want to use in a patio area, will the paint chip off. thank you. my e-mail is [e-mail]