This article shares a tutorial walking you through how to paint a doormat.

How to paint a doormat

Would you believe that I have actually never owned a doormat? Now that I think about it, it’s kind of weird, but we’ve moved so often over the last five years that I didn’t really accumulate anything that wasn’t worth moving.

Most of the apartment buildings I’ve lived in have had common areas as well, so by the time I got to my apartment, I didn’t really need a door mat. Not so in our current apartment! It’s one of those buildings without an indoor common area. So I decided to take a stab at making a custom-painted doormat.

This is a really quick and easy project that will help give some personality to your front porch or foyer. Not only is it fun, it’s practical and affordable as well. All you need is a blank doormat and some outdoor acrylic paint.

Step 1: Create a stencil

I made a stencil using a piece of thick scrapbooking paper. You can use card stock, cardboard, or any sort of stiff paper. I did a drawing of a simple little house using a pencil; then, I perfected it with a permanent marker. Use an exact-o knife, a regular knife, or a small pair of scissors to carefully cut out your stencil.

I would still shoot to make your stencil as simple as possible. The coir texture will make any thin or intricate shapes difficult to paint. If you want to buy a stencil, you can browse affordable ones on Amazon here. Also check out the very cool designs on Etsy.

Step 2: Position and secure stencil on the doormat

Position the stencil in the desired spot on your coir doormat and secure with tape. Coir is super hard to tape too. It’s okay if the tape doesn’t keep it securely in place, but it will help a bit while you’re painting. I didn’t use adhesive spray that some people use for stencils because I didn’t know if it would leave a weird residue on the coir.

Step 3: Paint the doormat using a stiff brush

Now it’s time to paint! Dip your brush into the paint and begin “poking” it into the doormat. If you just brush the paint on, it won’t get down into the top layer of the coir, and your design will be splotchy. This is why the chip brushes are great for this—the bristles are so stiff.

Poke extra carefully around the edges of the stencil to keep the painting as crisp as possible. Keep painting until you have the desired color depth. I used almost the entire bottle of black paint! When you’re done, take the stencil off and let the paint dry for as long as your bottle indicates. I let this paint dry for 48 hours before setting the mat out.

Do I need to seal a painted doormat?

I didn’t seal my painted doormat. Since I used acrylic paint designed for the outdoors, I wanted to see how it would hold up on its own. And it held up great. I am guessing that acrylic paint designed for outdoor use is just a bit tougher and more resistant to the elements.

I also didn’t want to seal my painted doormat because I wasn’t sure if having a sealant over it would change the texture too much, making it less helpful for cleaning off shoes. Which is, after all, the purpose of a doormat! 🙂

So here is the final product. It looks so cute sitting at our door! I smile every time I see it. It’s such a simple little design, but it’s so much better than a plain coir doormat. And the possibilities of weird and funny stuff you could put on your painted doormat are endless!

What is the best doormat paint?

I recommend using any outdoor acrylic paint. For this painted doormat, I used Folkart Outdoor Acrylic paint. I recommend this paint for the task—you can get it at most major craft stores.

However, any other outdoor acrylic paint would work just fine, too. Decoart is another great paint brand that I enjoy working with a lot. In fact, I used Decoart outdoor acrylic paint to paint an emoji doormat in the garage 🙂 For that one, I did two layers: pink for the face, and then black for the heart eyes and mouth.

For more easy home projects, check out my DIY drawer organizer for spices, my easy concrete coasters, and my DIY hanging plant pot holder!

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