DIY Chevron Rug

04.13.11

Big surprise, right? I know, painting a rug with a chevron pattern is definitely nothing new the blogosphere and yes I’m following right along with the crowd. Blame me? These things are all the rage right now and the result for the price is just too much to pass up for this girl. I considered giving a full in depth how-to post but I’m sure you guys are getting a little sick of those. Plus, I’ll link to two of my favs here and here for every detail you could ever want

Now, onto the good stuff. I used Ikea’s Erslev rug for $40 at about 8′x6′. Not bad, although any flat woven rug will do. We debated back and forth between colors for about a week before I finally took the plunge with a dark teal. Sherwin William’s Low VOC Promar 200 in Eg-shel tinted to Ben Moore’s Bermuda Turquoise to be exact. It’s makes quite the statement. Me likey.

I’ve read others of using basic blue painter’s tape and it working out just fine but if you haven’t heard my FrogTape rant before just know I swear by this stuff. It’s the mac daddy of the tape world. And as you can see, it didn’t disappoint.

Here’s a quick before shot I took just incase you have any doubt that this rug wasn’t always so magnificent. Yea, I’m that in love.

I tried to remember a few process shots but I was just way too into this one. All in all I put about four to five hours into it. It was a little tedious when marking out the chevron pattern but a whole lot better than waiting out the months of savings, if say I was interested in dropping a couple grand on a Madeline Weinrib rug…

Or even $500 for a similar West Elm model…

With the rug coming in at $40 and paint at about $30 this baby only cost us 70 buckaroos. Heck yes. Plus, she’s totally customized to our color likings and coordinates perfectly with the rest of the space. Perfection has never been so easy

And just in case anyone is losing sight of the dining space on move in day, here’s a little flashback on our progress.

Moving along..

Now get out there and start painting your own rugs! Seriously, best project ever.

Posted in Dining Room, DIY

by Jessie R.

28 comments

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Jessie R. - March 6, 2012 - 7:53 pm

Hi Andrea
The paint we used was just an average interior wall acrylic paint, but you might have better luck with a fabric paint. We love the look of the rug but honestly, the texture isn’t so great. Maybe a fabric paint would help!
Jessie

Andrea - March 6, 2012 - 10:13 am

ok apparently I’m wrong. There IS shops that sell BM paint. Wohoo.

Andrea - March 6, 2012 - 10:12 am

OMG I absolutely love this. We’re in desperate need of carpets and this is the perfect solution. Is the paint you used acrylic paint or is it fabric paint? (we don’t get Benjamin Moore paints over here in Germany

Shannon Johnson - October 25, 2011 - 9:02 am

What is the wall color? It’s beautiful!

Iram - August 27, 2011 - 4:46 pm

BEAUTIFUL! I’m in the process of trying right now, and like you i’m using a deep color… any recommendations for how to avoid the “blotchiness” that comes with the darker colors. did you do a whole bunch of coats to make the paint look so evenly toned?

Jessie R. - July 20, 2011 - 4:42 pm

Meg – Thank you for the nice comment! We did not paint the white portions of the chevron rug because, as you said, they were white enough initially to let them be. Plus, that would call for more work and after hours on my hands and knees taping, measuring, and finally painting I wasn’t about to start over for a second color (haha!). Happy painting
Jessie

Jessie R. - July 20, 2011 - 4:23 pm

Hi Elaine!
Thank you We absolutely adore this rug. We didn’t use a stencil, although if possible I would advise anyone else attempting this DIY to get their hands on one. The by-hand process is incredibly tedious, but can be done! The diagonals are 9 inches in length and 6 inches wide. I used the same measurements for both colors although I’ve seen variations used and they can look quite nice too! Hope this helps.
Jessie

Elaine - July 20, 2011 - 10:22 am

LOVE this rug! I’m going to try it myself, can you tell me the dimensions of the pattern? I saw in the other link where they used a vinyl stencil, but I don’t have access to something like that (at least I don’t think I do!) What’s the width of the design and the length of each diagonal line?

Meg - July 18, 2011 - 9:24 pm

Hi Jessie! I’m new to your blog (thanks to your feature on 6th Street) and I am love, love, LOVING everything about your home!!! I’ve been dying to create my own chevron rug and I reeeally like how yours turned out. Just one quick question though… did you paint the white portions or just leave them? I see that the rug itself was white to begin with so I’m just curious if it was white enough to leave or if that portion needed to be painted too. Thanks for your help and congrats on such a great feature!

Meg

Jessie R. - April 25, 2011 - 6:55 pm

Hi Rebecca – The actual “feel” of the rug is as we expected, a little rough. Not such a big deal since we aren’t walking or spending much time on it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for a high traffic area. I have read of others running into the same problem and taking a light sanding to it though. I’m sure this would help somewhat with the texture. Hope this helps!
Jessie

rebecca - April 22, 2011 - 4:22 pm

Hi,

Curious to know about the “feel” of the rug w/ the paint. I was thinking of doing it for a space where we’d often walk around in bare feet, or sit on the floor. How comfy would that be?

And I agree w/ all the others, the BLUE is fabulous!

Loriann - April 20, 2011 - 10:56 am

Jessie…thank you so much for tracking down the info. I’m excited to get started on our table down the road. Hopefully it will turn out as nice as yours!

Thanks again…
Loriann

Jessie R. - April 19, 2011 - 9:21 pm

Loriann – My dad used a Minwax stain on the dining table in the dark walnut finish and all of the wood is pine. Pretty basic stuff, I believe he just bought everything from Lowes.
Jessie

Katrina - April 18, 2011 - 6:52 pm

The rug looks great!! I like the color blue you chose!

Loriann - April 16, 2011 - 12:20 am

Thanks for the info. Jessie. I thought that might be where the plans had come from. I spotted that table a couple of weeks ago when I was searching her site. And if you have a chance I would love more details on the wood/stain.

Thanks again!

Jessie R. - April 15, 2011 - 11:02 am

Kim – It was definitely a little tedious but I measured out the chevron pattern one by one. It wasn’t so bad after the first few! The second post that I linked to in the original post used a stencil of some sort. Good luck!
Jessie

Jessie R. - April 15, 2011 - 10:59 am

Lorian – so glad you like the rug and table! Possibly the best present ever from my dad He used plans from the amazing Ana White. Here’s a link to the farmhouse table. I’ll have to get back to you on the stain that he used, maybe a how-to post about it in the future. Hope this helps!
Jessie

Jessie R. - April 15, 2011 - 10:42 am

Hi Cathy! This project is definitely one worth tackling! Granted it’s only had a few days of use so far the paint is actually holding up really well. No chips yet. Although it may not hold up so well in a high-traffic area. With the price it’s a chance I’d take any day Good luck!
Jessie

Cathy Lee - April 14, 2011 - 10:45 pm

I’m so glad to see someone else tackle this! I saw tutorials on this, bought the rug and even paint, but I just returned everything. When I was at the paint store, I was told the paint was going to be stiff and probably chip off. Have you had any problems?

17 Perth Court - April 14, 2011 - 7:54 pm

This looks great!! Good job. Hmmm…I think I must try this soon! : )

Felicity @ Our Little Beehive - April 14, 2011 - 1:33 pm

I love it. I may have to go for this idea if we ever have a nursery. I’ve lusted after an Angela Adams rug for years now, but $70 is a much easier pill to swallow than $1700!

Loriann - April 14, 2011 - 11:24 am

Hi Jessie…

Love the rug!!! I’m adding it to my inspiration folder for sure! More importantly I LOVE your table!!! I did a little searching on your blog and saw that your dad built it for you for Christmas. What a great dad! I was actually going to have my dad help me build something similar. Would you mind sharing any plans you might have for it. Plus what type of wood/stain did he use?

Thanks for any input you can provide!

Loriann

Kim - April 14, 2011 - 9:54 am

Love it … and love that blue too. How did you get the chevron pattern? Did you measure it out or use some sort of stencil? I’d have a heck of a time keeping them all straight.

Sandy - April 14, 2011 - 1:31 am

Your rug looks fantastic! What a great DIY project! Thanks for sharing

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