Painted Rug. Not.

Just so you know, not all my projects turn out the way I hope. Or turn out at all in fact. Here’s such a project that I had high hopes for and which ended up in the trash.

Yesterday I showed you the coffee table that I finally bought after having searched for one for months. A rug for underneath it was also one of those things that I searched for forever and I ended up buying the sisal one you saw in the photos yesterday. My intention was to bring the sisal rug downstairs to the room where I’m sewing the curtains and painted the floor and I’d paint a rug myself for the living room.

I kept seeing all these cool painted rugs on Pinterest and thought it’d be a great way to get the color and pattern I want. Turns out it wasn’t that easy and it came down to lack of the correct supplies. It’s so frustrating seeing all these fun projects online and the materials just aren’t available in Sweden. This particular project required fabric medium and while it is available it’s only available in tiny bottles that are super expensive and the store even just had the one bottle and I’d need at least 14 more for the size rug I bought at IKEA.

I ended up buying something similar and mixing it with paint but it didn’t work out at all.

 

I had decided I wanted a green rug with white polka dots and went to quite a lot of trouble to punch out circles from adhesive shelf liner to make a stencil and peeling those circles and sticking them down hard.

 

I then mixed the “medium” I as able to find with the paint and rolled it on but I soon realized that it wouldn’t work because as soon as the paint started to dry the surface got all stiff and crusty so I abandoned the project after just half a coat. I did peel off some of the stencils to see if they had worked and the white dot’s turned out great but the rest of the rug was a big mess.

So I’m still rug-less and $100 poorer…

Onwards and upwards though, I’m still on the hunt for the perfect rug and one day I’ll find it!

Comments

[Joanie]

I don't know if you can get it in Sweden but you might want to try Dye-na-flow textile paint which is almost like dye - the fabric does not get stiff and you don't need to add any textile medium.
I get mine here: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1605-AA.shtml
They are great about mail order and although they're here in Northern California USA I think they'd ship to you.

[Moi]

Kanske köra batikmetoden med vax och färg i tvättmaskinen?

[Jo]

Would it be worth exploring dye rather than paint I wonder ??
Jo xx

[Nicola]

Sorry it didn't work out, but I do like the neutral rug you chose instead: it makes the colour on the cushions 'pop'! Every cloud....x

[Tina Slocum]

I think painted rugs overall have a very stiff and uncomfortable look. Maybe you'll find a regular rug in the colours you like. Also wondering if a green rug will be too much and you may tire of it?
I guess it depends of the fabric that will be on the Galaxy Chairs. You gave it a good try definitely.

[tinajo]

I couldn´t agree more - I see all these fun things that just aren´t available in Sweden... Very frustrating, I need to make myself an HUGE shopping list for the next time I go to the States! :-)

The idea was good, that´s at least something..! :-)

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Thanks, I'll check that out! I've noticed that not a lot of companies ship liquids internationally though.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Går det att få till ett perfekt jämt prickmönster med batik?

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Do you mean paint on the dye? Because I don't want a solid color...

[Leena]

Too bad... well things don't always go the way we want them to go. You should be happy you only spent 100 bucks. It could have been way more.
Next round will be better.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The thing is that the instructions for the projects on Pinterest stated that the paint didn't crust with the medium. But I guess they used the correct medium :)

[Hxx]

Oh what a frustrating shame - great idea though.
maybe you will find a green rug and can paint on the white spots.

[Judith]

Oh, bummer. The dot design looked really cool, anyway. I am in no way happy that this project didn't work out for you, but it feels SO good to know I'm not the only one this kind of thing happens to!!

[elisa]

it was worth a try! i painted a chair recently, upholstery fabric, and was absolutely shocked that it worked. it was meant to be a temporary measure until i could recover it, but we love it! i used annie sloan's chalk paint, and dry-brushed it on. x

[Jo]

Well that could absolutely work I'm sure.. and you could retain the dots by using wax to stop the dye bleeding into the circles. Or use the dye in the traditional way to get a solid background and then paint the dots on after..
That way the tiny bottles of medium you CAN get would be enough... if you only needed it for enough paint to create the dots ??
xx

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Great ideas, thanks!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

:)

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Yay for you!!!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The problem is that I haven't seen any green rugs in the right green color. They're all too lime or chartreuse colored.

[jja]

Although it didn't work I LOVE the idea of green rug with dots! It would for sure look great there!

[Dru]

what a great idea! the rug looks fantastic, you will figure this out and I lol forward to your solution!

[annabelvita]

I like this idea! Could you flip the rug over and start again on the other side? Or make a canvas drop cloth rug?

If it helps, I've seen Americans with all the right stuff upset with how crusty their painted fabric has come out.

[Zosia]

Only people that don't do anything, don't make mistakes. Sorry, you wasted some money, but you gained some knowledge about painting rugs. Good luck with the rug search.

[mribaro]

How about a white rug with green dots instead? You'd have enough of that expensive color to cover all the dots. You could make them either a bit bigger or denser so you get more color in the otherwise white surroundings.

[Barbara]

On the third one of the 3 links to painted rugs she says her paint was a bit stiff too so she sanded it after painting. Always difficult to tell about texture in a photo but it doesn't look as if sanding took away any of the solid colour. Didn't end up like a fake shabby type finish I mean. I think about the clothes I wear for painting which have so many paint flecks that have been absorbed by the fabric but are not hard on the surface. Wondering if it's worth a try?

[Cristina]

woman, you are a genius !!!!!!!!!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I would have gone with a white rug full stop if it hadn't been for eight dirty paws though the kitty door right next to the rug...

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I would need to add a second coat to the rug and after that it will be really densely covered in paint and since I'd have to buy more of both paint and medium it just doesn't seem worth the additional expense if I'm not sure the result will be ok I'm afraid.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Very true!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

That's another thing we can't get over here, canvas drop cloths!

And as for starting over I considered using the white side for a while but unfortunately the green had bled through and frankly I don't want to spend any more money on this than I already have. I guess I just have to accept that the right materials aren't available over here.

[mribaro]

Oh, I see :)

[kim]

I'd just finish painting it and then use the rug outside...maybe on a deck? I've had painted fabric get less crusty with use. And, if it makes you feel better :), I have a hard time finding some supplies over here in the US, I have store managers looking at me strangely all the time...isn't everyone trying to find tin string? Lol...

[paige @ luxperdiem]

Just an idea to maybe salvage it. My painting clothes tend to get rather stiff with paint, but once I wash them, they're not stiff and the paint is still there. Maybe try and give a run through a washer?

[Lynn]

Thanks for sharing a project that didn't work and to the commenters' suggestions, which I'm going to try. It'll help me. I understand that you're done with this project, though. Sometimes enough is enough!

[Ninette]

Kanske det skulle funka med ett stort badkar och handfärga med textilfärg för handfärgning? Jag har handfärgat en hel massa grejer, inte så stora som mattan, men det har funkat bra på mindre saker i varje fall. Tänker att prickarna kanske inte sitter kvar om man slänger mattan i tvättmaskinen, men i badkaret kanske det skulle funka. Eller så testa omvänt och färga hela mattan och sen måla dit prickar med hjälp av schablon. Kan vara lite svårt att få dom vita såklart, men funkar säkert med nån annan färg.
Intressant tips annars att måla en matta! har funderat på att gör det en tid, har sett en massa chevronmattor som frestar, men den här idén med prickar var jättekul den också!

[foo]

Yes, Benita, I was going to agree with some of the others. You have a hose and tap outside? You should give it a good wash with a hose after you finish the whole thing and then you might have a slightly faded look that could be quite nice. You know, happy accidents happen all the time! I wouldn't give up on that rug!

[elisa]

x! of course i've wasted an evening on sewing a cushion that has failed miserably. it is hard to let go and move on!

[un arc-en-ciel dans le lavabo]

Sorry for the $100... but maybe you'll find a way...
I was wondering if some diluted Dylon dyes would work as some textile paint with some stencils ? since Dylon is pretty common in W. Europe

[Messy]

Oh my, that seems like a LOT of work... So frustrating when it doesn't get you the result you want.
I hate to be one of the people on here who won't let you abandon a rug that you now hate, but there are some good suggestions here... Perhaps leave it in a corner (you know, for punishment for being a difficult rug) for a while and take it out when you feel up to a second try?

[Missy Lemon]

If your rug is made of natural fabric, there are dozens of options to dye/paint it (even with natural pigments, plants and more). Dupont for example (dutch website, http://www.zijdewinkel.nl/verfstoffen/index.php/cPath/46) makes dozens of textile paint for all sorts of natural fibre. You can use different types of product to make the dots like gutta or wax or you can use a washing machine and dye it in 1 wash.

I'm ap art-time textile student so if you want specific info for natural dyeing or other, let me know, I'll have to make translations and look up products!

[liz in CT]

Benita, i like the green on your rug. paint the circles and put some elephants on it! you could use a template, maybe from a kids coloring book. oh i hate to see that project thrown out. maybe put some silicon caulking in the circles and turn it over for a slip proof rug! liz

[D]

I'd suggest dying the entire rug and painting the spots, rather than painting the rug and leaving the dots white.

[G.Sims]

I agree, at least you tried! I've also seen those painted rugs in Pinterest and Apartment Therapy. Some of those paints/dyes aren't available here in Australia, and I wonder what it would look like if I used alternatives.

[Lisa]

Oh, how I feel your pain! I just spent money on pretty material that wasn't the right hue for my room and the project I had in my head didn't come out the way I thought it would (it looks great in my head!). Thanks for the info about the paint since I'm planning to try one of those painted rugs myself. Have a great weekend.

[wienerdoglove]

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/853392/list/DIY--How-to-Paint-a-Sisal-Rug/

[Jasmine MacDonald]

I don't know if anyone said it though I did cruise through all the comments...
You are meant to mix the medium with the paint so you can use it as textile paint. I add about 1:4 ratio of medium:paint, but you might want to experiment on the rest of the unpainted rug. And then turn it over and use the otehr side. It wont matter if the green paint HAS seeped through because you are going to paint it green again anyway.
I must admit that I rather liked the look of the red dots on the rug. Maybe you could cut circles of material the same green as the elephants and cut circles from that. Back the material with fusible webbing before you cut the circles, then iron them to the rug. You could een paint the whole rug green then add white circles of material.
Is this any help? Gin and tonic would also help!!!
Hugs from Jasmine in Australia

[Rebecca]

I saw this post, and I thought it might be helpful. They seemed to use regular paint, like you did, but the rug is made of sisal, so maybe that was the difference.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/853392/list/DIY--How-to-Paint-a-Sisal-Rug/

[sofia]

Benita you should try spray paint. It works great on T-shirts, so it might work on rugs as well. Try on a small one. Good luck!