Don't Toss Your Worn Out Welcome Mat

by Bliss R

3 Materials

When we refreshed our front porch by staining and sealing our exposed aggregate concrete, my old door mat was anything but welcoming. Other than the faded color, it was in great shape, so I decided to refresh it rather than toss it.

don t toss your worn out welcome mat, crafts, how to, outdoor living, painting

Regular craft paints in shades of red, orange, and some off white, coupled with a cut piece of kitchen sponge were all I needed to experiment. I simply dabbed and swirled the paint around, mixing as I went.

By using the sponge I was able to keep paint out of the recessed areas of the mat's design and by choosing complimentary colors to the original faded salmon colored background I didn't have to worry about covering it 100%

To protect it I applied several coats of a spray sealer. Next spring if it looks worse for the wear I'll get out some more paint and grab the can of sealer and refresh it once again. I like how it turned out, it's much more welcoming now, and I specially like that I didn't have to go buy a new door mat by thrifting what I already had.

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3 of 5 questions

Giselle on Jul 17, 2016
Is the mat in the picture on the porch that you painted and sealed? If it is, could you do a post on how you did it? I love the mat and the surface it is on! Thanks!

2
Lyn Hinton on Jul 17, 2016
What if colors and 'Welcome' is half worn off.

1
S on Jul 19, 2016
Complimentary colors are actually opposing colors on the color-wheel. you used Analogous or neighboring colors on your mat. With the neutral tones of your pavement, any color would have looked fine. What color is your home?

2