Needing help with painting a rug on a front wooden porch

Peggy Hill
by Peggy Hill
I have a huge front porch,8 wide and 30 feet long. the steps are 8 feet wide. I just repainted it dark brown and would like to paint a carpet on the wood porch, I have tried to put real carpets down and the screen door just pushes them out of the way. I re did the walk way leading up to the porch with a stone design in five different colors. I am not sure if I should do the rug in stripes to go with the wood planks or do the stone look? and I am not sure how big I should make the rug, was thinking a 3x5 or a 5x8. since the steps are 8 feet wide do I make the rug as wide as the steps? I would really like some help on this. thinking of doing this in the next few days. any advice would be really helpful.
  21 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Sep 30, 2013
    This is a post from a while back that may inspire you http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/exteriors/painted-on-front-porch-rug-162658 working with your color palette but going with a more rectilinear pattern would look great.
  • Z Z on Sep 30, 2013
    Wow I love your walk way. Personally I'd do something different for the rug. Maybe a just s solid in one of the colors bordered in the grout or beige color. Something simple to clash with your lovely cobble stone walkway. I think you should share your cobble stone walkway with instructions of how you did it too.
    • See 1 previous
    • Z Z on Oct 01, 2013
      @Peggy I wouldn't repaint it even if it does look blue. Blue and orange (as in your terracotta color) are complementary colors on the color wheel so it's a very attractive mix.
  • Margaret Dillard Margaret Dillard on Sep 30, 2013
    I agree with Becky. Anything but a solid would be too busy and might fight with the stone walkway. I would do a solid in the rust color and you could band around it with the beige. As far as size, maybe the width of the steps. Send me a pic whatever you do. generationjunkers.com
    • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
      @Margaret Dillard thank you for your help. and I will post on here what I decide to do.
  • Lori Lori on Sep 30, 2013
    i am thinking an oval shaped rug. you could make it look braided. just a thought. like the idea!!
  • Larose LoganOakes Larose LoganOakes on Sep 30, 2013
    At first I thought like Becky did and pictured one of the colors from the walking path. But now I can see a braided rug in an oval shape with the colors that you painted the pathway with.I would place it in the middle of the area equally distanced from the front door and the steps.I would draw the shape of it out of brown paper or newspaper and make any and all adjustments before you start any painting. Best of luck and please let us know with pics of course when you are finished.We have enquiring minds around here!:) These colors are similar to your stepping stone pathway colors.I would also place it like the second pic. http://www.plowhearth.com/plow_assets/images/shop/catalog/32173x.jpg https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=CxhGyFqtJUvOsHdSksAfgrICoAaHy08gEycOa8HGh7sSsTQgJEAYg3s3PHigGUIWe89_7_____wFgyf6ejeykgBCgAZew29MDyAEHqgQnT9Bue7z8ZOYpWhUal9H5cOi6stdtpe7HDE-6_VplXo5oy9dFUP4qwAUFoAYmgAfRz6Qs4BLqzZXdwPmojDc&sig=AOD64_3_RGVBKvdDy1_4urx3-a4YKIiigA&ctype=5&ved=0CM4BENQpMBE&adurl=http://www.countrylivingprimitives.com/oval-braided-rug-wine-amber-ivory-clone-2.html
    • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
      @Larose LoganOakes I am not sure if I am gifted enough to do a braided look. but it did give me an idea to do an braided oval rug they are heavier then a normal rug and might not blow away.
  • Z Z on Sep 30, 2013
    I forgot to ask if the door is off center of the stairs?
    • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
      @Z the door is a little off center then the stairs, but it is not that noticeable.
  • Cindy Morgan Cindy Morgan on Sep 30, 2013
    Consider a painted floor cloth instead.
  • Carole Carole on Sep 30, 2013
    I would go with stripes picking up the colours you painted the paving effect with. That way it ties it all together.
    • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
      @Carole I was thinking stripes or stone work the same colors as the walkway.
  • Gloria Duy Gloria Duy on Oct 01, 2013
    I'm with Cindy, I would paint on a painters canvas drop cloth and varnish it. Then you could even have a couple so you could change the decor.
    • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
      @Gloria Duy this is a great idea, then if I don't like the stripes I don't have to paint over all the hard work I just did. what a great idea!
  • Polly Zieper Polly Zieper on Oct 01, 2013
    Show us what you ended up doing!(Please!)
  • Theresa Marie smith Theresa Marie smith on Oct 01, 2013
    I would paint an oval-shape using the colors in your walk way with a row of blue, copper brown and beige as shown in the walk way but do the soft green to fill in the middle which in the picture looks like the color of your siding. All the colors are natural earth shades so I think it will look good
  • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
    great idea thanks for the help.
  • Larose LoganOakes Larose LoganOakes on Oct 01, 2013
    Hi Peggy! I see that you live in Idaho. I am sure that you have your share of hard winters. As a retired USPS Letter Carrier I know from my own personal experience just how slippery wooden painted porches can be.They now make a paint that has something like sand in it for finishing decks or you could use the Martha Stewart paint from Home Depot. This would give your painted rug a gritty texture and this would help to keep you and your guests safe from slipping and falling.The MS paint is called Potters Clay and you can buy it in 10 OZ. jars.I love the colors of her paint. You could also use the paint that you already have. I have heard of people adding sand to their paint. Just a thought.:)
  • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 01, 2013
    thanks for the ideas. the porch does get really slippery when it gets wet. so does the steps. when I did the steps I put down restore ( it has a gritty texture almost like sand) and I use step covers to add more gripping power. was thinking of putting down the restore as the base of the rug to give it texture, it will make it a little ruff. the restore is the grout color in the walkway the (off white). it is so thick it fills in any small cracks and gaps. it is made to do decks and patios.
  • Lori Tancrell Lanois Lori Tancrell Lanois on Oct 01, 2013
    You did a great job! I especially love the walkway.
  • Brittani Oplinger Brittani Oplinger on Oct 01, 2013
    I love this idea!!! It's so pretty! I think I'm going to paint my concrete porch now. Lol!
  • Matina V Matina V on Oct 01, 2013
    I'm about to move to a new house and am thinking of painting a rug on a smaller porch. Please post pictures when you're done!
  • Polly Zieper Polly Zieper on Oct 03, 2013
    Did you all use 'garage paint'?someone told me that is the only paint that would hold up to a lot of foot traffic.And where do you get that dtuff mentioned that has a gritty, sandy texture, to prevent the steps from being too slippery?
  • Peggy Hill Peggy Hill on Oct 03, 2013
    the paint called "restore" has some sand added to the paint, you can buy it home depot at Lowe's. I did one coat with the restore, it is for restoring porches and patios, fills in any small cracks. it is a really thick paint and then I painted it using porch paint it is a thicker paint too and it to is for patios.. while the brown paint was wet I sprinkled play ground sand over the wet paint using a mason jar with holes in the lid. once the paint was dry I put a 2nd coat with the porch paint. it made it really ruff and it is no longer slick when it gets wet.
  • Patricia Brining Patricia Brining on Oct 07, 2013
    I can see it painted to look like a lovely plush french rug! I was told to make sure the surface were VERY clean- then sponge on the whole area white vinegar and let it dry! Do a base color like an ivory and let it dry thoroughly. Draw it out ahead to make it easier on yourself! Then find the floral stencil to make the patterns you want! You can use the colors you want as long as it is outdoor paint !
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Oct 15, 2016
    If clearance at the bottom of your door is narrow and pushes a rug away..... Have you tried an industrial mat? They are usually pretty skinny, slip resistant and you can get them in brown. And people can wipe their feet before coming in.