DIY personalized door mats – add some personality to the front of your home

DIY personalized door mats – add some personality to the front of your home

One item that the majority of houses have is a doormat. They come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes. Some have writing on and some are plain. They all serve the same purpose – to welcome and provide somewhere to wipe your feet. They’re also an excellent way of brightening up your front porch. It is actually possible to create your own personalised doormat. There are several different styles to choose from; the instructions below cover the three main ones:

Monogrammed Door Mat

You will need a simple doormat, two plates or bowls (one slightly smaller than the other), a letter template and permanent marker pen. You will also need a tape measure and black acrylic craft paint with brush.

How to make it – Find or purchase a mat and then place the larger plate or bowl in the desired position. Draw round this with the permanent marker. Next, you will need to place the smaller plate inside the circle just drawn and draw around this one. You should now have two circles on your mat.

Next, you will need to decide which font you wish to have your monogram letter in. The internet is the best place to look for this and when you have decided on one print it out.  You may need to enlarge your letter via either a photocopier or photo software on your computer. The letter should just fit inside the smaller circle. Make sure you measure the circle and put the letter right in the centre of it. Now carefully trace around your letter.

Finally, using the craft paint color in the gap between the two circles and the letter you have drawn on your mat. You have now finished and have a monogrammed doormat.

Personalised Monogrammed Door Mat

Doormat with Personalized Message

For a doormat with personalized message you need paint, knife, contact paper and a blank doormat.

How to create your doormat – First, choose your letter style, and message. Bear in mind this must be large enough to clearly read from a distance so you are limited as to how long a message can be. Next, print a message out in your desired font and then cut the image out and trace around it onto the contact paper.

You have now created a stencil and can pin this to your doormat. It is very important to make sure it is all firmly in place and will not move while being painted. Now you’re able to paint it. Using a brush carefully dab the mat. Moving the brush around will move the stencil and ruin your work. As the mat is bristly, it will require a lot of paint for it to stick properly. Finally, just leave the mat to dry and then carefully remove the pins. Now admire your own handiwork!

Doormat with Personalized Message

Recycled Doormat

Materials needed for a recycled doormat: old rubber mat, outdoor spray paint, paper, masking tape, printer, knife and acrylic outdoor paint.

How to make it – Firstly, you will need to clean off the back of the mat and give it plenty of time to dry. Now paint the mat with your base color. Whilst this is drying, use your computer to create your saying and make the letters as big as possible – as long as they will still fit your mat. Now you need to print the message/quote/saying out and cut out the letters. This will leave you holding a sheet of paper with your phrase cut out of it.

Recycled Doormat

This piece of paper can now be taped to the mat and a marker can be used to trace the letters onto the mat. Using the acrylic craft paint you can now carefully paint inside the marker lines. It will probably need two coats of paint and would benefit from a spray with an outdoor sealer. Then step back and admire your handiwork!  Don’t forget that you can create pictures or shapes instead as well as words if you like!

If you want your home to look cool, investing in rubber matting can be an excellent idea. Be original and opt for a DIY project. Apart from being cheaper, the whole process is fun to do for the whole family.