Painted Canvas Rug

I believe in layering when it comes to decorating. But my decorating budget only allows for one little layer at a time in most cases. Reading this blog can sometimes be like watching a decorating show in super-slow motion. If you've been here long, you know I decorate one little step at a time, mostly with thrift store finds & other bargains, never knowing for sure what I'm going to find next.

Last week, I posted about my screened porch. (If you missed it you can read about it here.) My mom's furniture & the new cushions were the first couple layers. And this week, I added one more thin layer with a canvas rug.

Now, Martha has a great 13-step tutorial on how to paint a canvas rug, but unlike Martha, I have 4 kids, a husband, and a really long to-do list with no paid staff to help me, so I went with my own short-cut busy mom version. Click here for Martha's. Keep reading for mine.

I started with this $12 Heavy Weight Canvas Drop Cloth from the paint section at Lowes.

Next, I cut it down to the size I wanted & hemmed the edges. While I was doing this, I got a great idea for what to do with the leftover canvas. (Coming soon!)

I wanted some wide stripes, so I measured & taped it with painter's tape for 8-inch stripes. If you have a steady hand, you might be able to just draw some pencil lines as a guide for painting, but I don't trust myself, so I go with the tape. Keep in mind, though, that tape is not as effective on fabric as it is furniture or walls, & can seep under if you're not careful.

After the taping, I was ready to paint. Once again, I used my favorite 99-cent craft paint--in Basil Green this time. I learned right away that the paint was going to need to be thinned, so I just added a little water & it worked perfectly.

The water made it stretch so far, it only took a little over one bottle to do the entire rug, bringing the total paint cost to approximately $1.25. Ridiculous!

I did let the paint dry overnight & then sprayed a couple quick coats of Krylon Clear Coat just for a little extra protection.

And now here it is, the newest layer on my screened porch. I know there's a table out there somewhere waiting for me to rescue it & give it a new life with this rug. And when it's found, I'll tell you all about it.