Spray Painted Rug DIY Final

Turn an ugly rug into chic decor with a can of spray paint

If you are anything like me, you can NEVER find the outdoor rug in the color or style you want. I usually end up spending $15 to $20 and just settling for something I have vanilla feelings about. This is until I came across a really creative idea — to spray paint one of those really ugly black rubbery rugs (best description I could come up with) whatever color you want. How ingenious!

I found one of these “ugly black rugs” at a discount store for $5. Here are a couple tips before you get started:

  1. This will take nearly an entire can of spray paint, depending on your desired coverage. As you can see from my supplies photo, I had intended to paint the rug a festive pumpkin orange, but it ran out about halfway through the first coat. Hence, the blue.
  2. Use a spray paint that adheres to plastic, which will allow for better coverage.
  3. Don’t spray paint anything after a fresh coat of nail polish. It will ruin it! Although now I have a cool marbled orange, blue and gray motif on two of my fingers.

What you will need:

Spray Painted DIY Supplies

Please excuse my filthy bath towel backdrop! I guess that is why they call it a “rag”!

  • Spray paint
  • Old cloth or plastic tarp
  • Black, rubber rug
  • Clear top coat or sealer

What you will need to do:

  1. Select a location outside (and stand upwind or else you will be covered in paint speckles).
  2. Place your cloth or tarp down and your rug on top of it.
  3. Apply the first coat of paint and let dry completely.
  4. Apply a second and maybe even third coat if necessary, letting the layers dry in between.
  5. Once completely dried, apply your final clear top coat.
  6. After all layers have dried, place your now-pretty {insert color of choice here} rug by the front door!

And if you want to get really fancy, check out this creative way to turn ugly black rubbery rugs into wall art from Salvage Dior.