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How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth – DIY Zebra Rug

August 2, 2012 By Vidya 33 Comments

You want to know how I made the zebra rug?

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

As promised here is the tutorial.

You’ll need:

  • A canvas drop cloth
  • Printed pics of zebra hides that you can find online
  • Pencil, scissors
  • Dark Brown or Black Acrylic paint
  • Fabric medium
  • Acrylic sealer (optional)
  • Brushes
  • Rug pad (optional)
  • Needle and thread (to finish off the edges)
  • Plastic drop cloth or something else to prevent the paint from seeping onto your floor/carpet. I used packing blankets that I had.

I used a 6 x 9 drop cloth from Home Depot. I have heard from other bloggers (who did drop cloth rug projects) that you cannot beat the Home Depot /Lowes quality. So try to stick with those brands. As I prefer the dark brown over a taupe look I used brown acrylic craft paint (Craft smart espresso) directly over the drop cloth. If you like the black and white look then you will have to first paint the drop cloth white and use black paint for the stripes.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

How to Make A Rug From a Drop Cloth Tutorial

  • Fold the drop cloth on the vertical. Measure and cut the drop cloth to size. I wanted at least a 4 x6 rug so I cut off a 5x 8 section.
  • Draw the outline on the drop cloth using the zebra hide pics as a reference.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Leave an inch or two of trim allowance and cut out your shape.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Now using your printed image as a guideline draw the stripes with the pencil.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Here is a closer look.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Hurray the toughest part of the project is over! Now the fun starts, painting. Mix your acrylic paint and fabric medium in a 2:1 ratio (more details in this post) and paint away. I tried using a foam brush but found that using a regular artist brush gave me more control. If you spill over the lines or drop some paint then you can adjust your stripes accordingly. You can also go back and cover any uneven spots. This is such a forgiving pattern.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Here is another progress shot. Please ignor the mess around the rug. Just keeping it real, the kids were playing while I was slogging away. 🙂

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • When you are done painting you’ll end up with this. By the way it took me may be 4hrs over a period of 2 weeks. I just worked on it when I had time.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • A closeup of the stripes as it dries;

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Once the paint is dry follow your fabric medium directions and heat set the paint.  If you are going to use the rug in a not so heavy traffic area or a room which does not get much kid abuse then I would recommend skipping the next step, sealing. Based on the fabric medium directions, the paint is washable at this stage. So any minor spills/stains might be ok. But I cannot guarantee that the paint will not fade with frequent washings if it is not sealed.
  • To seal, I used a a polycrylic water based sealer (Minwax clear satin finish). I did not use an oil based sealer because I’ve heard somewhere that oil based ‘things’ might increase the chance of a fire in the dryer. So, just want to be on the safer side. I applied a light coat with a foam brush. As soon as I started applying I noticed that the sealer dulled my paint color a little bit, which I didn’t like.  This was the reason for doing a light coat vs. a dense coat with a roller.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Another issue with the sealer is that it gives an uneven shine to the rug in day light.  In hindsight maybe doing a thicker coat with a roller might have been a better idea. Test on an extra piece of painted drop cloth to see if it dulls the paint color before you try on the real thing. Let it dry overnight.
  • I sewed the edges by hand with the basic running stitch folding the seam at my outline.  When it came to the corners I just cut the seam in sections for a better finish.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

  • Voila, she’s all done! In the end the rug measured 5 x 6.5 ft.
How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

 

Here is a close-up shot.

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

Take away: You could add a rug pad if the rug is going to go over a hardwood floor. It has been working great in our carpeted office without the rug pad. If you want to attach a rug pad then I would glue it down to the backside with a fabric glue spray before you finish the edges. When you sew the edge you would be sewing through the rug pad too. This will ensure that the pad stays in place.

Even after cutting out a 5x 8 piece from the drop cloth I have enough fabric left over to make 2 throw pillows.

Source Details

Canvas Drop Cloth -$10.98 – Home Depot
Espresso Acrylic paint – $3 approx (I think it was $0.60 each, 5 bottles) – Micheals
Acrylic sealer – $8.98 – Home Depot
Fabric medium – Already had
Brushes – Already had

Total -$22.96

Isn’t that the best $23 I spent?

How to Make a Rug from Drop Cloth   DIY Zebra Rug

 

 

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Comments

  1. sandhya says

    August 2, 2012 at 1:15 am

    this is so cool….

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      August 2, 2012 at 10:58 am

      Thank you Sandhya

      Reply
  2. Amu says

    August 2, 2012 at 10:57 am

    This is awesome. I am not so fond of the hide rugs but this one looks amazing. Thanks for posting the tutorial, I might try making one some day.

    Best,
    Amu

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      August 2, 2012 at 11:13 am

      Thanks Amu. I was also not into animal prints till last yr until my daughter who had come shopping with me as me to pick a zebra tank top (of course it looked really good). I was sold from that moment on.

      Vidya

      Reply
  3. Gina says

    August 2, 2012 at 11:06 am

    That looks great!!

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      August 2, 2012 at 11:11 am

      Thank you Gina.

      Reply
  4. Jae says

    August 2, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    You had me up until the sewing part. Still – great idea and execution.

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      August 2, 2012 at 10:30 pm

      Thank you Jae. 🙂 LOL! You could using a sewing machine. I didn’t want the stitch to be obvious that I way I went with hand sewing. It is nothing fancy just the plain running stitch. I have seen others suggest hot gluing but I’m not sure how that is gonna work if I have to put this in the dryer some day.

      Vidya

      Reply
  5. Amy says

    August 8, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    I adore this. I’ve been looking for images of painted drop cloth rugs because I really want to try it and this is by far my favorite. I wonder if I could pull off more of a cow hide pattern?

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      August 8, 2012 at 4:18 pm

      Thank you Amy. I looove how it turned out. Hmm… a black and white cow hide might be easier to pull off. With the brown ones, might be difficult to pull off the varying shades of brown.

      Vidya

      Reply
  6. Inspire Me Heather says

    September 27, 2012 at 9:54 am

    Your rug looks beautiful, thanks for posting your tutorial too! I have this linked to my animal prints DIY roundup post as well today, nice job!

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      September 27, 2012 at 3:08 pm

      Thanks for the feature Heather. Loved all the other projects in the round up too.

      Vidya

      Reply
  7. Brooke @ Inside-Out Design says

    September 27, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    I’ve looked at a lot of tutorials for making one of these, and yours is by far my favorite!! Found you from Inspire Me Heather, and I’m so glad I did! You are awesome!!

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      September 28, 2012 at 11:12 am

      Thanks so much for stopping by Brooke. It was a really fun project and was easier than I thought. Do share yours when it is done.

      Vidya

      Reply
  8. Dee says

    October 12, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    Your rug looks amazing!!!

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      October 12, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      Thank you Dee. Checking out your blog now. Love your burlap drapes.

      Vidya

      Reply
  9. Leti says

    November 16, 2012 at 10:15 am

    It’ s amazing!! I’ll share it on my facebook page.
    I’ll follow you.
    Regards from spain

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      November 16, 2012 at 3:15 pm

      Thanks a ton Leti! And thank God for the translate button! So in love with a lot of your projects. The jewelry tray is genius.

      Vidya

      Reply
  10. Niffy says

    February 13, 2013 at 7:15 am

    I was actually researching stenciled rugs when i came across yours…Planning to make one for my daughter’s room..:)

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      February 15, 2013 at 8:25 am

      🙂 Let me know how it goes.

      Vidya

      Reply
  11. Niffy says

    February 13, 2013 at 7:15 am

    Btw this one looks awesome..:)

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      February 15, 2013 at 8:25 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  12. Miss Charming says

    September 26, 2013 at 10:50 am

    I absolutely love this idea!

    Reply
  13. Molly Branstetter says

    December 8, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    Vidya, I am so thrilled you came by!! I am absolutely in love with everything you do! Your taste is magical! Thank you so much for the inspiration! You are amazing! xo

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      December 10, 2013 at 9:37 am

      Awww…That’s very sweet of you Molly. Thanks.

      Reply
  14. Macy says

    December 15, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    I’ve been considering making a drop cloth rug lately. How has yours help up? Have you found it difficult to clean?

    Reply
    • whatsurhomestory says

      December 16, 2013 at 3:46 pm

      Macy,

      It is holding up pretty well. It is in our office room. The only thing I would do differently is when sewing the edges, i would use iron on tape to secure any extra fabric to the underside of the rug.In my case with the constant traffic the extra fabric keeps unfurling from under the rug. I just iron it down once in 2 months or so. To clean, we just vacuum it. It is not in an area where there is a chance of a food spill, so not sure how it would fare under a dining table per se.

      Hope that helps. do let me know if you make one.
      Vidya
      Vidya

      Reply
  15. Lisa at Concord Cottage says

    January 29, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    OMG that is amazing!! Look at all the time and love that went into every zebra stripe..lol. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day, Lisa

    Reply
  16. Angela, A to Z Custom Creations says

    March 12, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    You rock. That is all.

    Reply
    • Vidya Sukumaran says

      March 13, 2014 at 6:07 pm

      And you are always too sweet. 🙂 Thanks Angie.

      Vidya

      Reply
  17. Sondra @ Sondra Lyn at Home says

    April 14, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Love this!! When I get some spare time I’m so doing this! Used to sell genune cowhide rug throws and they are very expensive This would be more practical for us, anyway!!

    Reply
    • Vidya Sukumaran says

      April 14, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      I do like original cow hide but now the kids are totally opposed to the idea.

      Vidya

      Reply
  18. judithannh says

    July 12, 2015 at 8:09 am

    Vidya, I LOVE ZEBRA RUGS AND YOUR PROJECT CAUGHT MY EYE. yOU DID A GREAT JOB. i IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT i WOULD DOUBLE IT AND SEW IT TOGETHER ON THE SEWING MACHINE. tHEN PAINT BOTH SIDES.THERE ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS LIKE PAINT BLEEDING THROUGH TO THE OTHER PIECE OF THE CLOTH BUT IT COULD BE DONE. wASHING IS NO PROBLEM BUT DON’T DRY IN THE DRYER ….LAY ON THE DRIVEWAY OR PATIO. iRON TOUCH UP.

    i MADE OUT DOOR DRAPES FOR OUR LANAI TEN YEARS AGO. tHEY GET SOME MOLD AND DIRT FROM RAIN ETC. ( fLORIDA) i WASH THEM TWICE A YEAR (OR MORE) AND HANG THEM UP DAMP. tHE WIND BLOWS THEM DRY AND A LITTLE BLEACH TAKES CARE OF MOLD. tHEY LOOK LIKE A CABANA WITH TIE BACKS AND ARE AS GOOD AS THE DAY i PUT THEM UP. THE SEWING THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE WAS BY MACHINE. HOME DEPOT DROP CLOTHS ( iT TAKES ABOUT THREE TRIPS TO THE WASHING MACHINE )

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Vidya, an IT professional by day, a mom to my 2 darling monkeys, a wife, a home maker, an avid gardener and home decor/ DIY enthusiast round the clock, and a blogger in my free time. Read More…

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