Wooden Doormat Tutorial

I love trying out new DIY projects that I find on Pinterest. Some of them turn out beautifully. And others? Well, not so much. I’m sure all of us DIYers have had a few Pinterest “fails” but at least we have the guts to try new things. That’s got to count for something, right?

A while ago I pinned this DIY wooden doormat and I’ve just recently gotten around to giving it a go. I did some things a bit different, but I must say I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

First I cut two 1x2s into slats. Mine were leftover from another project so I just cut them to a length I thought looked good and gave me the most bang for my leftover-project-wood buck. I think they measure about 18 inches. That gave me 11 slats.

Next, I used a pre-stain so the wood would take my stain evenly.

After the pre-stain dried (about 10 minutes) I wiped off any excess and then applied my favorite stain, Rustoleum in Kona. I only used one coat because it’s such a rich stain.

I wiped off the excess stain and then let that that dry completely.

Next, I drilled holes through each end of the slats so that the string could be threaded through. I doubled up on my hemp string and double knotted before and after every board.  Be sure to pull your knots tight so that your mat doesn’t become loose and wobbly over time. You could use a thin rope for this part also. I just happened to have some leftover hemp string on hand.

I loved the idea of adding a personal touch with the lettering. So, I printed out a big ‘C’ (first letter of our last name) onto some card stock and then cut it out with an X-acto knife. Then, I taped it to the mat and carefully painted in the stencil with a sponge tipped brush.

I knew that this mat would get a lot of traffic since, well, it’s a doormat. So, I went ahead and slapped a few coats of polycrylic on her, sanding lightly in between coats.

After everything dried I placed her in front of the front door and tried her out. Perfect!

I can proudly put this project into the Pinterest “success” bag.

Have you been brave enough to try any of your Pinterest pins? If so, what did you make and how did it turn out?