DIY Welcome Mats That Will Make You Glad to Come Home
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1-3 hours
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Intermediate
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- 10-100
Your home’s entryway is often the first thing guests see, and the perfect chance for you to start your decor off on the right foot. Or maybe both feet, in the case of these practical and inviting welcome mats!
A DIY welcome mat makes a great project for a lazy afternoon, and many can be made with items you already have at a home. Take a look at some of the wonderful, whimsical ways home decorators are turning handmade welcome mats into doorway statement pieces.
Beach Stone Chic
So you’ve returned from your beach trip with a bunch of new memories and pockets full of stone keepsakes to remind you of those special nights by the shore. But once the vacation magic wears off, it’s hard to know what to do with those oceanic mementos. Luckily, there’s this DIY stone welcome mat, so you can put all those pebbles to good use and get a charming, spa-worthy entrance in return.
Home “Sweet” Home
Image via The House that Lars Built
Looking for a way to dress up a boring jute rug? A circular mat cut in half and spray painted gets you two DIYs for the price of one. Coming in at a mere twenty or so dollars, this is one craft project you can definitely afford. With looks this sweet and this simple, it can be summer all year long! Just be prepared: this project may cause you to work up an appetite!
Upscale Rustic
Nothing says “welcome home” like a rugged wooden mat with bright, colorful accents. This piece, built from inexpensive 2x2’s and held together with cheerful sisal rope, makes for a fun afternoon project working with the power tools. The finished product looks professional enough to fool even the most discerning eye!
Braided Rope Rug
Image via Martha Stewart
Leave it to Martha Stewart to design a welcome mat that’s both elegant and simple. This braided specimen looks a lot fancier than it is. Made from the same woven nylon rope for sale at any hardware store, it’ll class up your interiors while using affordable, unexpected materials.
Homemade Wood Slice Mat
With summer nearly over and fall on its way, the change in the seasons has got us looking forward to all things cozy. This boot tray, fashioned from leftover scrap logs sliced into pieces, is the perfect way to prepare while you wait for the days of wood fires and flannel blankets to return. Coming in from the cold has never looked so good!
Garden Hose Redux
Image via Mark Kintzel
Having a mud porch takes some of the effort out of cleaning the floors—but your home’s back door entryway may not be the best place for a fancy homemade rug. This clever little project takes a leaky garden hose and transforms it into a lovely doormat that’s as fanciful as it is functional. The best part is it’s definitely waterproof!
There you have it: a DIY welcome mat, no matter where your tastes lie. With so many adorable ways to say “welcome home,” you’ll wish your house had more doors to decorate!
Coiled Rope Rug
A design-forward take on the traditional braided rope rug, this little homemade number is a well-rounded way to add some whimsy to your front door decor. Made with craft store classics like jute rope and a glue gun, this item brings home the chic, boutique-worthy ambience without tying your wallet in knots.
About the Writer
Erin Vaughan is a blogger, gardener, and aspiring homeowner. She currently resides in Austin, TX where she writes full time for Modernize, with the goal of empowering homeowners with the expert guidance and educational tools they need to take on big home projects with confidence.
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![Angela Sabrowsky]()
Angela Sabrowsky was the content manager for DoItYourself for over 5 years. Growing up with a DIY dad and grandpa who can build houses from the ground up, she’s still trying to shake off the sawdust. She got her start in the publication industry working on her high school newspaper in Redondo Beach, California, where she spent deadline nights designing page layouts and editing news stories. Following that initial exposure into journalism, she became the managing editor at her award-winning community college newspaper. It was there she met her husband, who beat her in a popularity contest to become editor-in-chief (she may still be bitter about that). Based in Los Angeles, Angela enjoys spending time on the West Coast with her family, whether it’s camping in the Sierra Nevada Mountains or crabbing in Washington’s Puget Sound on the 4th of July (an annual tradition for the past 20 years). She also loves vintage furniture and is always scouring estate sales for her next great find. Her favorite DIY project is a raised planter bed she built with her dad in the backyard for a small vegetable garden. She can’t wait to start growing my own tomatoes and watermelon in the summer!![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
