I am currently obsessed with Turkish kilim rugs. If you have ever checked them out, you know they can be super expensive, and they come in nontraditional sizes. I really wanted a small rug for my entry, but they don’t usually come as small as 2 x 3. I decided to create a painted rug to look similar to a kilim rug!

I bought an inexpensive cotton rug and then headed to The Home Depot to get the supplies for my DIY painted rug.

DIY Kilim-Style Painted Rug

Supplies

• Cotton rug (2-ft. x 3-ft.)
• Paint Samples (I bought 7 colors in sample cans since I wouldn’t need a ton of paint in each color and because they are such a good price.)
• Foam Brushes (and a smaller artist brush)
• Painter’s tape
• Sandpaper (optional)
• Plastic tarp
• Bounty paper towels
• Sharpie pen
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Pencil

Step 1

I started out by finding the center of my rug, then marking it, using both a ruler and a sharpie.

Step 2

While looking at my inspiration photo, I used painter’s tape to create the first part of the design. While some of it will have to be eyeballed–the angles, for example–I made all of the lines that made points the same length (2.5 inches).

Step 3

I used a foam brush to apply the paint.

If your paint is on the thick side add some water to thin it a bit. You want it to absorb into the cotton rug and not just sit on top.

Step 4

I then taped the next part of the design using the same measurement for the points.

Step 5

I used a foam brush again to paint most of this section, but I used a smaller brush along the edge.

Step 6

Because I wanted the next part of the design to be white and the rug is already white, I had to tape it in reverse.

It took me a second to change the way I thought about applying the tape in the opposite way. The tape was covering the inside of the design instead of the outside. It’s just crucial that Make sure your points are lined up.

Step 7

Then I painted the next area navy. I didn’t want to have to wait for that section to dry before starting on the strips, so I started on the ends and worked my way toward the center. Note: Keep paper towels on hand for when you make a mess. I spilled hot pink paint all over the floor and got paint on my hands more than once!

I used a small paint brush for the smaller stripes and to get crisp lines where the two colors meet.

It got be a bit tedious but I kept chanting “You are saving so much money and getting exactly what you want!” I should have put a movie on while I worked. But the whole rug only took me one day to complete.

I bought sandpaper thinking I would sand it a bit to make it look aged just like the vintage Turkish rugs do, but then I realized I live with five guys and they will take care of the “aging” process. But it is an option if you want to go that route.

I am happy with how it turned out! I gave some much needed color to my small entry.