DIY Painted Chevron Border Rug

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape. All opinions are 100% mine.

The mini makeover on my pack patio took another step forward this week.  I painted a rug. Yes, I painted a rug. With the help of FrogTape® Shape Tape™ I took a plain ol' gray rug and added a little interest.

This project has been on my to do list for months. I wanted an outdoor rug for the sitting area in front of our patio fireplace. I didn't want to spend much money on a rug that would get rained on and be subject to hours of direct sunlight.   I spent less than $18 on this 8x10' indoor/outdoor rug.  To 'fancy' it up I added a white chevron border to the edges.


I can tell you that from the time I unrolled the rug to the time it was on the patio, it was about 30 minutes! Seriously.

The secrets in the shape tape.  The chevron FrogTape® Shape Tape™ took all the work out of this project.  This stuff is seriously awesome. I had heard great things about how it produces crisp lines with no paint bleed, but had never used it myself.  I had no doubt it would work awesome on a flat hard surface like a wall...but what about a rug. Yikes, I was sure this would be a challenge.

Honestly, it was far easier than I thought. I simply laid my first strip of tape down peeling half the backing off at a time and measuring 2 inches up from the bottom all the way across so my tape would be straight.  The tape is designed with a slit liner on the back of the tape for easy application – just remove one half of the liner, position the tape and remove the other half.

I added a second piece about an inch above that.  Once both pieces of FrogTape® Shape Tape™were in position, I went back and pressed them down really firmly with my hand.  The problem was trying to get a tight seal on a rug with fibers that weren't cooperating.  I was sure paint would bleed under.

After taping off both ends of the rug, I used a sponge brush to blot on the white latex paint all the way across.  I paid special attention to the edges of the FrogTape® Shape Tape™ which are treated with special PaintBlock technology.  It's a super absorbent polymer that reacts with the water in latex paint and instantly gels to form a micro-barrier that seals the edges of the tape, which helps prevent paint bleed.

As soon as I was done painting, I peeled up the tape.

Wow! I literally was stunned that no paint bled through under the FrogTape® Shape Tape™...not that I doubted the tape, but the rug didn't exactly hug the tape tightly. Not only did the paint not bleed, but the lines are so crisp and sharp.

And because I'm super impatient like that I moved the rug right into place to let the paint dry on the patio.  I think it adds a nice touch to the sitting area and definitely pulls the area together nicely.

Now I'm thinking the two short sides were so easy to paint, thanks to the FrogTape® Shape Tape™, I may go back and add the chevron border all the way around. What do you think?

Don't have an outdoor rug to paint? No worries!  FrogTape® (the makers of Shape Tape™ ) is on Twitter and Pinterest and they offer tons of creative inspiration on your favorite social media network so be sure to follow them.  Plus, shape tape comes in not only chevron, but also wave and scallop designs so the painting possibilities are really endless. What will you paint with FrogTape® Shape Tape™? A wall? A piece of furniture? A rug? I sign?