Can I paint this rug?
June 13, 2013 9:30 AM Subscribe
I want to paint some designs on this hideous rug that I bought by mistake.
Actually the rug is not gray, as it looks in the photo: it is a bleccchy nondescript green. It looked like a real green in the carpet store. I was very wrong to buy it. It is pure wool, though, and of pretty decent quality. It's just the color that's awful.
I've been reading about how you can paint a rug with fabric paint or even acrylic paint, but I'm scared to do it. For one thing, the rug is nubby, not flat, and I'm afraid the paint will blob over to sections I don't want painted. For another thing, the stuff I've read says use that blue painter's tape to mask what you don't want painted, but that tape doesn't really stick that well and, again, I'm afraid the paint will seep over. For another, I'm afraid the texture of the painted portions will look completely different from the non-painted portions. (I could paint the whole rug).
I was thinking of painting some stripes in various shades of green and orange and maybe cranberry.
Should I use duct tape instead of painter's tape? Is there any particular type of paint that would work best? OR...
Should I just not do this? I know I said I hate the rug and so the obvious answer is, "Paint it and see how it comes out. Since you said you hate is, what's there to lose?" Well for "other reasons" it's probably not a good idea for me to wreck the rug. It's not THAT bad and it does its job (under my dining room table). I guess.
Actually the rug is not gray, as it looks in the photo: it is a bleccchy nondescript green. It looked like a real green in the carpet store. I was very wrong to buy it. It is pure wool, though, and of pretty decent quality. It's just the color that's awful.
I've been reading about how you can paint a rug with fabric paint or even acrylic paint, but I'm scared to do it. For one thing, the rug is nubby, not flat, and I'm afraid the paint will blob over to sections I don't want painted. For another thing, the stuff I've read says use that blue painter's tape to mask what you don't want painted, but that tape doesn't really stick that well and, again, I'm afraid the paint will seep over. For another, I'm afraid the texture of the painted portions will look completely different from the non-painted portions. (I could paint the whole rug).
I was thinking of painting some stripes in various shades of green and orange and maybe cranberry.
Should I use duct tape instead of painter's tape? Is there any particular type of paint that would work best? OR...
Should I just not do this? I know I said I hate the rug and so the obvious answer is, "Paint it and see how it comes out. Since you said you hate is, what's there to lose?" Well for "other reasons" it's probably not a good idea for me to wreck the rug. It's not THAT bad and it does its job (under my dining room table). I guess.
Have you thought about dyeing it?
I don't know how big it is, but you might get away with doing it in the bathtub.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't know how big it is, but you might get away with doing it in the bathtub.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I've painted fabric, paint (acrylic and fabric) has made the texture and feel different, like...well, like it's been painted. Fabric markers have actually been a lot better, you can get them in art stores in different colours. I have no idea how they would hold up to being walked on on all the time, but I have a few garments that have been through regular wash for years and still have their marker designs strong.
posted by robot-hugs at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by robot-hugs at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you don't want to wreck the rug then no, you should not paint it and should not do this. Dying is your only real option, and if it is 100% wool, should work.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 9:41 AM on June 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
What kind of dimensions are we talking here? Approximately dining room table sized, I assume?
If I were really motivated to change its color, I'd attempt to dye it with Rit in the bathtub. Pick a color (in the same family, so maybe to a punchier green closer to what you thought it was in the store?) and just let it sit for a while. Then let it sit in clean water to rinse it out. Then lay it out somewhere outside where it can dry in the sun.
Even if you could paint it perfectly, it won't be much fun to walk on. I think with the nubby texture like that it would be too thick, not sink in, and form an unpleasant coating over the top.
posted by phunniemee at 9:42 AM on June 13, 2013
If I were really motivated to change its color, I'd attempt to dye it with Rit in the bathtub. Pick a color (in the same family, so maybe to a punchier green closer to what you thought it was in the store?) and just let it sit for a while. Then let it sit in clean water to rinse it out. Then lay it out somewhere outside where it can dry in the sun.
Even if you could paint it perfectly, it won't be much fun to walk on. I think with the nubby texture like that it would be too thick, not sink in, and form an unpleasant coating over the top.
posted by phunniemee at 9:42 AM on June 13, 2013
You could maybe go back to the place where you bought it and ask for a remnant in the same nubbiness, all wool (they might charge you ?). Then at least you can experiment with paint, see what you've got to work with.
On the other hand, just what Craigslist is for, right?
posted by thinkpiece at 9:49 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, just what Craigslist is for, right?
posted by thinkpiece at 9:49 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you have any concerns about "ruining" the rug, don't do this.
My vote is to return the rug.
posted by Sara C. at 9:51 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
My vote is to return the rug.
posted by Sara C. at 9:51 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Do not paint it -- it'll change the texture of the rug, will look bad, and may eventually flake off. If anything, try dyeing it. Not with an all-purpose dye like Rit, but with an acid dye meant specifically for wool. You need heat, so if you cannot immerse the rug, the best option would probably be to heat the dye solution, sponge it on liberally, and use a handheld steamer to set. Further information and links are at this amazing dyeing website.
posted by payoto at 9:55 AM on June 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by payoto at 9:55 AM on June 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
Every DIY is a bit of a risk. But it's also a lot of fun.
If you can not return it or sell it as is, I would totally give it a try because it is better than thinking "what an ugly rug" every time you see it. You could try painting just a little bit (maybe on the underside if there is no plastic/rubber?) to check if this is what you want.
The inet is full of painted rugs, so check out some tutorials.
Yes, you can use painters tape, all kinds of paint (like latex paint, which dries differently than acrylic paint).
Look here is a tutorial, this lady did it a couple years ago. You could contact her or some other person who blogged about it and ask them how their rugs are doing 2+ years in.
posted by travelwithcats at 10:05 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you can not return it or sell it as is, I would totally give it a try because it is better than thinking "what an ugly rug" every time you see it. You could try painting just a little bit (maybe on the underside if there is no plastic/rubber?) to check if this is what you want.
The inet is full of painted rugs, so check out some tutorials.
Yes, you can use painters tape, all kinds of paint (like latex paint, which dries differently than acrylic paint).
Look here is a tutorial, this lady did it a couple years ago. You could contact her or some other person who blogged about it and ask them how their rugs are doing 2+ years in.
posted by travelwithcats at 10:05 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah, don't try paint: way more likely than not, it'll get clumpy. If returning it isn't an option, that leaves dying it..... I'm kinda leery of making this a home-dye job, so maybe look for a company that will pick up your rug to clean it at their facility (not the kind of company that brings the wetvac thingie to your house), and see if they can do the dying.
posted by easily confused at 10:08 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by easily confused at 10:08 AM on June 13, 2013
If you do try this, definitely don't plan on any design that involves straight lines; you won't get them. Use the nubbly blobby texture to your advantage by doing a nubbly blobby design.
posted by ook at 10:09 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by ook at 10:09 AM on June 13, 2013
Options in order of preference:
1- Return it
2- Change the lighting in the room to recapture what you saw in the store
3 - Hire a rug restoration company to overdye it
4 - Donate it and take the tax write off
5 - Sell it on Craigslist
But really, don't paint it. How many painted rugs have you walked on in your entire life? Not very many because it's an exceptionally bad idea. Consider that under a table the rug is going to take the abuse of chairs dragging over it. That's going to destroy that paint in no time.
If the rug is worthless to you, then donate it or sell it since it's of good quality.
posted by 26.2 at 10:24 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
1- Return it
2- Change the lighting in the room to recapture what you saw in the store
3 - Hire a rug restoration company to overdye it
4 - Donate it and take the tax write off
5 - Sell it on Craigslist
But really, don't paint it. How many painted rugs have you walked on in your entire life? Not very many because it's an exceptionally bad idea. Consider that under a table the rug is going to take the abuse of chairs dragging over it. That's going to destroy that paint in no time.
If the rug is worthless to you, then donate it or sell it since it's of good quality.
posted by 26.2 at 10:24 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
what's the underside like? Has it got any sort of fiber or rubber on the underside? If so, don't mess with it, don't try to dye it... it's going to be a mess.
Honestly it sounds like it's going to be a mess anyway. Where would you dye it? Your bathtub is probably not big enough, and you don't want dye in your washing machine... and in any case I'd be surprised if you were able to get the dye rinsed out thoroughly enough to remove the risk of staining your floor or tile grout.
Just return it or get used to it, I think. I think dyeing it will be throwing good money after bad.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:28 AM on June 13, 2013
Honestly it sounds like it's going to be a mess anyway. Where would you dye it? Your bathtub is probably not big enough, and you don't want dye in your washing machine... and in any case I'd be surprised if you were able to get the dye rinsed out thoroughly enough to remove the risk of staining your floor or tile grout.
Just return it or get used to it, I think. I think dyeing it will be throwing good money after bad.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:28 AM on June 13, 2013
With dyeing it I'd worry about the dye rubbing off on people's feet/shoes (and the on other pale things in your house). That might not happen or might be preventable, but it's something major to keep an eye out for.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:43 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:43 AM on June 13, 2013
Best answer: Ooh, wait, I was at someone's house recently and they had vintage, worn, threadbare-ish Indian and Persian rugs that they bought periodically on ebay placed on top of a plain, neutral-ish rug like yours. What about that? If the vintage rugs are nice and thin, might be cool!
posted by thinkpiece at 11:08 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by thinkpiece at 11:08 AM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Just about the only kind of painted "rug" out there is old-fashioned (1700's England to American colonial) floor-cloths, which you can make using regular latex wall paint, or acrylic art/craft paint, usually based on cotton canvas. The craft relies on the paint soaking into the cloth enough to keep the color from flaking off, and there's usually a sealant over the top. The cloth is then stiff, barely rollable/foldable, and has a tendency to crack, but that's part of the joy of folk-art, you just enjoy the "texture".
Painting with that kind of paint on a berber-type carpet would mean saturating the little loops of yarn with paint. Instead of being individual loops that crush down when they're stepped on, the paint would glue neighboring loops together in clumps, and would make each loop less flexible, so would be rather uncomfortable under the feet (like a pea-gravel pavement). Of course, just standing on the stiff yarns would be breaking the clumps of paint into smaller flecks, which are then likely to flake off. It just sounds like a bad idea all around.
Maybe a different type of paint would work if there's a pattern you want - a dye, or upholstery paint? (have you seen this discussion?)
About painting crisp lines - instead of just laying painters tape on top, try folding the carpet back to open up a line in between the individual carpet tufts, and tucking hte edge of the tape into that gap. Labor-intensive and annoying, but perhaps worth experimenting with.
posted by aimedwander at 11:20 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Painting with that kind of paint on a berber-type carpet would mean saturating the little loops of yarn with paint. Instead of being individual loops that crush down when they're stepped on, the paint would glue neighboring loops together in clumps, and would make each loop less flexible, so would be rather uncomfortable under the feet (like a pea-gravel pavement). Of course, just standing on the stiff yarns would be breaking the clumps of paint into smaller flecks, which are then likely to flake off. It just sounds like a bad idea all around.
Maybe a different type of paint would work if there's a pattern you want - a dye, or upholstery paint? (have you seen this discussion?)
About painting crisp lines - instead of just laying painters tape on top, try folding the carpet back to open up a line in between the individual carpet tufts, and tucking hte edge of the tape into that gap. Labor-intensive and annoying, but perhaps worth experimenting with.
posted by aimedwander at 11:20 AM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, what does the reverse side look like? if there's no special backing, just the bare reverse-side of the tufts, that texture is more like the tight-weave non-tufted carpet that would be easier to paint. Can you flip the rug over?
posted by aimedwander at 11:21 AM on June 13, 2013
posted by aimedwander at 11:21 AM on June 13, 2013
Response by poster: I bought the rug at least five years ago, so no returns. For some reason (probably because the rest of the living/dining area is looking very put-together now) it's just now driving me crazy. The size is 8-feet by 11- feet with a very strong backing, so it sounds as if painting is a terrible idea. I will now be emboldened to go to the other options.
Thanks!
posted by DMelanogaster at 12:05 PM on June 13, 2013
Thanks!
posted by DMelanogaster at 12:05 PM on June 13, 2013
This situation is tailor made for Craigslist. Sell the rug you don't like and find a new one you do like.
posted by Sublimity at 1:03 PM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Sublimity at 1:03 PM on June 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
The colour of your walls as well as the lighting in the room can impact the way the colour of the rug looks. Perhap experiment (as said above) with the lights in the room and/or your wall paint.
posted by Lescha at 2:46 PM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Lescha at 2:46 PM on June 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I dyed a couple of wool rugs in a friend's driveway. Both were wool and had been washed. 1 was a Chinese oriental that didn't take color evenly, and kind of fell apart(they were both scavenged, so not a dire loss). The other was mustard gold with an oriental pattern - I used navy blue dye, and it turned a pretty teal and is in my living room. We put down some 2 x 4s as a framework, then put down a large tarp, with the 2 x 4s making a lip. Rug was dampened and allowed to drain so as not to be too wet, then put in the tarp/ bath area and we added buckets of warm water with the dye in it, let it sit for an hour or so, then drained and rinsed. Her driveway has a sloped area, so the rug could drain for a couple hours, then it was draped over sawhorses in the sun.
I've washed rugs outside a number of times. Wool will mildew. It has to be warm, dry and sunny for several days, and there has to be some ventilation under it. A wet wool rug weighs quite a bit. If you have some ladders, they're good for drying rugs on.
posted by theora55 at 7:04 PM on June 13, 2013
I've washed rugs outside a number of times. Wool will mildew. It has to be warm, dry and sunny for several days, and there has to be some ventilation under it. A wet wool rug weighs quite a bit. If you have some ladders, they're good for drying rugs on.
posted by theora55 at 7:04 PM on June 13, 2013
Response by poster: The dying situation sounds MUCH MUCH more complicated than I'm interested in. I really wanted to know if I could go ahead and spray-paint some stripes on the rug. The message I'm getting loud and clear is: Don't.
So I will forge ahead with Other Plans.
Thanks.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:44 AM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
So I will forge ahead with Other Plans.
Thanks.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:44 AM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you reeeeally hate the rug, I'm going to suggest spray fabric paint. The finish is not nearly as hard as with regular fabric paint, as it seeps in and is translucent, more like dye. You could do the whole thing, but it would take a lot of cans, so maybe use stencils. The blue tape for "hard to stick surfaces" works pretty well, as long as you aim well.
Some reviews and projects: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
posted by houseofdanie at 7:32 AM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Some reviews and projects: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
posted by houseofdanie at 7:32 AM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Hm...Simply Spray sounds interesting! the project of the rug, though, says only flat weave, no Berbers. So this is limiting and scary.
I have another thought: embroider the rug with yarn! I actually was easily able to pass a large embroidery/needlepoint needle through the rug+backing, much to my surprise. This would be a long project, but maybe just some little doodles in oranges and better greens and cranberry would help this rug.
As for Craig's List, it would take me the rest of my life to find what I want on there.
(On the other hand, ABC Carpet has about 1000 rugs I want - for 1000's of dollars each.)
Another thing I might do is use Simply Spray to start up a new project, using the rug PAD instead of the rug - to experiment with the medium.
Lots of ideas here, thanks.
posted by DMelanogaster at 1:29 PM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have another thought: embroider the rug with yarn! I actually was easily able to pass a large embroidery/needlepoint needle through the rug+backing, much to my surprise. This would be a long project, but maybe just some little doodles in oranges and better greens and cranberry would help this rug.
As for Craig's List, it would take me the rest of my life to find what I want on there.
(On the other hand, ABC Carpet has about 1000 rugs I want - for 1000's of dollars each.)
Another thing I might do is use Simply Spray to start up a new project, using the rug PAD instead of the rug - to experiment with the medium.
Lots of ideas here, thanks.
posted by DMelanogaster at 1:29 PM on June 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:37 AM on June 13, 2013 [9 favorites]