Rust-Oleum sprayed carpet
I found cheapie rugs at my local Builders Warehouse. The rug is 1.33 x 1.83m cost R240 and will be perfect for warming up the family room in winter. It's plain, but a couple of cans of Rust-Oleum 2X spray paint add decorative detail and colour.
I recently shared a project that showed how to paint a rug using acrylic PVA, but for this plain, inexpensive rug I used Rust-Oleum 2X satin spray paint in Espresso and Lagoon. I prefer to use Rust-Oleum spray paint for painting rugs because there are so many readily available colour options that can be found at your local Builders Warehouse.
All you really need for this project is a low-pile rug, wide masking tape, and a can or two of Rust-Oleum 2X satin spray paint. It must be satin, as gloss will leave a sticky finish. The satin spray paint will be stiff at the beginning, but you can brush with a nail brush or a suede brush and the pile will soften up.
It is essential to apply a thick border of tape around areas being sprayed, and also to make sure that the edges are pressed firmly into the surface of the rug. The masking tape available locally doesn't stick down well or for long, and this is another reason why I like to use spray paint. You can easily and quickly mask off and area and spray paint before the paint starts to lift up.
Use the masking tape to section off areas not to be sprayed. Use the widest tape you can and lay down four rows of overlapping tape around the area to be sprayed.
I sprayed espresso around the outer edge of the rug, pointing the can away from the main area. Allow about 10 to 15 minutes for the paint to dry before carefully peeling off the tape.
If you have some offcuts of timber or board, you can use this to protect the inside areas from accidental overspray, over and above using the masking tape.
The rug will be used in my family room and I already have teal / turquoise in this room, so I thought it would be nice to incorporate some of this colour into the rug. I did this by adding a couple of squares using Rust-Oleum 2X satin in lagoon.
Another way to prevent overspray is to cover up areas inside the rug. You can use newspaper, plastic, or anything else that will protect from overspray. Rust-Oleum spray paint is an excellent product and offers high coverage with just a single coat, making it cost effective for projects like this.
