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Wooden Welcome Mat

A better title for this post would be “Pinterest Challenge: Part II”, since Pinterest Challenge Part I was a big ‘ol flop.  To jog your memory, here is the rubber mat I painted and ended up hating…

ombre welcome mat

and here is the mat (from marthastewart.com) that I should have made…

martha stewart entryway mat

Now if there is one thing I am good at, it’s perseverance. I keep at my projects until they look the way I want them to (like my white bed, hexagon table and penny countertop…though I did give up on my slipcovers…). Anyway, the day after I posted my ombre mat I was already buying supplies to replace it. Perseverance is a blessing and a curse, lol.

Martha’s website recommends using cedar or mahogany 2 X 2’s. At Lowes the cedar ones were $2.75 for four feet (two planks) and some quick math showed that it was going to cost  more than I wanted to spend. Then I spotted some pine ones that were less than $1.50 for eight feet (four planks). Much better. My husband warned me that pine would warp and wasn’t the best choice for outdoor projects…but for half price I decided to throw caution to the wind and try anyway.

This project was really easy and my boys were all over it. Here they are trying to decide if I had bought the right amount of wood (I hadn’t).

wooden welcome mat preparation

I didn’t start the project for a few days after Adam cut everything down, but that doesn’t mean Elijah forgot about it…

Little Helping Hands

And when I finally got around to working on it Elijah was right there with me.  I drilled holes in all the planks and he diligently measured my feet.

Wooden welcome mat process

I can’t believe I just posted a picture of my foot on the internet…they are my least favorite feature. Somehow I was blessed with super flat “flipper-esque” size tens to go with my 5’3″ body. My old nail polish doesn’t help things either, but it is what it is.

Moving on.

FYI for all you wooden mat makers…your holes may not be even. I measured and marked all mine at three inches in….the drill went in where it was supposed to, but where it came out on the other end was a surprise every time. Whatever, it’s fine…rope is flexible!

holes drilled into wooden door mat

I gave them a coat of stain (English Chestnut by Minwax) and polyurethane. I polyed them pretty heavily in hopes that it would help them not to warp. I have no idea if the two are related, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. 

stained and polyed door mat

Then I just laced them together with the rope, tying a knot between each plank.  And yes, your fingers will hurt when you are done.

rustic door mat

I kept knotting away, and the longer mat become the more I couldn’t get Dances With Wolves out of my head. “Good trade” …I think I feel a movie night coming on.

door mat or indian chestplate

And here is my wooden welcome mat (aka giant indian chestpiece). It fit’s in sooo much better than the blue ombre one.

perfect entryway mat

But wait, there’s more…I made two! When you have two front doors hanging out awkwardly on your porch you have to make two mats. Also, when you are scooping things out of the way for pictures, its good to remember that the glass on your front doors will give you away, haha.

DIY front door mat

The second one is smaller than the first, we want to make sure the real front door gets all the glory. (If you’re wondering where the heck this mysterious second door leads, it goes into our laundry room.)

outdoor floor mat

wooden welcome mat

dirt stopping wooden doormat

And there you have it! I love them and will not be making a third mat :) If they start to warp I’ll update the post so that future tutorial followers will know not to use pine. (UPDATE  7/2013 – they are holding up perfectly!)

DIY wood and rope doormat

Design

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115 Comments

  1. I love these! Nicely done. Pine may not be the best option but it looks like they in a covered area so that will probably help keep them looking better longer. Great job.

  2. Those are really nice! You did an awesome job, ably assisted by the world’s busiest little helper. Omg, he’s so cute! :) I like these better than the ombre mat as well. They are very striking and have that natural vibe that looks so good with the plants and colours.

    I am trying to figure out how to show you photos of the stenciled dresser and I’ll let you know once I figure that out.

    Cheers!

  3. Cedar is another wood that is not expensive and will take the weather. I have seen one of these made for a bath mat. It was used in an old bathroom that had some uneven ugly floors. It turned out super cute.
    Yours looks great. One idea too, if you want that 2nd door to ‘go away’ and blend into the wall. Paint it like the rest of the house. The windows. Not the front door. Then remove the mat. Put a plant in front of the door and it will come to look like a window. (I have one of those 2nd doors on my front porch too) Now no one will confuse what door to use.

  4. Those are the best mats I’ve seen yet! Isn’t Pinterest addicting! Looks even better than Martha’s! I need your motivation to start a project that involves some type of wood! I hate to sand wood, it’s like fingernails on chalkboard to me! Hopefully I can talk my husband into starting my end tables so that I can do some stenciling! Great work!!! Your boys are adorable!

  5. I gotta say, I was a little skeptical based on the Martha picture, but yours turned out gorgeous! They look so great , I hope the pine holds up well, it would be a shame if they warped.

  6. I definitely like this wooden mat a lot more than the other one. It would fit in so nicely with our own condo front door! I just need to get a drill…. Thanks for sharing!

  7. I love them! I will definitely be making a couple for our house. And just to let you know, I have flat, size 10 feet also. ;) Lol

  8. It is a great idea to make a wooden mat like this and very impressive. By the way I love seeing your kids helping you to make this wooden mat and they enjoyed a lot.

  9. Hello there! I’m a new follower! Found you from Vanessa blog, Love Live DIY – love the post about how you paid off your home. Congrats! :) We just bought a home and I hope we can also knock our mortgage out sooner! OH – and I LOVE this mat. Adorable! If you want to make a third one, my new house will need one :) jk

    Brie @ Breezy Pink Daisies

      1. Lol! I knew what you meant! I remember things while in the shower too…it’s the only time it’s quiet and I have time to think.

  10. This post gave me a good yuck!! Love your sense of humor and the mats look great. Your little guys are adorable! Something about boys…they love to “help” with everything :)

  11. It looks like the ombre mat was a faster project but your wooden mat has a much more sophisticated look. LOVE IT!

  12. I think those are wonerful. I would love to make some for my entrance from the garage to the house. It might be a good idea in the shower area.

  13. Love the second attempt mat. It seems like all of my DIY tries always end up in disaster the first time around. I love the wooden mat, though. I might have to try one for our back deck. Thanks for the inspiration!

  14. The mat is awesome! More importantly! I’m 5′ 4″, and I wear a size 9!!! I feel your pain. I call them ski feet. What’s worse, when I find really cute shoes, inevitably when I get to them in my size, they are big, awkward, and ugly!

  15. love this project! will be hitting lowes in the Am for supplies. Also love the feet I also sport lovely size 10 super flat paddles. Luckily I’m a statuesque 5’4″ so i can carry them off :)

  16. I love the matts, I think they are both perfect & I’m for sure going to make one for my size 10 Clod Hoppers. Course hubby wont be happy since he don’t trust me with a drill he’ll be the one drilling. Thanks for the great idea!

  17. {giggle} Showing your feet means we know “you” did it! Beautiful job, Ashley! I love the color and you sure made it look easy! Love them!

  18. Wow, this looks great! I’m glad that you mentioned that the holes you drilled came out all uneven. That was one of my first thoughts about **why I could never do this**. After seeing this, I might just give it a go!

  19. This has been on my list for well over a year, and just re-entered because of your beautiful success!! I love them, and they look more durable than the mats we currently use. Plus my german shepherd’s hair won’t stick like glue…

  20. I love the door mats! Have you ever thought of putting some kind of clever sign over the laundry room door? Maybe a chalkboard sign hung by rope and you can make it say “Mud Room” on uninspired days, or put a quote on inspired days, or holiday greetings when appropriate?

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  22. I really love your 2×2 mats! They caught my eye in my Pinterest travels. We are in the middle of moving into a new-to-us (rental) home, and I’d really love to give these a go. We have 4 (not a typo!) exterior doors in one area, and I’m thinking this is the answer. Now, about tying all those knots! ;-) Thanks so much for sharing.

    1. I love my mats and they have held up awesome! They only thing is that the rope has stretched and I need to redo it. I’m thinking that this time, instead if tying knots I’m going to put metal nuts between the slats. That way I can just tighten he ends when needed instead of redoing the whole thing. Plus I think it would look cool :)

  23. OK…. that blue thing that ‘you should’ve made’…….. NO WAY!!!!!!
    You did beyond waaaay better with the wood.
    I just love them and now have a bug-up-lower-rump to do the same!!!!!
    …..exactly as you did —- stain color and all!!!!!
    Excellent outcome missy!!!!
    Thanks for the fyi/instructional (found you via google images)
    Can’t thank you enough….. and ps: wear that old polish proudly just like the rest of most of us ;)

  24. Lovely idea! There is no end to what you can do with wood – That’s why I love it and always consider wood first when looking for material to fabricate something.

  25. I’m not really into woodworks and I only read your post for research purposes but I must say I love your sense of humor and writing style!

  26. Fantastic work Ashley. Your project feels perfect for summer and those progress shots are beyond cute. Never done wooden doormats before but your beautiful result got me eager to try it myself!

  27. I like your work and article you written was really awesome. I didn’t do any kind of work like you. But after reading your article now i would like do something like you. Thank You

  28. The product where you have to buy because you can place it in front of your home where the dirt-there will be less dirt also it plays as doormat in the entrance of your door. The product is designed is made of wood where it has to make drill using the driller then joint those wooden bars in a vertical position then make all those things arranged. Quite an innovative product where you can place at the entrance of a your home looks quity catchy to the eyes.

  29. I like your wooden door mat! Does it roll up for easy storage if I were to use it when camping?

  30. Hello ASHLEY!
    Wonderful and I must say it was the creative design.
    Can you please tell me what types of saws are used to make those wood in a good shape?
    TIA

    keep helping people
    Regards
    James V. Jordan

  31. This looks really nice and easy to clean off! I’m imagining me trying to get my knots all snug and wondering if wooden beads in between the wood might work and be easier.. I’m going to see if it will! Love your door mat!!

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