Thrifty Little Mom

Thrifty parties, celebrations and gatherings!

Renewing & Restyling Worn Memory Foam Kitchen Mats

By

This post contains affiliate links. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a commission! Thanks! Read my full disclosure policy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Renew and Restyle your Memory Foam Kitchen Mat
Guest blogger Rhonda writes:
This post is perfect for the winter months when you are stuck in the house, yet you need a ‘pick me up’ or just a little updating especially in the one room of the house that gets used the most: the kitchen. I had a few memory foam rugs in my kitchen that had ‘seen better days’, but were still so comfy that I didn’t want to throw them out.
Pre-Rug Makeover Picture
Sooooo…in true ‘thrifty little mom fashion’, I decided to paint them in the ever popular pattern du jour: chevron.
Supplies:
  • High gloss brown paint.
  • Contrasting light color paint that matches your kitchen.
  • Clear, high gloss polyurethane
  • Mini Paint Roller & Brush
  • Paint Brush
  • Painters Tape
  • Chalk or removable marking pencil
I began by assembling all of the tools I would need like the paint, painters tape, roller brush, etc.
Kitchen Mat Renew Supplies
Quick Tip: A handy tip that I picked up somewhere, year’s ago is to cut a plastic cup and insert the top portion to use as a pouring spout eliminating the messy can.
Plastic Cup Paint Pourer
Instructions:
Step 1: Because the wear and tear on the ‘right’ side was too worn & torn, I turned the rugs over and painted the underside in a high gloss brown paint.
Step 2: Once the rugs are dry, use chalk to make a grid and then place the painter’s tape to finish the pattern.
  • I initially tried to paint the chevrons free handed, but my perfectionist side would not allow it!  Instead, I searched Youtube and found an easy tutorial from the blog Mommy is Coo Coo (there were many instructions, but the name of this site sold me)
Grid Pattern for Chevron Stripe Kitchen Mat
Step 3: Paint a high gloss contrasting paint (light blue for me) between the chevrons. Let it dry and then remove the tape.
Paint inside chevron lines on kitchen mat
Step 4: Paint two coats of a clear, high gloss polyurethane letting the rugs dry completely between coats in order to protect them.
Finished kitchen mat renew
How Does The Painted Rug Hold Up? 
 I painted the rugs over 8 months ago and I just took the ‘after’ picture in the blog post (above) the night before it was published.  So the ‘after’ picture is the rug at 8 months, not freshly painted. There are some small fissures (not really cracks) from high heel shoes, but other than that they’ve held up great! The little fissures can only be seen when I’m at eye level washing them. That’s another bonus; they wash really well!
I have really enjoyed my ‘new’ rugs and the fact that I’ve not seen anything like them in the stores makes me very proud to answer questions like, “Where’d you get these rugs?” from teenage girls as well as from fellow moms. Let me know if you have any tips, tricks or  ideas or suggestions for updating mats like these in the comments section below!

Comments

  1. Did you use a latex base or oil based paint? Did you do anything to texturizing the surface of the mat or in between coats? I have three mats very similar to yours that I would like to save from the trash!

  2. Did you need a lot of paint? Also, what kind of paint did you use?

    Thanks for any reply. I just got some foam rugs for my kitchen that I plan on painting and will be following your tutorial! 🙂

    • I bought 30oz cans and used about half to paint 2 rugs in my kitchen. I used a roller. If you used a brush, you probably would use even less.

    • The coats of polyurethane helps to make clean up easy. Literally I just wipe them clean with a wet rag. Great question!

      Rhonda

  4. I’m so going to get an ugly mat and make it awesome. I really love the cup idea. Painted my bathroom trim last week and it was all over the can. Guess I should have read this first. 🙂

    • Awesome Charity! Rhonda did a great job with a super worn out mat. I’m about to do mine too so I’ll have to add pictures when I’m done. Pretty excited!

  5. Great idea! I am redecorating my daughter’s bathroom and have a memory foam bath mat that just won’t work as it. Do you think there is any way to redo this rug like you have, keeping in mind it will be used by wet feet getting out of the shower. Haha. Thank you!

    • Wendy, it depends on what kind of memory foam it is. The mat pictured is almost like a cushy rubber material. I have memory foam bath mats in my bathrooms that are plush microfiber. If you have plush microfiber your outcome won’t be the same as the one pictured. The one in the picture is made for kitchens or people who stand in one spot for long periods of time. If your mat is rubber, I’m sure the polyurethane paint would hold up well against the water. If you have a microfiber plush mat that is the wrong color, I might consider picking up 2 inexpensive bath towels in a coordinating colors to the new bathroom, sewing them together like a pillow cover, sliding the mat in and then sewing up the end. Then you can keep the plush comfy mat but have it in a color that goes with the bathroom. Just a thought. Thanks for the question! Good luck and hope you have fun with redecorating project!

  6. How well have they held up? I don’t want to waste the time and materials if they crack and look bad in a short time.

    • That is a great question and I will add that information to the post. I painted the rugs over 8 months ago and I just took the ‘after’ picture in the blog post above the night before it was published. There are some small fissures (not really cracks) from high heel shoes, but other than that they’ve held up great! The little fissures can only be seen when I’m at eye level washing them. That’s another bonus; they wash really well! Thanks for the question! Hope that helps!