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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

I am SO proud of my DIY zig zag rug--Tutorial!

You've all seen those zig zag rugs around on design and home dec catalogs, websites, magazines... The zig zag/chevron pattern is everywhere this season and I have been craving it as I redecorate our bedroom with something more contemporary!
I was so excited to copy these gorgeous zig zag rugs:
(West Elm)
(Madeline Weinrib Atelier)
 
(West Elm Rug, Rachel of Kenzipoo's house)

(West Elm rug, from Four Walls and a Roof)
(Madeline Weinrib rug in Nicole Balch's home, from Making it Lovely)
(Domino)

Anyway, LOVING these zig zag patterns, and the West Elm one really isn't that overpriced, but I didn't want to spend $100-600 or whatever, depending on the size.  But I really thought my bedroom needed some zig zag in it!  And I have enough to put on the walls, so I wanted to make a zig zag rug.  I thought about taking a plain white cotton rug and freezer paper stenciling the zig zags, then painting black on it, but I couldn't find any plain, cheap white rugs and they all had to much texture anyway.  So I went old-school.  Remember floor cloths?

To DIM (do it myself), I bought a yard of white "duck cloth," which actually comes in a lot of lovely colors at JoAnn for $7.99/yard.  It's really sturdy and has a clear weave to it, not like twill, just straight-grain.  Anyway I had a coupon, but because of some sale and the piece I got had some dust on it so she counted it as a remnant... it ended up being $2.73 for the yard-sized piece.  It's about 60" wide, too, so it was about the size of a 3'x5' rug.  See, here is it is folded in half.
So here's my tutorial.
  • Fold a 1-2" hem around all the edges .  I wanted mine to be sturdy and have a lot of weight on the edges, so it won't roll or fold up a lot.
  • I tested the freezer paper with my craft paint (black acrylic paint mixed 2:1 with fabric medium).  You can sort of see the freezer paper scrap on the underside of the hemmed rug, with a smudge of black paint on it.
    Then I peeled it off.
    • Cut your freezer paper strips into 2" long pieces.  Cut those into pieces 3 3/4", 5 5/8", and a few pieces just under 2" squares.  I didn't count how many I needed, but... a lot.  Most of the ones I needed were the 3 3/4" size.
    • Lay the strips out on the rug at one corner.  I used a 45 degree angle.  Iron it down in rows.
    • In order to space the next row, use the spare strips or a ruler to measure 2" from the top row.

      • Repeat this all the way down!  I stopped halfway through to paint the first side, because I was so excited to see the end result and because I was sort of afraid of the corners coming up as I kept moving the rug and bending it a little to get the next row down.  Sorry, no pics of this part...
      • Peel the freezer paper off!  It's not perfect, but it gets the look!
      • Last step: I realized I needed to protect the unpainted parts from dirt, so I added a coat of polyurethane.  Stinky!  Hopefully when it dries it will be evenly plastic-ey.

      Yay!  I'm so excited about this!  I put a rug pad under it even though it's on carpet, just to make it even stickier.

      86 comments

      1. you should be proud you little ms crafty! way to figure this out!

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      2. Just came over from Presser foot. What a fun blog! So happy to have found you. I'll be back later.

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      3. Looks great! Would never have guess that it cost so little to make.

        Thanks for sharing the tutorial with us.

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      4. Wow, looks just as good if not better than the ones you pictured. Great job and what an even better bargain!

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      5. wow, you should be proud! genius idea. super impressive and how resourceful of you. thanks for sharing! I may have to follow that tutorial of yours one of these days as I'm so smitten with chevron patterns.

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      6. So stinkin' cool! Thanks for sharing this amazing tutorial with me!

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      7. This is awesome - gonna have to try it. What kind of poly did you use?
        You should be proud of yourself.

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      8. I love your blog! Thanks for sharing!

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      9. This is amazing....So cool!
        Im having a give away, stop by and check it out..
        dejavucrafts.blogspot.com
        Amanda

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      10. That's awesome! How does it feel to your feet?

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      11. WoW! That turned out great!

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      12. Thanks, folks!
        In answer to your questions, I used a liquid rub-on poly but I used a brush.
        It feels smooth but not soft under my feet. I thought about using something softer but anything with a pile would be hard or impossible to paint. The poly makes it stiffer so it doesn't fold up when we walk on and kick at it, though!

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      13. I love this idea! I just may have to try it myself! Thanks for sharing!

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      14. That's such a fantastic idea--the finished project looks really polished. I think I know what my niece is getting for her upcoming birthday... Thank you for posting this!

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      15. Love this. . . been thinking about doing the same thing--now I have instructions. Thank you.

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      16. How cute! You're so creative!

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      17. wow what a home looking after using such a amazing patterns.........Really very good .......

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      18. Just fabulous! And love how inexpensive this project is!

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      19. That is so impressive!! Wow!

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      20. FANTASTIC! I love this. I too have been loving the chevron style rugs and pillows lately. how clever of you to recreate it so cheaply!

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      21. You are amazing!

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      22. I'm obsessed with chevron! You did a great job - so neat!

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      23. I love it- now I just have to determine if I have the patience it will take to make one...Unless you want to start selling them? :-)

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      24. Awesome tutorial! Thank you so much for sharing. I would love to try this in different colors as well...there are so many cool variations that could be done.

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      25. wow. this is one of the coolest projects i've ever seen! i love zig zag rugs and will definitely be trying this :)

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      26. Maybe you could use painter's tape too- that might save some time cutting out all those strips...

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      27. that looks so great! nice job!!

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      28. Anonymous2/11/2010

        Spar Varnish will give you a more flexible finish compared to poly finishes.

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      29. You did such a great job!!!

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      30. Did you sew the hem under, or how did you get it to stay? Also, could you use painter's tape instead of freezer paper do you think? Yours looks great!!

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      31. Hi folks!
        Thanks for your comments! In answer to some of your questions... I reckon you could use painter's tape, but I didn't because I thought it would be easier to cut the freezer paper at a perfect right angle. And, I knew it wouldn't stick all over everything while I was putting it in place. Freezer paper is super easy to use, you just iron it on, paint, and pull it off!
        And yes, I did sew the edges of the rug in a nice 1-2" hem. It gives it some more structure and looks much nicer than raw edges. If you don't sew, I guess you could maybe use that liquid stitches stuff, but I doubt it would work as well since the fabric is so stiff and sturdy. Sewing, along with measured pressing, works best.

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      32. Wow! It turned out great!!!

        My husband really wants a rug for the guest room (which is a WIP), and I've been thinking about stripes painted on duck cloth. I may have to add some zig-zag action now, though!

        Awesome. :)

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      33. i love this! i'm definitely going to try it out!

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      34. AHH! I'm so excited to try this! I want one in my living room! Thanks for sharing!!

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      35. WOW! I'm so inspired and can see a new rug in my future. :) Thanks so much for sharing. It's gorgeous and the tips will be so helpful! I love it! Great job! I'd love to feature it in the future - let me know if you're interested. :)

        Roeshel

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      36. Hey there! I'm visiting from the DIY Show Off.

        I'm wondering if you could be more specific about the steps involving the freezer paper and paint. Not knowing the properties of freezer paper, I'm a little lost! I love what you did and would LOVE to try it myself!

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      37. Hi Jeannine,
        Welcome!
        I had never used freezer paper before this project, and had never heard of it until I started blogging!
        It's the thickness of wax paper but one side has a clear plastic coating and the other is just paper. When you iron it down, the plastic sticks to the fabric and gives a really good seal (I've since done a similar project with tape, http://adventuresindressmaking.blogspot.com/2010/03/diy-fun-and-functional-bulletin-board.html, and it didn't work as well). It is really easy to peel off, and gives a nice clean line!
        The greatest thing about freezer paper is that you can make a one-time use custom stencil. You can draw anything on there and are limited only to your cutting-out ability. It is a really neat tool!
        Have fun, everyone!
        Suzannah

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      38. Visiting from the DIY Showoff, and I love the rug! This also totally solves my problem for a race car checkered rug for my boy's room! I'lll share it when I do it!

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      39. SUZANNAH:
        Wow, now that is impressive. I love that it looks almost identical to the ones they sell in stores. This would be AWESOME to do on an 8 x 10...

        Jen Ramos
        www.madebygirl.com
        madebygirl.blogspot.com
        --

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      40. I love this!! I want one sooo bad and I was just thinking today about how to make a pink rug for my kitchen. I'm gonna spotlight this on my blog next week. I'm seriously so impressed!

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      41. Anonymous5/13/2010

        I need a rug and also refuse to pay the high prices to get what I want. I've painted rugs before and had good luck but ,Eureka,,,Freezer paper! Never thought about it and it sticks,, this just opened up a million doors, thanks!

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      42. AloraineS7/06/2010

        Do you think you could use a Krylon spray paint instead of acrylic?

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      43. love this! you did a wonderful job. a great tutorial!

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      44. Do you just use any kind of paint? Do you mix the paint with anything also?

        black acrylic paint mixed 2:1 with fabric medium

        Im not crafty so what does this mean?

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      45. This looks amazing! You did such a great job. What a neat idea!

        Thanks for sharing! :)

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      46. Thanks, everyone!
        Garrett and Denise, I used black acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium, both available at craft stores. The fabric medium makes it less stiff when it dries and just work better altogether. The fabric medium will have instructions for how to use it on the bottle, but mine told me to mix two parts paint to one part fabric medium--I think I started with two ounces paint to one ounce fabric medium.

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      47. Omigosh this is just gorgeous!! love it! can't wait to try it on myself!! thanks for sharing! you're a DIY legend!

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      48. I'll shortly be moving to a house with a lot of gorgeous hardwood floors, and I will definitely be turning to this tutorial to find ways to accent my new home!

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      49. Hey! I love this tutorial. I know it would take a long time and a lot of patience but if you want a shag rug look you can latch hug that zig zag. I am going to try it without quitting half way.

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      50. Loved your rug ! Had a stenciling business back in the 80's next time try mylar sheets for your stencil - works better and they have spray adhesive to adhere to rugs, walls or floorcloths.

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      51. Adding this to my DIY Round Up post today. Love it! Thanks!

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      52. love this! hope to try it soon, i've been looking for ways to make a chevron rug

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      53. Suzannah, thank you for this fabulous tuutorial. I featured it on my blog: http://westoncole.blogspot.com/2011/05/zig-zag-rugs-diy-tutorial.html!

        I can't wait to make my own Grey Version!

        Kristin

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      54. Chelsea8/02/2011

        I am in the process of making an 8x10 version in yellow. To answer the painter's tape vs. freezer paper question, freezer paper is much better. It really takes a long time to precisely cut the tape, and by the time you get to the end of the row, the beginning is peeling up. Thank you so much for these instructions. This rug is looking great already.

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      55. Great tutorial! I love these rugs too and your turned out amazing. I featured this on a Chevron round up at Lines Across My Face. Stop by and grab a featured button :)
        Rachel
        http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-heart-chevron.html

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      56. i will definitely be doing this and linking it to my blog! thank you!

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      57. LOVING these zig zag patterns. Wow, now that is impressive.

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      58. Nice designs. Very creative. Seems like everyone's thinking to make one.

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      59. this looks like a fun pattern to work with.

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      60. I just love that Madeline Weinrib rug, im trying to fin something similar for my flat

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      61. I will definitely be turning to this tutorial to find ways to accent my new home!

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      62. I will definitely be turning to this tutorial to find ways to accent my new home!

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      63. This is great! I have been wanting to make one of these for our living room....I will add that to my "list". Thanks!!

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        Replies
        1. Look gorgeous and it's quite an embedded design for a good looking flat.

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      64. margo hayes3/04/2012

        I am amazed!!! Who knew about freezer paper? Sooo many blogs, so little time..
        So I ran right out to the market in the freezing March wind in NYC for my freezer paper (very fitting). Tomorrow I shall begin a rug. Thanks for your brilliance!!
        Margo

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      65. First time here-love the tips-really love this rug

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      66. First time here-love the rug and the blog

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      67. We can also use this zig zag design as background on business card.
        Gift Card printing
        Scratch Cards
        Plastic Business Cards

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      68. The zig zag pattern look so beautiful...I really like it.

        Roman shades concord, ca

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      69. Anonymous2/17/2013

        This is really cool. I'm cutting out the freezer paper now to make the rug. I'm just wondering if you coated the whole rug with the polyeurathane or just the painted parts? Also, did you heat set the paint? Looks great! Hoping mine turns out just as nice :)

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        Replies
        1. I coated the whole thing with polyurethane!

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      70. Anonymous2/19/2013

        Could you get the duck cloth chevron fabric and save the painting step?

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        Replies
        1. You sure could, if you could find the scale you wanted! When I did this project, there was no zigzag fabric to be found. Now it's been around longer as a trend, so brands like Premier Prints have a bunch of choices of printed duck, even!

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