If you saw my post last week on outdoor living, you might have been surprised to see a white cowhide rug I used outdoors.
But, I will let you in on a secret.
It only looks like a cowhide.
It’s actually a DIY faux cowhide outdoor rug I made out of a drop cloth!
Today I am going to show you how to make your own DIY faux cowhide outdoor rug!
I really love cowhide rugs.
My love for them is apparent by looking at the inside of our home. I have them everywhere.
I needed a rug to ground our outdoor kitchen area and felt the raw organic shape of a cowhide was perfect.
I actually put a real one out there for a few days and it just looked really dirty.
However, I Â liked the look enough though to whip up my own.
I had actually done this years ago with a faux zebra hide rug.
If you want a trip down memory lane you can see that here.
This was in 2014 believe it or not!
I used the same method to make this one.
And surprisingly, you may just have everything on hand to make one of these right now!
Let’s get started!
1- You will need a drop cloth. As you can see by mine, it can be used. New, used, you choose!
2- Protect your surface with a tarp or something waterproof.
3- Â Using a cowhide {if you have one} lay it out on top of your drop cloth.
If you don’t have a cowhide, you can look at images online and free hand it.
4. Using a pen, trace around the cowhide onto your drop cloth.
5- Cut out around the lines.
Lay out on top of your tarp.
6- Time to paint!
You can use any latex paint.
I used our house trim paint, for reference it is called Navajo White by Sherwin Williams.
Simply roll on a coat of paint. The drop cloth will soak it up.
Let thoroughly dry and apply a second coat.
If you have the time and patience, apply a third coat.
The more coats, the stiffer the rug will become and the more durable it will be.
After second coat of paint below…..
That’s it!
When this is dry, you can literally hose it off to clean it and scrub it off with any type of cleaner!
I hope you give this DIY a try!
Please tag me on Instagram if you do, I would love to see.