A few weeks ago, we posted a tutorial on painting a remnant of linoleum to look like an area rug for our dining room. We couldn’t believe how popular this post was! It has been SO ideal for us because having an actual area rug under our dining table is impractical with two toddlers… but I love how a rug really grounds the room.
I thought since it’s been almost a month, I should do an update on how it’s holding up for us!
I sweep at least once a day to get the bulk of the crumbs and chunks. And about once a week I drag the whole table off and mop it down real good to get the smooshed playdoh, lasagna, and dried blobs of yogurt. I’ve been known to get to scrubbing pretty hard in certain areas, and the paint has yet to chip or wear. The dragging of the table doesn’t even scratch or mark the painted linoleum at all. It’s so super durable, I’m telling you.
The one complaint that I do have is that, over time, the two long edges have started to curl up. And this is a tripping hazard as you can imagine. Not to mention it just looks kinda janky.
It turns out there is actually a ‘double-sided tape’ product that’s meant specifically to keep rugs in place… and it’s effective on any surface! We rolled back the edge of one side and applied the tape all the way down along the edge. Then pressed down into place!
It was that easy. And it made a world of difference… and it’s ‘repositionable’ so we aren’t locked into this placement for all of eternity.
Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for this ‘painted linoleum’ business, but I have been SO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. It has fixed so many problems with regards to mealtime.
What’s that? Your peanut butter toast just fell face-down on the rug? Meh. It ain’t no thang.
Related:
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We've been needing to update our coffee table situation in the living room for awhile…
I love this idea, especially since I have beautiful hardwood floors in my kitchen.
Did the tape leave any residue or damage to your wood floors?
Not at all!
I love this post, but not to be a downer but when I hit the part about the rug edges curling up looking ghetto I was totally turned off. What does that really mean when you think about it? Would you say that it looked totally trailer park? Or totally white trash? I get that it’s a turn of phrase and not meant to be exclusionist or racist or rude but I think unless you have practical j see standing and experience of the ghetto in the way that term is used today, it’s best to use a different term. It may be less trendy but it’s also less offensive to the POC who might be reading your blog and loving it and wanting to use it to spruce up the lower income situation they find themselves in at the moment.
Hello, thank you for taking the time to comment. I totally agree with you, and can’t believe I wrote that! This post is from many years ago, and I’ve learned a lot since then. Thank you for pointing it out to me so I can fix it.
So I got this great idea to paint a piece of linoleum and thought I’d google it. Of course your great mind accomplished it years ago, so no need for me to reinvent the wheel, however I do have a question….. I think there is some kind of binding, like you see on sisal rugs. Stuff might not sweep off as easily as without, but I wonder if that would help the edge issue? Whadda ya think?
Interesting idea! I hadn’t thought of that! We’ve long since gotten rid of this linoleum rug because after while it no longer fit with our decor #bloggerproblems 😉
Love your post on how to paint a vinyl floor cloth AND the review a month later! I am planning on doing a floor cloth also for my kitchen area to add some color to the room. It helped me a great deal with my own project. It might be good to know why you didn’t turn the vinyl over and why you sanded down the surface instead of just painting primer–like others have done. Thanks for your informative posts.
I just came across your post and love this rug you created. I’ve been searching for something that will help keep the kids chairs from slipping and tipping over like the hardwood floors do. My question is, is the rug slippery? Thank you!
Only as slippery as just your average linoleum floor. It has a rubbery feel to it, and I wouldn’t think that chairs would slip and tip on it the same way they do on wood floors. Ours doesn’t at least! 🙂
I love the painted linoleum idea but was wondering if you might have ideas on possibly doing a photo transfer instead
I’ve never tried anything like that, but it’s an interesting idea!
Any thoughts on put this on top of rug in a dining room/area? Why people place rug in dining room/areas is beyond me.
Fantastic! This is now a top priority. I like that dish washing comment on man meat in the first post too………..I’m just sayin’ – -that did not get by me! lol Great job.
I seen this on youtube they painted the back side of the rug not the top so I think that would hold the edges down also make it smaller so the chair’s don’t catch on it.
Amazing. Also, I need some of that tape. My dining table rug is curling at the corners, and it’s driving me insane. I mean, I KNOW you have so much extra time in your life… but you should add this to your etsy shop. You could make some nice dough selling linoleum rugs.
I literally just posted a one year review of a copycat project of yours I did, but I think t his might end up being another. We don’t have any rugs because our cats don’t let us have nice things and I alwayssss miss it in my living room— this might be the perfect alternative! thank you for a zillion great ideas 🙂
I see Nick in the background helping out again. Bless his heart!
Thanks pops, except it’s the same pic from last time. I wasn’t about to clean up for another money shot… Haha! Just being real. Real LAZY!
Hi Beth as a worker in the flooring field I love this idea. They also now make a fiberfloor or airstep vinyl it is similar to vinyl in style. It is waterproof and ment to be loose layed which means the ends wont curl ever. Not sure how it would be for painting since it doest have the felt back but just thought I would pass on the info.
Well Bethany… you and your husband are pretty AMAZING!!! I can’t believe your work!! Pretty soon I will get the courage to actually attempt one of these projects. What a blessing for me to have met you in person!! I thought you were amazing even BEFORE I saw the extent of your talents. I hope your conference was a GREAT success. Take care and keep in touch! 🙂