DIY Chevron Rug

note: this post has a TON of pics.  sorry if you are downloading forevs. 

In my crazy pinning state, I decided we needed to make a rug.
because rugs can be really really expensive.
and I don't want to go drop $200+ on a rug.
but I want my living room to look cute, you know?

so I saw these on pinterest:

and I promptly decided I was qualified enough to make one.
my qualifications: really really wanting one. and other bloggers did it.
after some searing for stencils on line, we decided to go with the chevron.
you could use a roller on the chevron, and had to hand paint the stencil.
sorry stencil.

I'll tell you the ending now: we did it, it worked, and it's AWESOME.

here how we did it:

1. Go to ikea and get a cheap-o rug.  You want the weave to be flat (translation: non-puffy).  think flat and floppy rug.  This is the rug we got from Ikea

2. You will need 2" painters tape, floor paint, and a carpenters triangle.  You can get them all at home depot or Lowes.

3. Measuring:  Our rug was 55" wide, so we decided we wanted two "peaks" of chevron on our rug. Thus, our "midline" was at 27.5; thus, our two peaks were each 13.25 inches from the edge of the rug.
I know, I know, math in real life.  Figure out how many peaks you want for your rug, and measure. Mark where you want  your peak.

4. TAPING. Taping takes forever!  Use the carpender's triangle to get your peak for your chevron going.  I measured four inches on each arm of my triangle. The mark you made for where you want your peak will be helpful here.

You want your "stripes" to be 4" each so use two pieces of 2" tape.  Try to overlap as little as possible to prevent any length shorter than 4", but don't leave any gap (could cause issues during painting!)

To prevent having to measure each time, I used a little "jig" system.  Take two short pieces of tape, and back with a small notecard to keep them together.  This will by your 4" reference for spacing.

In picture above, I have my first row of chevron done, and have used "jig" to mark 4" to where the next row should start.  Just place your carpenter's triangle over the 4" jig's and use as a reference for your next row.

It is important to keep using the same angle when you are making your "peaks".  We used the carpender's triangle to get a 45 degree angle on each peak. Just keep taping...

When you get where you need to cut part of your tape, the method that worked best for us was using a ruler as a straight edge and a box cutter.  This is far easier than trying to cut or tear the tape straight. This will give you clean, straight edges.

EVENTUALLY, your rug will be taped.  I promise.  I messed ours up (USE YOUR CARPENTER'S TRIANGLE, PEOPLE) but Sam re-did it for me.  Taping will end.  It won't seem like it, but it will end.

Then, paint.  I used a 2" roller and it took about half of a gallon of paint.  We used floor paint.
I did a first coat, which took about 2 hours and soaked up a lot of paint, and let it dry overnight.  I finished with a second coat the next morning (much easier and only 20 minutes!)

Here's our rug reveal: