How to make a Thanksgiving doormat

Get busy with the spray paints to give an old doormat a new lease of life and spruce up your porch this fall

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Holly Spanner

Published: September 16, 2021 at 5:30 am

This cheery upcycled doormat is a wonderfully simple way to refresh your home this fall and create an eye-catching welcome for Thanksgiving visitors. It also makes a great addition to your craft stall or Etsy shop if you have one as a side hustle! This Thanksgiving doormat is really simple to make using our free template and spray paints. By creating a stencil from sticky-back plastic you can cut pretty much any shape you fancy to make each doormat unique.

Check out our other upcycling projects for more homeware inspiration, we love this upcycled corkboard, or how about learning how to paint geometric patterns (there's a free template, too!), we love this decoupage table project and this how to reupholster a stool project!

We love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to share your upcycling or craft projects with us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, too!

You will need:

Doormat
Clear sticky-back plastic
Craft knife
Cutting mat
Marker pen
Pencil
Spray paint in green and red
Masking tape

How to make a Thanksgiving doormat

How to make a Thanksgiving doormat

Step 1

To make the stencil for your Thanksgiving doormat, cut a piece of sticky back plastic 3cm (1¼in) bigger than the doormat. Trace the Thanksgiving doormat template onto paper five times and cut it out. Using the picture as a guide, position the apples on the back of the sticky-back plastic spacing them out evenly.

Step 2

Draw around each apple template in pencil, then go over the pencil lines with a marker pen. Place the plastic right side up onto a cutting mat cut around each apple and leaf using a craft knife.

Step 3

Peel the backing paper off the sticky-back plastic and stick to the mat. (The sticky side should stick to the mat but it will be easy to remove). Press around the ‘apple holes’ of the stencil to prevent any spray from leaking under the plastic.

Step 4

Use masking tape to mask off the leaf design so that only the body of the apples are exposed. Place the mat onto an old sheet and spray red paint over the plastic using a sweeping motion. Work outside if you can, or in a well-ventilated area. Leave to dry for about 30-40 minutes, then repeat.

Step 5

Leave the mat to dry completely, then remove the masking tape from the leaves. Now mask the red apples and leave only the leaves exposed. Use the green spray to colour in the leaves, using a sweeping motion. Leave to dry for 30-40 minutes, then repeat.

Step 6

Leave your Thanksgiving doormat to dry completely for a few hours, then remove the masking tape and plastic stencil to reveal perfect apple shapes across the doormat.

Thanksgiving doormat – detail

We hope you’ve enjoyed this easy project on how to make a Thanksgiving doormat. If you’re looking for more easy upcycling homeware projects, why not make these (super easy) wine bottle lights or these (equally easy) herb pots. Check out our upcycling projects for more brilliant inspiration!

Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.