16 DIY Welcome Mats That Will Add Character To Your Front Porch

Doormats are essential for keeping your floors clean. Honestly, I have two on my porch right now just so my family will be sure to wipe their feet before they step on my floors. If you don’t have a welcome mat, you are missing out on a great opportunity to avoid some mopping. And, I’ve collected a list of 16 easy DIY welcome mats that you can make in just a couple of hours. All of them will add so much character to your front porch and they make excellent gifts.

You really should have a welcome mat just to let everyone know that your home is friendly and inviting. Besides that, they add so much décor to the porch. They’re as welcoming as a seasonal wreath and by the way, I’ve also got a great list of 40 DIY fall wreaths to add an even more welcoming touch to your home. combined with a DIY welcome mat, these wreaths will help you to really dress up your front door.

You can always just go out and buy a generic welcome mat, but how boring is that? These DIY mats are all customized so you get the precise mat that you want and really, there’s nothing more rewarding than a great DIY project, right? I love how easy and how cheap these are to make. There’s everything from modern patterns to coiled ropes and even some great rustic looking mats. And, if you want more ideas on how to make your front porch look amazing, be sure to take a look at these 25 fall porch decorating ideas. They will definitely make your home the envy of your neighborhood. Now, let’s look at some wonderful DIY welcome mats to add a touch of warmth to your home.

1. Colorful Geometric Pattern Welcome Mat

This colorful patterned mat is so easy to make. You just take a regular mat and add the geometric pattern with acrylic paints. You can tape off the sections that you want to paint to make it easier and to avoid getting colors where they don’t belong. If you want something really colorful and a bit modern, this is a great DIY door mat to make.

Tutorial: thecraftedlife

2. Easy DIY Color Splash Welcome Mat

A cheap rubber door mat will set you back less than $10. And, although those old rubber mats are black and boring, you can make them a bit more exciting with brightly colored spray paint. All you do is just spray the mat, being careful to not turn it while it’s wet. Hang it up on a clothesline to make it easier to get both sides and you could even go in and paint in a nice little image with acrylic paints if you wanted. This is a great project to add to your spring porch decorating ideas.

Tutorial: diy-queen

3. DIY Coiled Rope Door Mat

This coiled rope welcome mat is really pretty and it’s super easy to make. You’ll need quite a bit of rope depending on how big you want to make this one. You use hot glue to secure the rope and just start coiling it around, making sure to glue it down as you go. Do this to create a coil as big as you want. You can also make multiple coils in different sizes and then just glue them all together when you’re finished.

Tutorial: designsponge

4. DIY Doughnut Mat

How adorable is this little mat that looks like a doughnut? Talk about a welcome mat! This would be great for sitting outside the kitchen door or you could use it as a mat in the kitchen in front of the sink. You make it with a round rug and a few acrylic paints and other craft supplies. It’s really easy and looks especially adorable when you cut out a section so that it looks like someone has had a bite of it.

Tutorial: thehousethatlarsbuilt

5. Garden Hose Welcome Mat

This repurposed garden hose mat is so creative and it’s perfect for sitting by the back door or in front of a garden or work shed. To make this one, you just coil up and old garden hose. This is a wonderful upcycle project for that leaky garden hose that you’re planning to throw out. If you don’t have a garden hose on hand to use, you can get a cheap one at the Dollar Store for under $10.

Tutorial: markkintzel

6. Easy DIY Stenciled Door Mat

You can buy personalized door mats that are more than $20 each or you can make this DIY stenciled door mat for less than $10. These are easy to make and really look professional when they’re finished. To do your own DIY stenciled mat, you need a regular natural fiber coir mat, stencils and some spray paint. Print out your own template for your initial and the design that you want and then just paint it on.

Tutorial: liagriffith

7. DIY Heart Welcome Mat

Even if it’s not technically Valentine’s Day, you can still create this adorable heart welcome mat and spread some love. This is a really simple rug to make and it shouldn’t take you longer than about five minutes to finish it. You start with a plain door mat and then just add a little heart – or multiple hearts if you want – with indoor and outdoor paint. That’s it – you could use this same concept to create any number of wonderful designs, maybe even one for every season.

Tutorial: prettyfluffy

8. DIY House Number Door Mat

I love the idea of killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. This dual DIY door mat does that by standing as your welcome mat and offering up your house number. This one is so super easy. You just take an ordinary door mat and then use stencils to add your house numbers, and maybe a nice welcome message with spray paint. You can find plain door mats at Walmart and the Dollar Store for under $10 each. There are so many creative house number display projects!

Tutorial: updownleftrightbastart

9. DIY Painted Houses Door Mat

This painted houses door mat is lovely and so much cheaper to make than to buy. I’ve seen painted door mats in department stores and they are definitely not cheap. This one however, will only set you back about $10 and the houses are really welcoming and easy to paint. Just grab a plain sisal door mat and the paint color of your choice. You can print out the templates that you want from your computer, which makes this one even cheaper.

Tutorial: sarahhearts

10. DIY Fruit Wedge Door Mats

These fruit wedge mats are perfect for spring and summer and they are so easy to make. You just cut an ordinary rug in half and then use acrylic paints to make the design. And, since you are cutting your rug in half, you can make two of these with each circular rug that you buy. Check the Dollar Store and thrift stores for these rugs- chances are they have them and they are much less than the $20 ones from department stores.

Tutorial: thehousethatlarsbuilt

11. Polka Dot Cloud Mat

This little polka dot cloud mat is great for your front door or you could use it anywhere in the house. It’s a really easy pattern to follow and really cheap to make. You just get a foam backed door mat and then cut it into a cloud shape. Then follow up with your polka dots in all shapes and sizes and even colors if you wanted something really colorful. You could also do this one in specific colors for the seasons.

Tutorial: nalleshouse

12. DIY Stamped Watermelon Door Mat

This welcome mat is perfect for summer with its little stamped watermelons and it’s super easy to make. You take a regular door mat and then use a sponge to create the watermelon wedges that you paint and then simply stamp onto your welcome mat. You could also stencil in lettering with this one or create a Christmas door mat and use Christmas trees instead of watermelon.

Tutorial: dreamgreendiy

13. DIY Wooden Welcome Mat

I really love this wooden welcome mat and you can do this in so many different color variations. Add green and red for the holidays or brighter colors for spring and summer. It’s really easy and if you don’t have the wood on hand that you need, you’ll spend less than $30 to create this one, which is much cheaper than any wooden welcome mat you can buy in a department or home improvement store.

Tutorial: onegoodthingbyjillee

14. DIY Wooden Plank Door Mat

Here’s another beautiful door mat made from wood and this one has a beautiful design that will rival anything you see in a home improvement store. You make this one from cedar boards and when it’s finished it is absolutely beautiful. This is one that you can leave out for every season and it doesn’t take nearly as long to make it as you may think.

Tutorial: themerrythought

15. Easy DIY Woven Rope Door Mat

Take some old rope and weave it into a braid like pattern to create this lovely door mat. You need about 100 feet of manila rope, electrical tape and a hot glue gun to make this one and it won’t take you nearly as long as you may think. It’s a gorgeous rustic looking welcome mat that is perfect for the front porch or right inside your entryway.

Tutorial: gardenista

16. Recycled Plastic Bag Door Mag

I love a good recycling project and this door mat is the perfect way to recycle those plastic grocery bags. This one is really cheap, assuming you have tons of plastic bags on hand to recycle, although it does take a big of time. You need a crochet hook and you basically crochet the bags together to form a ring and then use additional bags to fill in the spaces. This is a great beginner’s crochet project that will help you to learn the basic stitches, too.

Tutorial: myrecycledbags