Faux Wrought Iron Wall Decor

While online shopping for some wall décor that I liked, I came across a gorgeous hand carved wood plaque that came in 3 panels. It was beautiful and the perfect size for the large wall space I was wanting to fill. Then I looked to the right and saw the price…$800. Of course! This is why I started this blog, as my dad always says, I have champagne taste on a beer budget.

I want to find ways to create a chic and stylish home without breaking the bank. I wanted something that looked hand carved or like wrought iron and realized a rubber door mat was exactly the design I was searching for and all needed to do was paint and sand it to get the desired look.

I started with this Allen & Roth rubber floor mat from Lowe’s. This particular mat is 24″ x 36″ so I bought 3 of them to cover the space I wanted and to get the same look as the wood carved panels I was dreaming about.

Next step was to paint. Now I could have easily used spray paint (which would have been much easier and faster!) but spray paint is pretty sticky and adheres to most surfaces well but I wanted to get an antique look, for the paint to flake off in places the way it does on rusty old wrought iron. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in pure white. Once the paint had dried, I used an electric hand sander to chip away some of the paint.

Once I got the desired look, I hung it up! The paint did continue to flake off a bit as I handled the mat and hung it so be careful. I may try some type of spray on sealant to keep it looking to way it does now, if I do, I’ll keep you all posted.

Enjoy! And happy DIYing!