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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Create Your Decor » How to Create a Non-Slip Bath Mat from a Cotton Rug

How to Create a Non-Slip Bath Mat from a Cotton Rug

by Lindsay Ballard on July 15, 2013 19 Comments

My kids’ bathroom is set up much like a “shotgun house” – long and skinny.  When you walk into the room, you have to walk past the double sink vanity and then the commode (hidden behind a half wall) before you get to the bathtub/shower.

Bath mats have been challenging in the bathroom, because I want something in front of both the commode and the vanity.  Every bath mat combination I have tried in there hasn’t worked out for being too long, too wide, etc.  So, I decided that I wanted to customize something to go in there.

Instead of a bath mat, I found a black and white rugby striped cotton runner at Target for $20.  It was the perfect width to go in front of the double vanity, but slightly too long.  For $20, I figured I could take matters into my own hands and see what happens.

So, I took the rug home and cut it off about an inch longer than I wanted it to be.  Because it’s a cotton rug, handwoven rug, I was able to turn it under on the cut end about an inch and glue it down with my hot glue gun.  I also added some glue to the cut edge so that it wouldn’t fray.

DIY Nonslip Bath Rug via MakelyHome.com

The other thing I wanted to do was make the rug non-slip.  Instead of buying a rug pad, I bought a roll of Con-Tact Grip shelf liner.  I rolled it out flat on the bottom side of the rug and simply hot glued it into place, too.  In doing so, I put a lot of glue on each of the short edges and then just “tacked” it down every 5 or 6 inches on the long side with a dot of glue.

DIY Nonslip Bath Rug via MakelyHome.com

This transformed runner is working out perfectly.  Because it’s 100% cotton, I can put it in the washer (probably on the hand wash cycle in cold water to be safe) and then let it air dry.  The hot glue will likely hold the no-slip liner in place.

You don’t have to necessarily glue the liner to the rug if you don’t want to, either.  I have a few other rugs in my home that I just lay the liner on the floor like you would a rug pad.

I can’t show you the rug in the room yet, because that would giveaway some secret awesomes that I’m holding close to the vest until they are finished.  More fun coming soon.  Intrigued?

Have you ever used grip shelf liner as a rug pad?

 

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Julia @ cuckoo4design says

    July 15, 2013 at 8:57 am

    I never thought about glueing it to the bottom or to use a shelf liner. Great idea!

    Reply
  2. Carmen says

    July 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    Do you suppose the shelf liner would disintegrate over time? We just had the backing on a standard mat fall apart and it made a MESS in bathroom.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:00 pm

      Hi Carmen! That’s a good question, but I don’t think that’s a worry. We’ve had shelf liner under a few different rugs in our home for several years, and we haven’t had any problems with them disintegrating or anything.

      Reply
  3. Patricia Thompson says

    July 15, 2013 at 6:53 pm

    Yes, I have. I worked great on Molly’s (dog) SUV console rug!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      July 15, 2013 at 9:01 pm

      Genius is genetic! 😉 That’s my mom, y’all! ^

      Reply
  4. Jessica @ Decor Adventures says

    July 16, 2013 at 8:21 am

    Great solution to slippery rugs! I better do this soon or else I keep doing the “I slipped on the rug” pose with one foot in the air and both arms out to catch myself!

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    July 16, 2013 at 11:02 am

    Yup! I use dollar store shelf liner to hold my rugs in place. Great idea! I actually need some rugs for our bathroom but I don’t like the typical shaggy bathroom rugs. I gotta try this!

    Reply
  6. Edith Averill says

    July 17, 2013 at 2:37 am

    Interesting, really. That’s a very ingenious way to turn an ordinary rug into an upgraded non-slip version.

    Reply
  7. Janine says

    July 18, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    I tried doing this with my rug and felt like MacGyver. This is such a practical way to make a non-slip rug!
    I’m remodeling my bathroom and will definitely use this idea again.

    Keep these good ideas comin’! LOL

    Reply
  8. Lucie says

    September 24, 2017 at 9:07 am

    What glue gun did you use for your bath mat? Love the tutorial!

    Reply
  9. Rhonda says

    August 22, 2018 at 8:51 am

    Will this work on vinyl lank flooring? Wondering if shelf liner will stick to floor or discolor it.

    Reply
  10. Lola says

    August 24, 2020 at 12:47 am

    I don’t know why it never occurred to me before that you can use any kind of textile as a rug….well of course you can.

    Today I bought a new cotton bath mat on craigslist and it needs a backing (preferably inexpensively since I’m buying home goods on craigslist). I found individual rolls of Con-Tact paper at Target (Home depot is by the case, at least online).

    I like to wash my white rugs in hot water and put in dryer. So instead of glue, I’m going to try sewing the backing to the rug. I’ll stitch two 12″ widths of CP together on the long end; trace the oval rug over it and trim; then sew the backing to the border of the rug using a blind hem stitch so it won’t be visible. Maybe I’ll tack the backing to the rug in a few places. I’ll see how that works.

    Thanks for these ideas, Lindsay!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Au Naturel: Free Fall Decorating Ideas from Your Backyard says:
    September 25, 2013 at 5:00 am

    […] want to spend much money, I searched my house for something unique to use.  When I spied this rug in a closet (I didn’t end up using it in my kids’ bathroom), I knew that it would rock […]

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  2. Tips for Creating a Safe and Stylish Bathroom on a Budget – kimchil says:
    August 1, 2017 at 6:18 am

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    September 24, 2017 at 2:31 am

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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