DIY Recycled Cork Floor Mats

Keep wet boots and shoes from making a mess, and protect your flooring with homemade recycled cork floor mats. Cool, heh?!

Now that the weather definitely has become WET, many of us are scouring around for rugs and solutions for wet boots and snow shoes near the front door. Here’s a way to make that unsightliness pretty and protect your wooden flooring or wall-to-wall carpet from moisture.

This is a 100% green, environmentally friendly project.

 

This is a simple DIY rugs making project, that takes a lot less time than the luxurious recycled towel bathroom rugs – project.

 

 

Quick 1,2,3 Instructions on How to Make your Own Cork Rugs

1. Collect 300 corks. Need corks? Get recycled corks here.

2.  Recycle an old yoga mat, a rubber mat or even a thick and sturdy waterproof placemat and use it as the base of your cork rug.

3. Starting in the middle of your base, using a strong-hold glue, glue* on the corks one by one. The center cork is only glued at the bottom whereas the others are glued on the sides as well.

Let glue dry thoroughly before use, and trim off any excess mat-base.

Fine Craft Guild – Tip 1: For an extra strong version of this mat, drill holes halfway through your corks and run stiff metal wire through them.

Fine Craft Guild – Tip 2: Before you begin, ensure that your corks are of an approximately equal height. If not, cut extruding corks to size before gluing them.

 

* Which glue to use for the job?

Michelle recommends you use a wood glue or all-purpose glue. These glues can be a bit weak. I suggest that, if you are really planning to use the mat a lot for wet boots all season, your glue must be both waterproof and strong enough to withstand the daily treading.

Depending on what base you use, consider using epoxy glue, waterproof Gorilla Glue or E-6000 [Kitchen]. Click here for more info on ‘which glue for the job’.

 

 

DIY Cork Rugs Video Tutorial

http://youtu.be/nppF10mQQQ4

source: The how-to video tutorial and photos are from the wonderful Californian green architect Michelle Kaufmann. I absolutely love this woman’s creative work: beautiful, environmentally-friendly, simple and affordable.

 

 

Green DIY projects by Michelle Kaufmann showcased:

1. Recycled towel bathroom rugs

2. Environmentally friendly patio fire pit

3. DIY recycled cork mats

 

 

BTW. Keep your champagne cork wires too, and make some fun Champagne Wire Chairs.