DIY Custom Halloween Door Mat Using Cricut Stencil Vinyl

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Pinterest Pin of the black and white ghost doormat

Personalized doormats are super fun way to add your own personal touch to your home! Plus, they are so stinking cute! Now that it is September, it is time to spookify my home, which means I needed a new doormat for my front door. I started scouring the internet trying to find out how to make one, but was super overwhelmed by the amount of information out there to make one. Of course, everyone has different ways to make these and different materials that they used. This method is one I tried, that I will give some suggestions to improve on the way!

Materials:

Doormat (you can use any size)
Cricut Stencil Vinyl (This bundle is perfect as it includes Transfer Tape AND an XL Scraper)
Cricut Maker 3 (this is what I used, but you can use your Explore or even your Joy Xtra (depending on your mat size))!
Paint brush
Premium Outdoor Paint

You can purchase all of your Cricut supplies on our website: www.craftecorner.com! You can also click on the specific links to shop. By doing this, you are supporting a family-owned small business and we are SO thankful that you choose to shop small!

Steps:

1. The first step is going to be to design your file in Design Space or choose a premade design! If you join our Facebook group, there are some doormat SVG files that have been created and shared! Click here for the link to join. The best part about this is that you can customize your doormat to say whatever you want. The possibilities are endless! You can find this design in Design Space using this link - I did use Cricut Access for this particular design.

Ghost template in Cricut Design Space

2. Once you have designed your file, the next step is to cut it. Today we are going to be using Cricut Stencil Vinyl to make our stencil. I used Smart Vinyl, so I didn't need to use a mat (which made cutting A BREEZE). Once it’s done cutting, weed your stencil so that the inside designs are removed from the vinyl. (In my case I kept the insides as I used two different colors).

3. Next, transfer your vinyl stencil to your transfer tape. Use your XL Scraper again to really make sure the vinyl adheres to the transfer tape. Then peel the paper backing of the vinyl away from the vinyl. As you do this, the vinyl will transfer to the transfer tape! Cricut Stencil Vinyl on Door Mat

4. Next up is applying the stencil to your doormat. Line up your vinyl/transfer tape on your doormat. Once you have it where you want it, use the XL scraper to press the stencil on the doormat. Don’t go lightly – push hard. Once you feel like it’s fully adhered, slowly peel back the transfer tape, using your XL Scraper to hold the stencil down to the mat (if anything peels up). TAKE YOUR TIME! Do not rush this part of the process. Please note: it will NOT stick completely to the mat like you normally would adhere vinyl to wood, canvas, etc. Just keep pulling back and making sure that everything is sticking to the mat. This is going to be the trickiest part because the vinyl will not completely stick to the coir material.

5. Now that the stencil is applied to the mat, the hardest part is over! Before you paint, I just wanted to include a note about a few different kinds of paint. I HIGHLY recommend using a strong outdoor paint. If you don’t have this paint or want to spend money on it, you can just use any regular acrylic paint or chalk paint. However, just know that it will fade faster over time than a durable outdoor paint like this one would. Or if you find a paint at the store that specifically says outdoor on it, I would gravitate towards that one first! For the black on my design I tired Liquid Flex Seal in black. That stuff STICKS be wary on getting it on your hands because it is a tough one to get off.

Black painted ghosts on door mat

6. Now that you’re familiar with different kinds of paint, it’s time to actually paint! The coir will soak up a lot of paint, so you’ll need to apply it thick. I like to use a brush with bristles instead of a foam brush so you can really get the paint in the coir. When I apply the paint on, I really put it on thick. I actually push it into the coir and then brush it out. Just make sure that you are never going under your stencil – always over it! As you go, continue to reinforce the stencil with your scraper…or even just push it down with your hand. Some parts of the stencil will start to come up, but if you just push it down before you paint it, you will be ok! Once you have painted the whole thing, I like to go back over and see what spots I may have missed or didn’t get as much paint. Fill those spots in!

Painted ghosts on door mat with Cricut Stencil Vinyl with stencil of eyes for the ghosts

My cat, Luca, decided he wanted to help me make the door mat. He did in fact leave his mark.. The final project has a nice white smudge and so did his fur...

My cat helping with me with my doormat by sitting on it and not allowing me to paint it

*Note* When doing this project again I would get pins to put in the small spaces of my stencil to hold it down a bit better. (You can see in the picture where they could've been used to help). I had to be careful around some areas and I know if it was pinned down I wouldn't have had to be so careful.

Black painted ghosts using Cricut Stencil vinyl on door mat

7. Next, let it dry to the touch before peeling off your stencil. If you’re impatient and want to see your creation right away, you can actually peel the stencil off right away – just know the paint is still wet and you might get paint on your hands. I usually peel it off right away because I like to see what I’ve done. You’ll want this to dry overnight or at least 6-8 hours before you put it by your front door. Otherwise, you risk people getting paint on their shoes (and in your house!)

White and Black Ghost front Door Mat with Pumpkin coffee