DIY Wood Stake Door Mat

Hello Remodelaholics! Michelle here from 4men1lady and today I’m back with an easy and functional project that is perfect now that the weather is warming up. We live in a very traditional rambler built in the 70’s. It’s a perfect family home but I’ve always dreamed of living in an ultra modern house. I’m always looking for small and tasteful ways to bring in a touch of modern.

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Last year I made a modern house number plaque from some free paint stir sticks that I simply stained and attached to a board.  See complete instruction on my blog.

DIY Wood Stake Door Mat Tutorial

Please note: this mat is best used during the summer, as it may become icy during the winter. 

This year I made a modern door mat from a box of wooden stakes I picked up from Home Depot.  It was one of the easiest projects I’ve done to date and cost under $15.00.

The supplies you’ll need for this project are stain (optional), some wood stakes (found at Home Depot), sisal rope (I used 1/4 inch) and some Hex Nuts (size 3/8 inch).

The first step consists of cutting all the points off the stakes.  You can use a hand saw (if you’re a glutton for punishment) but a chop saw will get all your cutting done in less than 5 minutes.  After your stakes are cut make sure and give each stake a good sanding so you don’t get slivers in your little toesies.

I opted to stain my wood for a more modern look but this step is totally optional.

I began painting on the stain with a paint brush but it was time consuming and turned out much darker than I wanted.  Instead, I just took an old rag, dipped it in the stain and rubbed the stain directly on the wood.  This allowed me to have better control of the amount and shade of the stain.

After the stain had dried I measured and drilled two holes in to the sides of each stake.  Don’t forget to give everything another sanding to remove any splinters or rough edges.  (Don’t do like I did and drill over concrete on your knees.  Bad, bad, bad carpentry modeling example).

Once all your holes are drilled you can now thread your rope through each stake making sure to add a nut between each stake.  If you put some tape around the end of your rope it won’t fray and makes it much easier to feed through each hole.  When you’ve threaded all your stakes, tie a tight knot at the last stake to hold everything together.

There you have it…your own DIY Wood Mat that looks great and keeps the dirt and sand out of your home (well, almost all of it).

To see more great projects visit our blog 4men1lady.

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Add more appeal to your porch with a cement planter (tutorial here from Michelle) or one of these 10 ways to make your porch more welcoming.

—————Update 4/13/2016—————

Check out what this reader made using Michelle’s tutorial: 

Looks fantastic! Our reader shared some useful info about purchasing wood for the mat, as well:

“I had a hard time finding wood at Home Depot that was thick enough to allow me to drill holes in the side. I explained to one of the associates what I was making and he suggested rails (the vertical posts on a wood railing), just plain ones. They were 4 feet long, so I bought 8 of them and had them cut in the store. It really came out nice. Thank you so much for this tutorial. I love it, too!!!!!!!!!!”

Thank YOU for sharing your project!

Published: May 5, 2014Filed Under: Contributor, Design Inspiration, How To, Tutorials Tagged: Creative DIY Contributor, Porch, Wood

About Michelle Hinckley

Hi all you Remodelaholic enthusiasts! My name is Michelle Hinckley and I blog at 4Men1Lady. As a wife and mother living with 4 men I long for all things neat and pretty. My hobbies include scouring the market for cool pieces of furniture, figuring out how I can replicate something high end for inexpensive and cleaning my house (yes, cleaning my house). I'm in constant pursuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men!