DIY Duct Tape Chevron Chair Mat

I have been changing things up a little bit in my home office/craft room/mom cave.  I have a comfy rolling chair at my desk but no chair mat for it to roll on.  In this room I have some shaggy-ish carpet that I can still roll on but not very easily.  I hate those clear plastic things they sell that are way overpriced.  I remembered I had left over hardboard from my daughter’s pink dresser project but it was brown and wouldn’t really work with the colors of grey, turquoise, yellow, and white I want in the room.

So, I went back to Home Depot and got some more, this time in white (AKA tile board).  Just so you know this stuff also makes a great dry erase board or for making a blank white background in photography.  It is so cheap and pretty handy too!  I had them cut it in half so I had two 4 x 4 squares.  I knew I didn’t want this board to be plain white but I didn’t think painting it would be a good idea.  As the chair rolled all over it, it would wear off the paint.  So, how would I create a design on the mat?  Enter duct tape.  Durable enough to not be worn off and thin enough to still allow the chair to roll on it easily.  Perfect.

I had the idea to do a yellow chevron but was unsure about how to draw out the design and get it aligned and spaced properly.  Enter my genius child.  She said I should do a tessellation.  A tessa-who?  I remembered a project she and my son did in school last year but didn’t really understand what they were doing.  A tessellation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps.  She used the papercut method (she cut the repeating shape out of paper).  She cut out the first angle and then cut her paper in half and traced the first angle onto the cut piece of paper and taped it to the top of the first one so the angles would be exactly the same. 

Then she began tracing it out on the board with pencil. 

She is a genius but easily distracted and about half way through tracing (after two breaks) she was back on the internet and I was left to finish on my own.  I got the tracing part done and then it was time to add the tape.

I carefully laid out the tape according to the pattern and cut it at each angle as straightly as I could.  When I laid out the strip of duct tape, I was very careful to smooth out any wrinkles or creases.  It was a bit tedious getting the tape on but just because the strips were so short and there were so many angles.
  

I have been testing it out and so far, so good.  The duct tape is still holding on and the white board is showing a little wear from the chair rolling but not too bad.  Even those clear plastic ones show where the chair rolls.  I am very satisfied.  This project cost less than $10 if you count only the half of the board I have used so far.  I still have another piece to use on something else.  Or if this one starts looking rough, I can make another one. I still have the brown too which some people might prefer to use.  I just wanted something brighter.

If  you noticed my big grey and yellow desk, it was a Craig’s List freebie.  When I got it, it was solid grey.  It looked very 80s.  It had some laminate trim on the drawers that was chipping and peeling so I just peeled it the rest of the way off and painted the trim yellow.  Actually, I first painted it white and just painted it yellow a few days ago.  I love that desk.  It’s so big and spacious!  Just don’t look in the drawers!  I have them stuffed full of who knows what!


Now, if I could just finish this room and all of the other ones I’ve been working on!  Do you find yourself with projects going on in several rooms at one time?  Please tell me I’m not the only one!




Proud to be featured at One Creative Mommy!

Sharing with:
Natosha In Oz
Be Different, Act Normal
Funky Junk Interiors
Tatertots & Jello
Six Sisters Stuff
Blissful & Domestic
Tidy Mom
My Simple Home Life
Cheerios & Lattes
Flamingo Toes
I Heart Naptime
Nifty Thrifty Things
It's Overflowing
One Creative Mommy
Snips & Spice
Singing Three Little Birds
Craft-O-Maniac
Debt Free Mommy
DIY Project Parade
Making The World Cuter
Between Naps On the Porch 
Destination Craft
Linda's Coastal Charm
Debbie Does Creations
Tip Junkie
The DIY Dreamer
Someday Crafts
Savvy Southern Style
House Of Hepworths
The Trendy Treehouse
Carolyn's Homework
My Girlish Whims
Seven Thirty Three
Today's Creative Blog
Beyond The Picket Fence
Shabby Creek Cottage
A Glimpse Inside
Thrifty DecorChick
Suzy's Sitcom
A Crafty Soiree
A Little Knick Knack
Crafty Texas Girls
My Repurposed Life
At The Picket Fence
Too Much Time
In My Own Style