Saturday, August 4, 2012

DIY Duct Tape Chevron Chair Mat


Chevron Chair Mat DIY

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. 

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

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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!

DIY Chevron Chair Mat
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!
Chevron Duct Tape Chair Mat DIY



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29 comments:

  1. I need to get on board with the new looks of duct tape! I somehow managed to develop a anti duct tape mentality, due to living in Arkansas for 6 years prior to moving to TN. Will have to get over and get on board with all this cool projects!!

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  2. That is so cute. I have one of those ugly plastic mats and I wondering if I could make it cuter with some duct tape. I love chevrons.

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  3. Love this idea! So inexpensive and it looks great. Thanks for sharing:)

    Karen@Pocket Full of Pink

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  4. aren't you the cleverest chick in town?! who'd-a thunk? so creative and so cute! i now have another item on my project to-do list!
    i'm here from one creative weekend-i'm your newest follower. i'd be flattered if you stopped over at my new blog to take a look, and if you like what you see, follow me too!
    Stacia@feathersandsunshine.blogspot.com

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  5. That is so cute! What a great idea!
    Heather @ NoBusinessLikeSewBusiness

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  6. Very clever....and what a nice piece to brighten up your room. A few weeks ago I did a post on using duct tape to trim off a thin beach mat to use as a rug outside - LOVE Duct Tape!

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  7. Looks great! Love the chevron pattern!

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  8. What a great idea! It looks awesome! I would love for you to come link up your blog to my Get social Sunday link party!

    http://alivedinhome.blogspot.com/2012/08/get-social-sunday.html

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  9. It's party time over at Debt Free Mommy Blog! Please come by and link up your spaces with Making Space Mondays link party #10. I hope to see you there at www.debtfreemommyblog.blogspot.com! -Tabitha

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  10. Looks really cool!! What a clever girl. And yes, I always work on multiple projects. I actually think that's better time management then say, saving for two years to get the bed you want but not making curtains out of the material you already have just because you're focused on one particular room. Did that make any sense? I'm tired, lol. Thanks for linking up at Making Space Mondays! Hope to see you at the next party. -Tabitha

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  11. Wow, that's duct tape?! It looks awesome! I would love for you to share this at my link party!!

    Kathryn
    destinationcraft.blogspot.com
    http://www.destinationcraft.blogspot.com/2012/08/destination-cutesy-monday-27.html

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  12. That's awesome--I love that it's duct tape!

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  13. What a clever idea! I'm a big fan of your color scheme!

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  14. this is AWESOME!!!
    Love love love it
    please stop by Itsy Bitsy and say hi.
    www.itsybitsybrianna.wordpress.com

    also feel free to stop by my etsy stop and have a lookie
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/FabArtAndDesign
    tootles
    bB

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  15. I am so going to try this! Thanks for linking up at One Creative Weekend. I'll be featuring you tomorrow! Please come grab a featured button and link up anything new you'd like to share at OneCreativeMommy.com.

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  16. This is soooo ORIGINAL!!! LOVE IT!!! It's so bold!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!

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  17. Such a cute idea! The bright color is great on the floor and it's so fun!

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  18. Total cuteness...I love that bright yellow! Thanks for sharing! I'm featuring you tomorrow. XO, Aimee

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  19. Looks great and what a smart way to make something you really want! Cool!

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  20. That is such a great idea! Turned out really cute.

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  21. That's awesome! What a clever idea! Love it!

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  22. Featuring this today at the link party :) Thanks for linking up!

    Kathryn
    destinationcraft.blogspot.com

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  23. I love the chevron pattern! Thanks so much for sharing...I think i will use this to finish off my cubicle makeover.

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  24. Great idea and great job executing it. For those that are not as inclined you can see decorative printed chair mats here: http://pinterest.com/deflecto/home-office/
    Full disclosure:I work for deflect-o that makes these chairmats.

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  25. Nice chairmat! This is what I need in my office because I have a rolling chair and it is not good on carpeted floor. I definitely have to look for this one so that I can work comfortably in my office.

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