How to Customize Doormats with Siser® HTV or EasyPSV®

This blog post will have you dusting off your boots on a decorated doormat of your own making in no-time! When it comes to floor covering options, there’s several to choose from but a cheery doormat can make all the difference. You can complete this trendy craft with whichever vinyl you have handy- HTV or PSV! Check out the supply list below for the other materials to gather up then keep reading for the step-by-step instructions.

Supplies for DIY Doormats

Coir Doormats (I got mine from Walmart, but they’re available at many craft and home good stores)
Siser® EasyPSV® and EasyPSV Application Tape OR EasyWeed® HTV
Weeder and Tweezers
Desktop Cutter (like the Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro)
Heat Press or Home Iron
Parchment Paper
Outdoor Acrylic Paint (I used Craft Smart from Michaels)
Stiff Bristle Brushes
Flex Seal Clear Coat

How to Cut an Oversized Design

Option 1: Use a Large Cutter

Most doormats are larger than a desktop cutter’s capacity. In this case, my doormats are 18″x 30″. If you have a 20″ or wider cutter (like the 24″ wide Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro pictured below!) then you won’t need to make any adjustment to your artwork and can cut full size.

You can choose to cut with or without a cutting mat. I like to use a mat for extra stability and ensure the cutting mat is selected in Silhouette Studio. Then I make sure that my Media Size matches the size of my vinyl- in this case a piece of 20″x30″ sheet of EasyWeed HTV.

Option 2: Split Oversize Design

Don’t worry though- smaller cutters can still get the job done! You can create a smaller corner design that still looks super cute and doesn’t need any artwork hacking or you can split the design to fit the size limitations of your cutter or vinyl.

Cutting EasyPSV® with the 12" wide Silhouette Cameo 3 cutter.

Remember EasyPSV® is cut with the color side up and paper liner side down.

To split your design, first create a rectangle with the Shape Tool that’s large enough to cover a portion of the design that will fit on the mat. Next, select the shape and the design then choose “Divide” in the “Modify” panel.

After dividing, you can select the remaining portions of the rectangle and delete them.

Leaving you with just the 2 portions of the design that can now be cut on a 12″x24″ cutting mat! This is a great technique for achieving larger cuts with smaller cutters or in cases where the roll of vinyl is not as wide as the project needs.

How to Make a Custom Doormat with Siser® EasyWeed® HTV

Step 1: Cut and Weed Out The Positive Image

Instead of removing the background (the “negative”) and leaving the letters like usual, this time you’ll remove the letters and leave the background and cavities. This is called weeding the “positive”. Remember- when cutting EasyWeed® HTV, you need to mirror (flip horizontal) your design.

Step 2: Apply Heat Transfer Vinyl to Doormat

Center the HTV on the doormat and apply heat and pressure for a few seconds using either your heat press, EasyPress, or home iron. Lift the heat element (do not slide) and press in sections until the entire design is applied. You’ll know the HTV is applied when it takes on the texture of the mat.

You might need an extra hand for this part if you’re using a heat press. See how we used teamwork in the video below to apply our HTV stencil…

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Once the HTV is applied, remove the carrier so you can get to painting! Remember, the outer edges of the stencil might lift up a little, but we won’t be painting the edges so it won’t affect the end result.

Step 3: Paint Doormat

Use an outdoor paint to fill in the blanks. You can use spray paint but a stiff bristle brush and outdoor acrylics help you get the best paint coverage since you can really push the paint into the fibers.

Step 4: Remove Stencil

After the paint has dried overnight, carefully remove the stencil. HTV will remove more of the coir doormat bits than PSV will, but ultimately it is not noticeable in the end result.

Tweezers are super handy to grab the cavities from the design.

Step 5: Seal Doormat

If you want your doormat to last as long as possible, use a spray sealant like Flex-Seal to prevent your paint colors from fading.

I sprayed two thin coats over the whole mat and let it dry for 24 hours before placing it in front of my door.

Step 6: Display

Layer your doormat with another rug for an extra festive look! If you keep your doormat under a covered porch, that will help extend the life of the mat.

How to Make a Custom Doormat with Siser® EasyPSV®

Step 1: Cut and Weed Out The Positive Image

Instead of removing the background (the “negative”) and leaving the letters like usual, this time you’ll remove the letters and leave the background and cavities. This is called weeding the “positive”. Remember- when cutting EasyPSV, you DO NOT need to mirror (flip horizontal) your design.

Step 2: Transfer EasyPSV to Application Tape

Before you can apply PSV on the doormat, you’ll need to pick it up with Application Tape. If your design was split for cutting, now it’s time to piece it back together.

Use a squeegee to apply EasyPSV Application Tape over the entire design.

Step 3: Apply PSV to Doormat

You can use the hinge method to perfectly center the design before separating the vinyl from the application tape. You may notice, the bond between the tape and the vinyl is stronger than the vinyl and the textured doormat surface.

Use your hands or a Weeder to hold down the sticky vinyl as you remove the tape.

Once all the tape is removed, seal the stencil a little tighter with a short blast of heat. A home iron on the Cotton setting for 1-5 seconds will work. Be sure to use a cover sheet of some kind (parchment paper, teflon sheet, or cotton pressing cloth) to protect your heat plate from the warm adhesive.

You could also use a heat gun, hair dryer, or hey how about that heat press we already have handy?

Press stencil at 305°F for 5-10 seconds with medium pressure and a cover sheet on top. You’ll know the PSV is applied when it takes on the textured look of the doormat just like the HTV did.

Just be careful not to overheat the EasyPSV! Otherwise you could end up with a shriveled stencil like the one below…

Step 4: Paint Doormat

Use an outdoor paint to fill in the blanks. You can use spray paint but a stiff bristle brush and outdoor acrylics help you get the best paint coverage since you can pounce the brush and really drive the paint into the bristles of the doormat. To get a nice, rich black I did one coat of paint and then immediately went back through with a second coat.

Step 5: Remove Stencil

After the paint has dried overnight, carefully remove the stencil. The EasyPSV will release without much effort and only removes a minor amount of the coir doormat hairs.

Step 6: Seal Doormat

If you want your doormat to last as long as possible, use a spray sealant like Flex-Seal to prevent your paint colors from fading.

Step 7: Display

But again, keeping your doormat under a covered porch and out of direct contact with the weather elements will extend the life of the mat.

So should you use HTV or PSV to DIY doormats? Well that’s up to your personal preference! HTV is easy to apply to the doormat since the carrier peels off without any hassle, but the HTV stencil is harder to remove after painting. While PSV is more difficult to apply since EasyPSV Application tape has a firmer grip on the vinyl than the textured coir doormat, but it is easier to remove the PSV stencil after painting. Either way you’ll need a little extra patience for this project, but it is SO worth it in the end! Do you agree? Pin the image below to Pinterest if so!