Update: DIY Faux Fur Rug – The Financial Phoenix

6 months ago I made this DIY Faux Fur Rug. It was a simple project and less than cost half of a comparable size manufactured rug. I am sure many of you are wondering how it held up to our circus.

Do I still love it?

Yes, I am actually surprised at how well it has held up over the last 6 months with all the traffic. When the kids are playing we do put down a foam mat but that is mostly for comfort (and so little pieces don’t get lost in the shag).

There is one part of the rug that gets higher foot traffic and is now a little discolored. It is not very noticeable and

next wash I will try some oxyclean. If you look in the above picture it is the two foot strip along the right side, compare that to the area under the daybed.

The right part of the rug is at the main entrance to the room and never covered. I probably should have washed it more frequently but honestly didn’t really notice until I started writing this post. Here is a picture without the playmat in place, you can see the discoloration is not really noticeable.

There is a seam that runs down the middle of the carpet. You can also see that in the picture. That is where I put the most velcro as I think that is where feet will typically snag and fold up the edge. It is more prominent some days than others but easily fixed by just swishing around the fur.

Would I do anything differently?

Yep. Not a huge fan of the velcro solution. Pieces often fall off in the wash, not a big deal because they are so inexpensive to replace (I have a roll of double sided velcro) but a little annoying. I am sure this would work better if they were sewn onto the fabric, I just took the lazy approach. If I were ambitious enough to sew I would probably put a piece of elastic at each corner of the fabric and then tuck the corners of the carpet pad instead of using velcro. Think of old mattress pads with the corner strap. I think this would hold up better, be faster to reattach, and a better option for the wash.

I also would be more careful cutting the fabric to preserve as much of the faux fur as possible. You can see here some of the edges are a little blunted.

Would I do it again?

Yes, we have already gotten so much use out of the carpet and I am happy with the look. Maybe eventually I will find a deal on a similar large area rug but I think the shag would have to be shorter. How does anyone vacuum a rug with long thin pile? I just throw this one in in the wash, I think cleaning a white rug with the traditional attached backing might be more difficult.

What do you think? Something you might try?