Stacey Solomon’s rug painting hack looks fabulous – but should you try it?

In a recent episode, Solomon and her team set to transform the lives of Andy, Lianne and their children, whose busy farm life was preventing them from controlling the clutter and chaos in their home.

In a bid to add some finishing touches to the playroom decor, Solomon raided the craft supplies Lianne had collected and found two paint colours that matched the rest of the room. With her husband, Joe Swash, she used what appeared to be a homemade stencil with a simple diamond shape.

Together, they paint alternately coloured shapes around the edges of the rug, placing smaller diamonds in between. Granted, like us, Swash was a little unsure at first, asking: “Are you sure Stace?” before wielding a brush at the rug.

But, both Solomon and our upcycling experts concur that this is a completely safe and effective way to transform your flooring.

“Things like this are a really good way of using up any spare paint you’ve got,” said Solomon, although an on-screen advisory reminded viewers to use a latex, rather than an oil-based paint.

Solomon and Swash applied the paint with small brushes, using a dabbing rather than brushing technique.

The final effect is simple but elevates the rug and brings it in line with the overall colour scheme.

There are plenty of crafters and upcyclers doing the same thing as Solomon, with some patterns and designs more elaborate than others.

Don’t have any latex paint to hand? Chalk paint is another option you can use on natural fibre rugs. Even the queen of chalk paint, Annie Sloan, is a fan.

“Rugs are the often-overlooked heavy lifter of an interiors scheme,” says Sloan. “Paint can also be applied to fabric, and what better way to make a shop bought item your own than painting it.”

In this example, Sloan has painted a border around the rug. “Not only does it frame the floor and furniture,” she says, “it also adds an additional geometric element to the room.

In line with Solomon’s hack, Sloan states: “Another interesting way to paint fabric is by using stencils. Bring the room together by picking out colours already used onto these fabric backdrops.”

“There is no doubt that cleaning a jute rug is a difficult task,” says Nigel Bearman, CEO at cleaning company Daily Poppins. “It’s not uncommon for natural fibres to dislike being wet or exposed to harsh chemicals, resulting in many of us being stumped when cleaning them.

“Unlike carpets or other living room rugs, you cannot wash a jute rug with a carpet cleaner,” he adds. However, there is a benefit to jute’s naturally tough fibres – they don’t become as easily dirty as synthetic materials.

Bearman’s top tips for getting the best out of your newly decorated rug:

1. Use a vacuum to clean the rug thoroughly, but to avoid damaging the fibres, use a brush attachment.
2. For a deeper clean, shake the rug outside or beat it on a line – taking care to avoid any painted sections.
3. To spot clean any painted areas, mix a solution of mild dish soap and water. Dab the solution onto the paint with a cloth, then rinse the rug with clean water. Finally, let the rug air dry completely.
4. For areas of the rug that have marks but aren’t painted, use a clean cloth and blot dirty marks with a solution of 1/4 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water. Following this, spritz the rug with a very small amount of clean water.
5. Finally, let the rug air dry completely.

Want to watch the whole episode? You can catch up on BBC iPlayer, or watch live on Thursday nights at 8pm. There are three episodes left in the current series.