Sublimate on a Coir Doormat
Sublimate on a Coir Doormat
Can you sublimate on a coir doormat? Yes, coir will accept sublimation ink, but since coir fibers are different lengths, the image should be large and bold. You can find coir doormats at Menards, Hobby Lobby and IKEA for reasonable prices. Creating your own design ensures you will have the most unique entrance to your home.
If you have just started, check out this sublimation for beginners post.
Supplies Needed:
- Design/Electronic Image – I use Creative Fabrica for most of my designs
- Coir doormat Amazon, Hobby Lobby or IKEA
- Sublimation Printer, I use a converted Epson 15000, or Sawgrass Printer
- Sublimation Ink
- Transfer Paper or Sublimation Paper, I use Crafting Besties 13X19 sublimation printer
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Heat Resistant Gloves
- Heatpress
Measure Your Coir Doormat to sublimate on a coir door mat
The Coir Doormats I use measure 1.4′ X 2′, but measure yours to ensure you pick the correct design.
I purchased this coir doormat from Ikea and it measured 1.4′ X 2′. A little small as doormats go, but worked for my purpose.
Picking a design to sublimate on your coir doormat.
Make sure you choose a large bold design and keep away from designs that have thin lines or small details because Coir Fibers have different lengths. My go-to is always Creative Fabrica because of the wide range of images. If I cannot find exactly what I am looking for, I go to Etsy.
For this design, I used the “Welcome . . . ish” that I’ve seen a lot lately. I added a big bold shamrock because I wanted a bit of color, and the coir doormats work better with large bold images. Make sure the image will be big enough to read from afar.
I tried both of these images on different mats. I was a little worried about the chicken image because of the detail, but it turned out OK.
Using sublimation transfer paper, print with sublimation ink and make sure you mirror the image.
Print Settings for Epson ET-15000
For the converted Epson 15000, using Cosmos Sublimation Dye Ink. Printer settings should be as follows if you are using 13 X 19 sublimation transfer paper.
- Click on Print/Printer Icon
- Highlight your printer
- Click on the preferences tab
- Set Paper Source
- Set Document Size (I set this to Super B 13X9)
- Set Paper Type to Premium Presentation Matte
- Set Quality to High
- Select the Options Tab
- Uncheck High Speed
- Check the Mirror Image
- Color Correction, click on Custom, Advanced tab, Color Management, Color Controls, click on Adobe RGB, then set Gamma to 2.2. Click on OK
- Printing Presets, select Add/Remove Presets, Name your settings, select OK, Apply
Print the images on Sublimation Transfer Paper, and make sure the image is mirrored when it is printed out.
Prep the Doormat
Lint Roller
Using a lint roller, roll it over the doormat to get most of the loose fibers.
Adhering the image
Using duck tape, apply the transfer sublimation paper to the coir sublimation door mat. Since coir door mats are made up of large fibers, it can be difficult to keep the heat tape affixed to the mat, so use a lot of tape.
Regular heat tape doesn’t adhere well to coir fibers, so I had to turn to duck tape.
Heat Press
Heating the Coir Sublimation Door Mat
Heat the heat press to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Apply a layer of parchment paper under the coir doormat, and over the doormat. Heat for 2 minutes. Using heat-resistant gloves, remove the doormat, remove the transfer paper and reveal your one-of-a-kind doormat.
Enjoy your creation
I think they turned out pretty good, even though I think some of the chicken detail gets lost.
What materials do you need for sublimation printing, and where can you find them?
Some of my favorite sources
Printers
Blanks
Conversion Kits and Ink
Transfer Paper
T-Shirts
- Cosmos Ink 100% Polyester with the feel of cotton
- Jiffy Shirts Poly/Cotton Blends
This post contains affiliate links to help support my crafting habit
