It’s nice to have a doormat, especially at the back door, where some mud can be carried into the house from the garden. It creates a barrier between the wet and dry surfaces. Hardwood would be ideal for this project, but I only had some pressure-treated softwood on hand. Also, some decking stain could be the best finish for this, but again – I used what I had. It’s OK to do some experiments from time to time, am I right? I started by ripping the 2×3 in half and cutting to length 6 equal pieces. The only trick I had in mind, to protect softwood from dents, was to round over the corners with a router. Not much, but it should make the edges not so brittle.
Next, I drilled holes using my mini drill press, 10 mm at one end and 8 mm at the other. 2 threaded rods of 2 different sizes, simply because I only had that on hand. I also used different washers and of course nuts for each side. For the assembly, I used a scrap wood spacer, 2 spanners and a mallet.
I cut the rods to size and eased the edges with a special tool. Then I installed the last slat, checked the spacing again and loosened up all the nuts before I applied oil.
One heavy coat of boiled linseed oil soaked into the wood and dried for a couple of days. I re-tightened the nuts and that way my new wooden doormat was ready to go. It seats flat on the ground, on both sides, which means I drilled the holes properly. It can be flipped over with the smooth side up, which is not exactly what I expect from a doormat, but there is an option for that. The smooth side also reveals some lettering and has a more industrial look. The doormat can be also placed on the rough side up, which is safer for people.
