Outdoor Sisal Rugs

Sisal is a succulent plant, an agave cactus, that grows in tropical areas. Brazil produces the largest share of the world's sisal crop today. The plant is harvested, crushed repeatedly to remove all but the plant's fiber, and spun into rope, twine, carpet fibers, and other material. It's popular for twine and rope specifically because of it's strenth and as a carpet fiber it is also durable. Remembering that it is plant material, however, reminds us why it needs additional care to hold up as a home accessory.

This picture of the sisal plant would make one question its use for outdoor rugs. Those jagged edges don't look overly inviting to bare feet. However, the teeth emerge only on young leaves and fall off as the plant matures.

Photo used under Creative Commons from DoctorWho.

Sisal rugs generally come in very neutral colors with a fabric border binding the edges. Selecting a border that matches your home decor or your patio theme allows you to give your patio a personal touch.

If you're crafty, you can even replace or recover the fabric edges with a fabric selection of your own for a unique outdoor sisal rug.

5 x 8 Rectangular Area Rug - Bay Beige by Chandra Rugs Bay Collection

5 x 8 Rectangular Area Rug - Bay Green by Chandra Rugs Bay Collection

5 x 8 Rectangular Area Rug - Bay Orange by Chandra Rugs Bay Collection

Sisal rugs absorb oil based paints nicely, allowing you to customize your sisal rug in colors and patterns that match your decor. Try painting an outdoor sisal rug with stripes of color. Use painter's tape to mark off evenly spaced stripes. Aligning the tape with edges in the sisal weave will help keep the paint from bleeding into the unpainted areas. As soon as you're finished painting, carefully remove the tape and let the rug dry for 24-48 hours depending on the humidity in your environment.

As sisal rugs are made from plant material, they need special care. They can become damaged by water but can also dry out without sufficient moisture in the air. If you live in a particularly dry climate, a light misting from a spray bottle of water once every week or two will keep an outdoor sisal rug healthy for longer. Do not over-saturate, however, too much water and the material will begin to degrade.

Sunlight can dry an outdoor sisal rug so these rugs are best placed in a shady part of your patio.

If liquid spills on your outdoor sisal rug, blot and clean immediately. Special sisal rug cleaners are available at most carpet stores. These are usually dry powder cleaning products and not liquid sprays.

Vacuum outdoor sisal rugs weekly to keep dust and dirt from becoming embedded in the weave.

If the sisal rug becomes stained or dirty and no amount of vacuuming or dry cleaning agent is working, you may need your outdoor sisal rug to be professionally dry cleaned.

Photo used under Creative Commons from saxetknarf.