How to Line Drawers

Line your drawers with contact paper.

Lining drawers and cabinets protects the wood of the cabinet from dishes and also helps prevent spills from staining the wood. Often people who rent install contact paper to prevent the "ick" factor. There are many ways to line your drawers. However, one of the best and quickest ways is to use contact paper. Lining a drawer with contact paper eliminates the chance the lining will move when opening and closing the drawer. Contact paper is available at hardware stores and home improvement centers in a wide variety of colors and designs.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning bucket
• 2 tbsp. liquid dish soap
• Cloth
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Credit card
• Utility knife

Instructions

1. Pull out each drawer and empty the contents. Mix a solution of warm water and two tbsp. of liquid dish soap into a cleaning bucket. Wash the inside of each drawer with the solution and a cloth and dry with a cotton towel. Allow the drawers to dry completely for one hour.

2. Measure the inside width and length of the drawer with a tape measure, adding 1 inch to each measurement. Unroll the contact paper and cut a piece to the measurement.

3. Peel the paper backing off of the contact paper. Place one corner of the contact paper into one corner of the drawer. Press the contact paper firmly into the bottom of the drawer.

4. Lay the contact paper along the edge of the drawer bottom and side. Flatten the paper to the drawer bottom using a credit card or similar plastic. This removes the air bubbles from under the paper as you press it firmly into place.

5. Press the credit card firmly along the corners where there is an overlap. Cut the excess away with a sharp utility knife and peel the excess off the sides.

Tips & Warnings

• Other popular drawer linings are oil cloth and wall paper. Each would require an extra step of applying an adhesive.

References

• Overstock: How To Line a Chest of Drawers
• Home Life: How To Line Drawers