Wallpaper Hack: Drawer Liners

Some projects are born of inspiration; some are born of necessity. I encountered the latter when some cough syrup spilled in a bathroom drawer, and it was not about to scrub off the cheap off-white liner. And then I realized that cheap off-white drawer liner is not really a vibe I want in my space—so why not turn lemons into lemonade?

Spoonflower’s Prepasted Removable Smooth Wallpaper in this elegant Paeonia in Coral and Mint on Navy design by willowlanetextiles saved the day. You could easily use Peel and Stick Wallpaper and skip step 4. This is the perfect Saturday afternoon project: I was done with the whole thing in under an hour and thrilled with the results!

Supplies:

• A roll of wallpaper in your favorite design
• Measuring tape
• Pencil or marking utensil
• Scissors
• A paint roller
• Clean kitchen sponge
• Water

Step 1. Measure Your Drawers

First, measure the inside of the drawers and then add the lengths together to get the minimum custom roll size that you need to order. For my three bathroom drawers that were 17″ (43.2 cm) length by 12.5″ (31.8 cm) width each, I needed a total of 51″ (129.5 cm) length. A roll of 6′ (182.9 cm) long x 2′ (61 cm) wide gives me more than enough Smooth Wallpaper.

Once you’ve received your wallpaper, turn it to the reverse side and mark the individual drawer measurements using a pencil or light marking device of your choice. I used a chalk marker below as the background was dark enough it wouldn’t show through.

Pro tip: Use pencil or another option if you choose a wallpaper with a lighter background as the chalk marker will bleed slightly when it gets wet.

Step 2: Clean and Remove Former Liners

Now’s a good time to clean out your drawers and remove any former drawer liners.

Pro tip: Make sure to completely wipe off any water especially if you have particleboard, as it will tend to swell up if it sits in water for a period of time (i.e., don’t just rinse and turn over in a bathtub to dry. I learned this the hard way.)

Step 3: Cut and Adjust

Cut out the paper, then try fitting it in the drawer to see if you need to adjust. Mine was slightly over-wide by a tenth of an inch, but you can always trim it using a sharp utility knife later.

Step 4: Activate the Wallpaper

Once you have your pieces ready, go ahead and activate them using a paintbrush roller and bucket of water (official way) or a quick dip in the bathtub (unofficial way.)

Then “book” them together and wait 3-5 minutes as per the instructions.

Next, unfold half of the wallpaper and match it up to the top corner, then continue to unfold and adjust the rest of it. Our Prepasted Removable wallpaper is very forgiving, you can easily peel up and re-adjust while it’s still wet.

Use a clean damp sponge to remove bubbles and wrinkles.

Step 5: Let it Dry

Let the wallpaper dry completely for a few hours before putting things back in the drawers.

I planned to tidy up over-wide edges with a sharp utility knife, but it actually wasn’t very noticeable so I skipped that step.

Enjoy your new statement drawers! Looking for more unconventional ways to use Spoonflower’s removable wallpaper? We’ve got you covered.

Suz