Add a little personal touch to your drawers with our Prepasted Removable Smooth wallpaper or Peel and Stick wallpaper. Protect the bottom of your drawers with this quick and easy home decor hack. Your cabinets already look fab from the outside, cut and apply some wallpaper for a little surprise upon opening them. Spoonflower’s Suz Pozzo walks us through this tutorial perfect for a weekend afternoon activity.  

Suz: 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 of 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 activate the wallpaper by just removing the paper backing. Wallpapering drawers is the perfect Saturday afternoon project: I was done with the whole thing in under an hour and thrilled with the results! 

Two open drawers lined with wallpaper are in a bathroom .

What You’ll Need To Line A Drawer With Wallpaper

How to Wallpaper A Drawer

Step 1. Measure your drawers

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’m using a chalk marker since the background was dark enough it wouldn’t show through.

Use the right marking utensil

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

A piece of wallpaper laying design side down on carpet. Lines indicating measurements are on the wrong side. A small box in the corner keeps the wallpaper from rolling up.

Step 2. Clean and Remove Former Liner

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

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 some time (i.e., don’t just rinse and turn over in a bathtub to dry. I learned this the hard way.)

Two photos in a grid showing Suz removing the old lining and cleaning the drawer.

Step 3: Cut and Adjust the Wallpaper to the Drawer

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

A drawer is on the floor with floral wallpaper in its base.

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.

Three pieces of awallpaper rest on the edge of a tub. The edges are folded to touch in teh center of the wallpaper.

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 it up and re-adjust it while it’s still wet.

Use a clean damp sponge to remove bubbles and wrinkles.

Suz rubbing a sponge over the wallpaper that is placed in a drawer.

Using Peel and Stick?

If you’re using Peel and Stick wallpaper for your drawers remove the paper backing from your measured pieces of wallpaper and place the wallpaper in the drawer. Remove any air bubbles with your squeegee. No water is required for Peel and Stick wallpaper.

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 overly-wide edges with a sharp utility knife, but it actually wasn’t very noticeable so I skipped that step.

Two drawers in a bathroom are open to expose the new wallpaper lining inside.

Your drawers are now done and look fabulous. Consider adding clear organizers to keep your space tidy, while still having your wallpaper seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of wallpaper should I use as drawer liners? 
We recommend a removable wallpaper like our Prepasted Removable Smooth wallpaper, or Peel and Stick wallpaper. These wallpapers are easy to apply and remove. 
What other surfaces can I line with wallpaper? 
Smooth, flat, non-textured surfaces (like bookcases, jewelry boxes, nightstands and tables) are best to wallpaper with our removabe wallpapers. 
What should I consider when lining my drawers with wallpaper?
If you have a directional design, think about which way you’d like that design to point when tracing out your measurements. Make sure you choose a design that will work well after being cut. Consider the size of your drawers when selecting designs that are large in scale. You can reach out to the designer to request a design in a smaller scale.

Want to Wallpaper More Furniture? 

Our removable wallpaper can also go on the surface of some furniture pieces, too! See how one dresser got a makeover with some paint and wallpaper. Follow these steps to get the look! 
See the Transfortmation