A drawer liner can dramatically increase the aesthetics of your furniture’s interior. But, apart from the aesthetic value, it has some significant roles to play as well. For instance, they can protect your wood drawers from accidental spills or scratches from tools.
Also, when you use the drawers, tools inside will roll around like barrels on the 18th-century ship. Drawer liners can solve this problem. Moreover, using them can protect your precious clothes from scratches. So, as you can see, they present some excellent prospects for your furniture and the things you store in them.
To install this, however, you don’t have to spend much money. In fact, you can do it all by yourselves. In this article, you’ll learn all the tips and tricks on how do you make a homemade drawer in 30 minutes.
Things You’ll Need
Okay, so before getting all busy and worked up, let’s list the things you’ll need to complete this project. Don’t worry. You don’t need a world of things for this. Rather, daily supplies can be found all around the household.
You’ll need masking and duct tape to label the drawers and keep the papers attached to them. Also, grab a pencil or a light marker to visualize the measurement markings on the sheet of paper. Yes, add paper to the list as well. And to cut them, obviously, you’ll need a safety scissor.
Besides, you’ll need a tasteful fabric sheet that suits your preference, cardboard, tailor’s chalk, quilt batting, straight pins, and spray adhesive. These are all you’ll need to give your drawers a new look. So, without further ado…let’s get busy.
Making Your First Drawer Liner (Fabric and Paper)
Don’t worry if this is your first time. Have plenty of confidence and follow this simple follow-to guide. We’ll try to cover every single detail as possible, and we’ll do so step by step. So, it’ll be easier for you to comprehend.
However, we will go for fabric liners in this case. For instance, normal glue-down paper lines might not be enough. Yes, you can use them for kitchen tables, workshop toolboxes, or tool chests. But fabric drawer liners would be the safest bet if you want to protect your precious furniture and antiques.
If you want to use paper drawer liners. To save you the trouble of looking elsewhere, we’ll also discuss it in the later part of the article.
Theoretically, there isn’t much difference between installing fabric and paper drawer liners. For your convenience, though, we’ll discuss them both anyway! But for now, let’s see how you can install fabric drawer liners using your home supplies.
Step 1: Measure Everything
The first thing you have to do is take some measurements. Grab a measuring tape. This is your best friend for now. Now, it’s worth noting that this is just for having a rough idea of how much paper or fabric you’ll need for the entire project.
So, carefully take measurements of the bottom of the drawer and note those in a notepad. Do this for all the cabinets one by one. By the time you’re done, you’ll know how much paper you’ll need.
Either visit your local store or look around the house to check for paper sheets that suit the aesthetics you’re hoping for.
After getting a hold of the paper, it’s time to move on to the next step…
Step 2: Labeling the Drawers
Time to get things organized. Remember masking tape? Cut small strips of them and attach them to the interior of each cabinet. Then, grab your favorite marker pen and number the cabinets one by one. Work your way from up to down or left to right.
Now, why is it important? Well, suppose you’re working with several drawers or cabinets. In that case, things could get a little bit confusing when you put everything back together. Especially if your drawers aren’t interchangeable. So, labeling them will save you a lot of annoyance later on.
Step 3: Dismantling
Installing liners while still attached to the furniture is near impossible…well may not be for Mr. Tom Cruise. So, carefully remove the drawers from your furniture to make everything easy. If it’s an antique, be extra careful while removing them and put them on a stable surface or your workstation.
This is the sacred ground for the next half an hour. Make sure you have everything by your side. You don’t want to run around looking for stuff while in the middle of something. With that said, let’s move on to the next step.
Step 4: Measuring and Prototyping
Time to roll up your sleeves and get busy. Grab yourself a sheet of paper. Make sure it’s large enough to cover the entire surface of the drawer. Now, place it inside and press the paper along the sidewall and the corners of the drawer.
To make accurate estimations, create visible creases by pressing the paper against the drawer. Once it is fitted nicely, don’t let go of it yet. Instead, hold it with one hand, and draw along the creases with a pencil or marker.
After that, take the paper out and simply cut along the lines you’ve drawn…and you’ll have a working pattern for the drawer liner. Don’t forget to label it with a number, though.
Pretty soon, you’ll get the hang of it. Simply repeat the process for each drawer, even if they are identical. And again, number each pattern.
Step 5: Be Smart and Make a Backup of your Patterns
Now, before you rage war against the paper and cut them up with scissors, you might want to take a step back. If something goes wrong along the way, you can always come back here and start again without making creases on the paper. Consider this as saving a game file before the boss fight.
For this, you’ll need cardboard and duct tape. First, tape the drawer patterns to your cardboard. Make sure they don’t move. To have a clear idea of which drawer the pattern is for, ensure the labeled side is facing you.
Now, simply cut the cardboard following the markings on the paper. And there you have it…the backup. Also, number it as well to keep things organized. Lastly, carefully remove the paper pattern without tearing it up.
Step 6: Finally, Let’s Cut
Time to channel your inner Edward Scissor hands and cut the drawer liner fabrics. First, let’s place the fabric or your chosen sheet of paper on a flat surface. Then pick the proper cardboard backing and lay it on the fabric.
Now, all you have to do is just follow the shape of the cardboard and cut the paper/ fabric. The trick is to cut a little more than the original shape. An extra 2-inches of width and length will be enough for most cases. So, keep that in mind while cutting.
After cutting the liners, number the opposite or the wrong side of the fabric/paper with the tailor’s chalk.
Step 7: Bring out the Quilt Batting
I hope you haven’t forgotten about the quilt batting. Their time has come to be helpful. Start by placing them on a smooth surface and attach the paper pattern you made with pins. Make sure the numbered/labeled side is facing you.
Grab the scissors again and carefully cut the quilt batting by following the marked pattern lines. Once you’ve finished cutting, just leave the patterns as they are and don’t remove them.
Step 8: Final Preparations
Let’s get serious now. Since you’ll be working with adhesive spray in this step, ensure your workstation is protected. You can use old newspapers for this matter. So, cover the entire work area with a layer of newspaper and bring forth the first cardboard backing you’ve made.
Place it on the table while the labeled side is facing downwards. You don’t need it anymore. Now, apply the spray adhesive all over the cardboard equally. Then, you must line up the quilt batting with the cardboard shape. Remember to have the pattern side upwards.
Once it is perfectly aligned, press it gently into the cardboard. After that, you can go on and remove the pins and the paper patterns from the batting. Keep repeating the same process for all the other drawers. Remember to let the spray dry, and finally, remove the newspaper layer.
Step 9: Applying the Fabric
Okay… so, once you’ve cleared the work table, place the fabric of your choosing on it facing downwards. You can iron it to make it perfectly smooth and rid of wrinkles. Now, place the cardboard over the fabric and make sure the batting side is facing downwards.
Then simply tape the excess fabric over the cardboard. Don’t do the sides just yet. It’s better to do the top and bottom first and then fold the sides. After that, use the tape to attach the extra fabric you’ve folded to the cardboard. And you’re done.
Step 10: Tidy Things Up
Now comes the most satisfying part of the project: placing the drawer liners in the right drawers. Put each drawer back in its place and remove the labels. Stand back, have a glass of wine, and pat yourself on the back.
How Do You Make a Paper Drawer Liner (Crash Course)?
Paper drawer liners are as useful as fabric drawer liners. However, the latter is used by homeowners to protect their antique furniture and priceless valuables.
This doesn’t mean the former’s usefulness is questionable…well, it’s not. But let’s not dwell on that matter and concentrate on how you can make one all by yourself..
Step 1: Take Measures
This step should sound familiar. Take the measurements of your furniture’s drawers. The basics are the same. Measure the bottom part of the drawer where you will place your tools or things and note the data accordingly. Make an approximate estimation of how much paper you should get.
Now, before jumping straight into the next step, let’s talk briefly about what kind of paper will be best for you. I will present you with some options, and you can decide what suits your needs the best.
Step 2: Selecting Liners
This will mostly depend on where you’ll use it. For example, if you want to use it in kitchen drawers, then you have to go for a paper that is both water and moisture-resistant.
And for general cabinets and drawers, you can go crazy with whatever you like. For you won’t have to worry about water drippings anymore.
For these, most people tend to stick with removable adhesive wallpaper. And of course, you can bring your boring-looking drawers to life with any kind of wrapping paper.
Step 3: Just Cut it
Take out your notepad and cut according to the measures you took earlier. Yes, you won’t have to deal with quilt batting anymore. Now, you could use anything from scissors or an anti-cutter to a rolling cutter. In my opinion, use a rolling cutter. It’s perfect for this kind of job.
Step 4: Placing the Liner
It’s easy if you’re using an adhesive liner. Just read the manual carefully and install it on the surface of the drawer. You do have to align it perfectly with the drawer, though. But, given you have taken the measurements correctly and cut the paper accordingly, you won’t have any problem aligning it.
And if you have used non-sticky papers as your liners, make sure you have the double-stick tape. Use this on every corner of the paper and press it with your thumb against the interior of the drawer/cabinet. And that’s pretty much it.
Wrap Up
Everyone is a fan of pretty drawer liners. They make even the dullest drawers look lovely and interesting.
Not only do they protect your valuables from the rough wooden interior of your furniture, but they also protect the furniture itself. You can also use them to cover any stain or ugly spot on your furniture.
And that’s why everyone has been using homemade drawer liners and lining their furniture lately. It’s cheap, easy, and effective in saving and protecting your valuables. More interestingly, you can achieve so without breaking a sweat. Just use whatever you can find around your humble abode and get busy lining!
