A little contact paper turns a boring hand-me-down storage piece into the star of this kitchen.
This cupboard was left in our apartment by the previous renters, and is officially my Most-Hated Piece Of Furniture. Sure, it's practical, but it's also really worn-out and chipped.
I've been hiding it in a tucked-away corner behind the refrigerator ... but now I may have to rethink our kitchen layout, because: Ooh. I love it.
This rehab cost me exactly five dollars and took only a little more than five minutes.
Want to recreate it? All you need is:
-A sheet of contact paper in your chosen pattern...and...that's it.
-Scissors would be good.
-And an assistant would make the laying-down process slightly easier (contact paper has a tendency to ruffle up if you don't press it down perfectly evenly).
Just measure, trim to fit, and apply. And presto: Your Five-Dollar Furniture Facelift.
Love the look? Head over to Ramshackle Glam for some of my favorite contact paper patterns!
And for more kitchen makeovers check out...
Minute Makeover: Open Shelving 101
Minute Makeover: Creating a Kid-Friendly Kitchen
Kitchen Makeover: From Empty to Inviting
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
Never ever use contact paper. Its out dated and if you want to take it off it comes off in bits and pieces. There are so many more things out there that are up to date and look better.
ReplyI agree - a better solution and one that you can change frequently is using place mats of all kinds and cutting them to fit. You can change them per season....I love them. Contact paper is ok to line cupboards, but don't ever expect to remove it.
GOOD JOB......finally.....a viable article here......
ReplyAnd a lovely transformation..... However.... just know that between the
heat and humidity of the kitchen from cooking.....the EDGES will
CURL UP in a couple of years.... I have seen it happen over and over
to friends that put "contact paper" in their kitchen cabinets..... Which is
WHY......I don't ever use contact paper in my cabinets anymore.......
So when that starts to happen.....OR.....if you decide to change it.....
just take your BLOW DRIER.....turn it on low.....aim it at a corner.....to
heat it up and when it loosens......just "blow dry"......areas......until
you can "peel it up easily" all over.
Using the blow drier is how you get off unfortunate "bumper stickers".....
price tags off of "paper items" that you don't wish to destroy the
item trying to get the tag off (think antique paper documents)......tags
off of brand new toilets, vanities, etcetcetcetc.......
Also remember that if you sit a HOT POT or overly warm plate on
this cabinet.......THAT too.....will cause the glue underneath to
"loosen" and then cause the paper to "bubble up".......in that spot....
One of the things I have learned after 35+ years of stripping/refinishing
antiques.....DIY projects.....refurbishing cast off furniture/anything.....
is that..... SOMETIMES........the IDEA might be absolutely WONDERFUL....
but.....the "practicality" of it....(short or long range).....well.....sucks....
And my practical side.....ALWAYS.....rules........so.....I'd have just gotten
a $5 quart of paint and painted those areas.......or maybe "stenciled"
those areas......
But your cabinet DOES look "nice"........
The "OLD" contact paper uses to come off in bits and pieces, but it no longer does that...it comes off quite easily. As for curling, I use contact paper all the time to line my shelves, etc...even over the oven and I've never had that problem.
ReplyContact paper is contact paper. Even if it did comes off easily, which I have never seen, its still an old fashion outdated way of doing things. The other person saying it curls up at the corners is also correct. Its just nasty outdated stuff.
Oh, how 60's tacky! I cannot think of one reason to resort to this, even paint which his not recommended, is better. My Mother did this in our Kitchen and it was horrible. She even covered one wall in wood paneling. It was so GROSS! When we decided to upgrade, It was so nasty to get off. I resorted to my sander and heavy sandpaper. What a mess. My Mother-in-Law covered everything in the bathroom with flocked fake mirror contact paper. I never got that off at all, we finally just painted over it with a 500% improvement. NEVER use contact paper in the bathroom or kitchen. At least you can wash paint or repaint over Please save your money and sanity and don't use contact paper.
Reply