If you’re new to living in your own home, you might be young enough that you don’t know what shelf paper is. It was most popular in the second half of the 20th century. By now, it’s begun to go slightly out of style. However, it doesn’t have to. It simply needs to evolve to suit our current styles. If you want your kitchen to be more you, shelf paper might be the way to go. Let’s see how you can line your shelves and make them more personalized.
What is Shelf Paper?
Shelf paper is a patterned paper that’s used to line shelves. The traditional styles would often be white with simple little patterns on them. However, yours can have any pattern you like on it.
Shelf paper comes in both adhesive and non-adhesive versions. This makes it great for long-lasting shelf lining or for short-term, apartment-friendly shelf lining. The purpose of this lining is to both look nice and to keep the wood beneath it clean of food. Some old shelf liners were vinyl, making for easy wipe down and even providing protection from things like oil.
Picking Paper
There are a number of companies with shelf paper on the market. However, you’re not limited to these options alone. You can also create your own. If you can get your paper in a roll, you an use it for shelf paper. That makes wrapping paper a great way to get more personalized patterns. When you’ve found a paper that you feel suits your kitchen, you’re ready for the installation steps.
Installing Your Paper
The steps to installing shelf paper are fairly straightforward.
- To start, you’ll want to gather some things. A tape measure would make the process a little easier. Scissors are necessary.
- If you’re using a tape measure, measure the surface of your shelf and mark down the dimensions. If you’re not using a tape measure, cut out a piece of paper that’s a little too large for the shelf. Place it on the shelf and mark it with a pencil so you know where to cut. If your shelf is symmetrical, you can do this with the paper upside down to avoid leaving noticeable marks on the patterned surface.
- Cut your paper to size.
- Check to see if it fits. You may need to trim it a touch if your cuts weren’t exact or if there are parts of the cabinet that cut into the rectangular shelf space.
- Optionally, secure your paper. If your paper tries to roll up when you place it down, you might need to secure it to the shelf. You can do this without permanently gluing it down. Simply buy or retrieve some double-sided tape and put a small piece at each corner. These small pieces of tape can easily be removed if you have to remove the paper.
- Restock your newly-lined shelves.
Give us a call at Discount Kitchens if you’re interested in buying new cabinets for your kitchen. After all, it always feels best to personalize a freshly renovated space rather than an outdated one.