Papered walls are quite passe these days, even a drawback if one is trying to sell a house. But I was reminded today, as I helped my daughter clean her 60-year-old new house, that good (heavy; vinyl coated; pre-pasted) wallpaper is perfect for lining old drawers and shelves.
There is no shortage of storage in her house, but many of the drawers and shelves are made of fir and are old and stained (sometimes even smelly and splintery). In my day, I papered many a wall and I always kept my scraps. So today I took my big box of scraps to her house.
After cleaning the drawers first, I measured paper to fit the space. Then I ran the pasted side gently under warm water to moisten the paste. After that, it is important to fold the piece together and let the paste soften more. At this stage, you don’t want to crease the fold, but you do want to minimize any exposure of pasted edges to the air or the paste will dry.
I let each piece rest a few minutes, about five seems right. Then I peel it open, lay it in place, and with a wrung out dish rag (or a sponge–not dripping) will work to smooth the paper to the surface, ease out any bubbles and clean off any paste residue. Note: the pasted side should seem sticky, not dry or drying. It can even be somewhat wet. If it’s not, wet it some more.
It is also important to let the paper fully dry before putting anything in the drawers or on the shelves. You’ll know it’s dry when it no longer feels cool. The paper will “suck” itself down to its surface.
The wallpaper lining should last for a long, long time. I have papered shelves that are 20 years old and still look fresh. It will hold up to washing, and it is easy to clean. It doesn’t get gummy like old contact paper either, and if you use a good, heavy paper, it won’t (or shouldn’t) rip or tear.
An added bonus is that it can brighten the look of your drawers. Instead reaching for your toothpaste and seeing old, stained wood, it will be bright, clean, and fresh.
No old wallpaper in your house? It might actually be worth the investment for this purpose. Try your paint store. They may have a bolt or two that has been returned. One roll will go a long way.