Add a fresh look to your drawers with DIY drawer liners! This easy, quick, and inexpensive project will protect and add a pop of color to your storage spaces.
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Drawer liners are a great addition to any drawer or cabinet, simply because they make the space extra pretty and colorful. They can also be helpful for protecting your wood drawers from spills. I have DIYed many drawer liners in our house and they just make me happy!
You may have gotten some organizing done around the house so things are functioning better than they did before, but the bottoms of drawers tend to get pretty dingy-looking and it can really take away from the good job you did organizing.
So here’s the scoop on how to install drawer liners, why do it in the first place, and a few different options for what to use!
Check out these blog posts for more organizing ideas:
- How to Organize Kids’ Dishes in a Drawer
- How to Organize Batteries (A Simple 5-Minute Solution!)
- How To Make Water Bottle Labels With A Brother P-Touch Cube Label Maker
- Our Simple System for Organizing and Washing Face Masks
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This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for details.
Why use Drawer Liners?
Drawer liners look good.
This is actually the primary reason I use them. Fun designs under my office supplies, cute patterns paired with my toddler’s pajamas, and bright colors with kitchen utensils look good and make me feel good!
Throughout this post you’ll see the pops of color I added my desk drawer, bathroom vanity drawers, and various kitchen drawers. It’s a really simple way to take your organizing aesthetic up a notch.
Shop My Favorite Supplies For Organizing Drawers
They protect your drawers
I also really like using drawer liners in my kitchen and bathroom spaces because they help prevent water damage or other stains from getting to the bottom of the wooden drawer.
Water dripping from pipes, spills from medicine bottles, and leaking ink pens won’t leave as much of a mark or stain with this layer of protection covering the bottom.
Use them to cover old stains and rough spots
Have you ever moved into a new-to-you home with old and dingy drawers? Lining them makes a world of difference and lets you get excited about moving in and getting organized without being disgusted every time you open a drawer.
How to use drawer liners
I love how this DIY project is easy, fun, and hard to mess up! Here are the products I recommend checking out and how to install them.
1. Measure your space
Start by taking exact measurements of the bottom of your drawer or cabinet, and make a list of measurements for all of the drawers/cabinets you’ll be covering.
Then you’ll be able to shop for the right amount of paper or liner and you’ll have the measurements ready to go when it comes to cutting it to fit your space.
2. Choose your liner
There are several options for drawer liners. Here are a few I’ve used in the past to consider:
- Wrapping paper
- Adhesive removable wallpaper
- Project paper from a craft store
- Adhesive drawer liner from your local dollar store
For under-sink cabinets and kitchen drawers, I typically like to use something with more of a glossy surface that would stand up to a bit of moisture or water drips. Removable wallpaper works as does the adhesive drawer liners that are designed for shelves/drawers.
For desk drawers and dresser drawers that aren’t really going to encounter water and messes, I love to use plain old wrapping paper because there are SO MANY pattern options available.
And if you really love a wrapping paper design but wish it had that glossy surface of contact paper, I have a hack for you! you can actually line your drawers with your paper and then layer clear contact paper/shelf liner on top! AND Dollar Tree often carries clear paper that is perfect for this. Note that if you do this, you’ll want to cut the wrapping paper a bit small so you leave about 1/4″ of your drawer bottom exposed. This way the clear contact paper on top can stick to that exposed wood around the edge and secure your paper in place.
Shop My Favorite Supplies For Organizing Drawers
3. Cut the paper
Roll out your paper and cut it down exactly to the size you measured. Using a rotary cutter like this Cricut Rotary Cutter makes this part super slick. It’s important to do this on a self-healing cutting mat so you don’t damage any other surfaces.
4. Install the liner
Place your liner in the drawer. If it’s adhesive, follow the instructions on the packaging to stick it down. I typically start by peeling up about an inch of the backing and folding it over so just an inch of sticky is exposed. Then your liner is manageable to maneuver. Once it’s lined up properly in the drawer, you can slowly peel off the backing as you smooth it down.
If you’re using a paper that isn’t adhesive, you can use a little piece of double-stick tape on each corner to ensure that it stays in place.
Shop My Favorite Supplies For Organizing Drawers
Looking for more organizing inspiration? Take a look at these blog posts:
- An Organized Wrapping Paper Storage Bin
- Nursery Dresser Organization Ideas
- How to Organize Kids’ Dishes in a Drawer
- Cleaning Caddy Tour: How I Organize Our Every Day Cleaning Supplies
- An Organized Toddler Art Caddy
- DIY Garage Pegboard Organizer For Cleaning Supplies
Have a fantastic day!
