The other day I was thinking I ought to do a post on how to cover shelves as I keep getting questions on it. Then I got another one last night so I might as well do it straight away, Robin, you're in luck!
A few months ago I decided to change all the shelf coverings in the kitchen. I bought some adhesive shelf covering for the bottom shelves in all the cabinets and decided on white oil cloth for the rest.
The adhesive one is super simple to lay, just measure the width and depth of your cabinet and cut the covering accordingly. Peel one end off the backing and lay the covering straight on the shelf in the cabinet. Pull the backing off at the same time as you use your other hand to smooth the covering down onto the shelf. Easy!
For the other shelves where I use the oil cloth I also measure the width and depth of the cabinet but for the depth I add for the thickness of the shelf and about 10 cm / 4 inches which will end up underneath. My cabinets and shelves are painted white so there's no need to cover the whole underside. I use a staple gun to staple the oil cloth to the top of the shelf. Three staples are enough for one shelf, you just don't want it to slide around.
For the underside I also staple but at more regular intervals, about 10 cm / 4 inches apart. The reason for using many more staples here is that otherwise the oil cloth will start to droop.
For akward spaces like this one I use the old shelf covering as a template, so I carefully removed this one instead of ripping it out like I did with the rest…
…turned it up side down on the shelf covering and marked around it and cut out the new which was then easy to lay.
Here's the finished result of that, adhesive covering at the bottom and oil cloth on the narrow top shelf.
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Mini and Bonus update:
Mini had her check up at the vet clinic yesterday. I thought they would be able to tell us more about how her jaw is healing but we will need to wait until her second check up and x-ray on the 29th for that. Until then she will still be tube fed. She's much more alert now though and moves about much more than just a couple of days ago. She looks a bit like a cool punk rocker in her half shaved do 🙂
I'm so happy to report that the pheromone treatment worked for Bonus! I wrote a bit about it in a comment on the day before yesterday's post. I'm still a bit upset that we can't all be together in the same room but I'm so pleased that Bonus is now happy in the boat room!
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If you haven't already, there's still time to enter the Paper Clutter Workshop spot give away. Wille will draw a winner tomorrow! EDIT: Comments are now closed on the give away post
16 Comments
this is un-related to your post, but i thought you might like it. saw this on mintdesignblog.com – http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/lunchbag
Thanks, that’s great!
To: benita@chezlarsson.com
Hmm, where does one get oil cloth?
You can find some in my Amazon store http://astore.amazon.com/chezlars-20/detail/B000WFOTR8
To: benita@chezlarsson.com
I love the look of the white bowls and the white oilcloth… with that little bit of aqua!
Very happy that Bonus is in residence. He must miss Mini and it is nice of you guys to pamper him. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Mini girl to get better soon. xxx
Thanks a bunch, Benita! What a pal! Do you line drawers the same way?
Benita –
I was browsing around looking for office organization inspiration and came across a photo that looks familiar. Check this site –
http://www.raftertales.com/home-design/home-office-design-decor/
Scroll down and take a look at the one with the green and white polka dot cushion. Is that your house? No credit is given.
-Denise
Thanks so much for letting me know! I’ve contacted the site owner and asked that credit be given or photo removed.
To: benita@chezlarsson.com
Thank you for the link for buying the oilcloth on Amazon! I was just going to ask what it is exactly and where to get it, but that answered my question. I was looking for some to make outdoor tablecloths that would be easy to wipe down, would the oilcloth work well for that? The fabric store I looked at had some plain white cotton-backed slick fabric that I thought was oilcloth, but it seemed rather expensive, like 7 euros/meter. I found some round vinyl tablecloths for less than 6 dollars each, they’re embossed, but cheaper for the amount of material and the work of cutting and sewing (can/do you need to sew oilcloth?) is already done. I just wondered if that was not oilcloth, I assumed it would be cheaper.
Another unrelated question: have you ever sewn your own duvet cover? I bought fabric for one, but it is not wide enough to cover the comforter without having seams at the side edges of the bed. We have an American style comforter, full or queen size. I think the German ones are narrower? What’s the best way to sew it so the seams are not noticeable or part of the design?
Ok, one more question, I’m sorry for interrogating you like this, but you seem so knowledgeable! And I know you’re not from Germany, but I live in Germany right now, and I am wanting to paint a dresser for the nursery for a new baby on the way. I have read that I should choose a low-VOC paint, and I also want something that will go on smooth and not dry tacky, yet still be durable and wipe-able. The dresser is wood; I’d like to paint it white. My question is, what kind of paint should I look for in the German hardware stores? Can you give me an idea of what it might look like or be called? We sanded and painted a desk a while ago that originally had a smooth laminate-like finish (it was not real wood) using “Bunt- und Abtonfarbe Peinture a Teinter” but it ended up too matte to clean with a simple wet cloth and the paint scratched off easily if you were not careful. Any tips would be much appreciated!
Thank you!
Hello, Samarahuel,
for low-pollutant colours in German stores, you might want to check this page http://www.blauer-engel.de/en/products_brands/vergabegrundlage.php?id=14. Bunt- und Abtönfarbe is for walls only.
– Gesche
How do you decide between using oilcoth or adhesive paper to line a shelf/cabinet/drawer? In your post you did the bottom with adhesive paper, and the shelf with oilcloth. Why not just use one or the other?
Oil cloth is perfect for outdoor table cloths. You can sew it (I’ve done lots of projrcts sewing it for example here http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2009/03/zoom-zip-swoosh.html.
I have sewn a duvet cover but only a twin sized one so I’m not really sure how to make abigger one without visible seams. I know there are some fabrics that are wider than standars though so maybe you can ask the fabric store if they have that?!
I’m glad Gesche was able to help in the paint departement 🙂
This time I found the adhesive covering in the States and knew I wouldn’t have enough for the whole kitchen but wanted to use it in there anyway. Also the oil cloth may be tricky to get right at the front of the bottom shelf because it can’t be folded under.
I used the adhesive covering for the drawers but I’ve also used shelf lining paper in the past, attached with staples.
Thank you Gesche and Benita! Very helpful!
According to my perception such types of the design will be suitable for the offices and not for the houses. There is no confusion in it that all the designs are quiet good and sophisticated.