DIY Paper Lined Cabinet for less than $5
With a few supplies that you already own and wrapping paper, you can easily transform a china cabinet from drab to fab! This DIY paper lined cabinet takes less than 10 minutes to do and costs less than $5! It is a quick fix to update any glass front cabinet or bookshelf and add a fun new look to any space! I love that it is versatile project and could be used to dress up your furniture for different seasons, holidays or events.
I recently found a French provincial china cabinet on the Facebook Marketplace for $165. I love the style and feminine shape of this kind of furniture. My plan is to use blue milk paint or strip it to the raw wood to tone down the shellac finish. But before I do that, I like to let a piece ‘live’ in my house a while. I place it in the room that I intend to keep it to decide if this is the place for it and get a feel for the direction that I want to go with it. So before I permanently alter the state of this piece, I want to brighten it up with this easy DIY.
Here’s what I need from the store:
- Wrapping paper
Here’s what I grabbed from the craft room:
- Scissors
- Double sided tape
I found this blue ticking stripe wrapping paper for $5 at Marshalls. It has a nice texture and is thick, so it will not tear easily. I have actually used it for several DIYs including a silhouette project and a winter tablescape.
The first thing that I did was remove the back panel on the cabinet. It is simply held in place with short tack nails. I was able to pry it off by placing a screw driver head in the corner, pushing forward and then pulling the rest of the panel off. A lot of china cabinets after the 1980’s are made with a removable panel, usually made from MDF. *if your cabinet does not have a removable back, you can simply measure the inside between shelves and cut the paper accordingly.
I laid the panel on the floor, with the nails still intact, facing up. I placed the wrapping paper over the panel and trimmed off the bottom to the size needed. Then I overlapped a second piece to cover the other side of the panel.
I pushed the wrapping paper over the protruded nail holes on the top to hold in place. I used double sided tape in several horizontal rows to hold it in place, before continuing to push the wrapping paper over the nails. Be careful as to avoid getting pricked by a nail.
I taped any overlapping pieces to the back. These can be trimmed later if you don’t want the paper to show on the backside, but it initially helps hold it in place when you replace the board to the cabinet.
Now, the panel is covered completely. Raise the panel up and replace in the cabinet. You may need an extra set of hands to hold it, while you tack it into place, but I was able to do it alone.
If you see any bubbles, smooth them out before nailing the bottom panel down. Press double sided tape between the seams of the overlapping wrapping paper. Hammer all the the nail heads back in on the back of the cabinet.
If you want to make it a more permanent feature, you can use spray adhesive to hold the wrapping paper in place or use peel and stick wallpaper. I didn’t want to permanently alter the cabinet until I decide if it will be painted, so this DIY paper lined cabinet was an easy way to fulfill my need to make my home cuter!
I love how easy this project is to do! My formal living room is evolving so I hope to get it completed soon.
Thank you for checking out my blog! If you get inspired to try this DIY paper lined cabinet, send me an email or use the hashtag #cutertudored on instagram or facebook for a chance to be shared on my page. And pin for later!
