Give Your Kitchen Drawers High-End Flair With This Cheap Dollar Tree Item

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Word on the street is that the '60s kitchen wallpaper trend is making a comeback, but that's not the only use for a vintage adhesive product in your cooking space. You know those rolls of patterned contact paper that your grandma used to line her shelves? They are showing up at Dollar Tree, and we're here to tell you that you should be using them to decorate not just shelves but also the insides of your kitchen drawers to make them look a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Call it "contact paper" or call it "shelf liner," but the product is the same: a decorative vinyl sheet backed with adhesive for easy sticking to whatever your heart desires. We've seen this product used for zhuzhing up shelving, tabletops, and even covering old laminate cabinets, but our suggestion is that you use it inside your oft-neglected kitchen drawers for a near-instant upgrade. We're all for an affordable kitchen update like labeling your shelves, and, for just $1.25 a roll (as of this writing), Dollar Tree shelf liner fits the bill with gusto. When you realize how much money it takes to remodel a kitchen, you will be all the more impressed with cheap, effortless ways to give your space a facelift without tapping into your 401(k) account. Simply empty your drawers, clean them well with a degreaser to get them pristine, and carefully apply your contact paper to the interior base and sides. Every time you open the drawers, you'll smile ... guaranteed. 

The number one hint we can offer for lining your drawers with contact paper is to buy a couple more rolls than you think you'll need. This goes doubly if you are purchasing a patterned liner and want to match up patterns. The liner may be peel-and-stick, but a few extra tools will really help you out. A blow dryer (on low heat) will assist in helping the paper melt a bit if necessary, which can help smooth out wrinkles in the liner. We also like this inexpensive kit, which comes with a smoothing tool and a craft knife, for smoothing paper and cutting excess with a nice, sharp blade. Also, don't unpeel all your paper at once; rather, unpeel a small section and apply bit by bit, taking time to correct mistakes before unrolling it a bit more and moving on.

One frequent criticism of the Dollar Tree shelf liner specifically is that the adhesion factor can sometimes be lacking. A wallpaper helper solution meant for peel-and-stick wallpaper will give you a lot of leeway in not only "floating" your paper if it doesn't land exactly where you want it the first time it touches the surface but will also prime and amp up the adhesion. Online DIYers have also turned to good, old-fashioned wallpaper paste when it comes to shelf liners without enough stick factor. Ultimately, just work slowly and carefully with your materials. Your lined, vibrant drawers will be an ample reward for your time and patience!