How To Make Wooden Drawers Look Aesthetically Pleasing Without Using Liners

Adhesive liners are a simple, tried, and true way to protect the surface of your wooden drawers from scratches, stains, and water damage. They're also an old standby for making the inside of your drawers look organized and appealing. However, they're often far from elegant and frequently curl up around the corners. Plus, they can gather all kinds of grime and be difficult to clean. If your liners are old or you're not using an adhesive product, you've probably also noticed that everything slides around when you open the drawer. In short, keeping your drawers neat and protecting their wooden surface at the same time can be tricky.

Thankfully, there are a few alternatives to classic liner rolls that will upgrade the visual appeal of your drawers. In a brief tutorial video, Instagram user @vintagefixesbysteph shows us how to effectively apply wood polish for an incredible finish on any wooden drawer bottom. By using a palm brush to apply the product and a microfiber cloth to clean up the excess, Steph was able to both remove old scratches and draw out the original grain to bring the furnishing back to life. Another creative way to upgrade your drawers is to use peel-and-stick wallpaper instead.

To achieve an aesthetically pleasing finish for the bottom of your wooden drawer, you'll first need to carefully remove any existing drawer liners or adhesive paper from its surface. A smart trick for doing this is to use a blow dryer, which will make the old liner more malleable and allow you to gently scrape everything away. Make sure to check out our other tips for adhesive liner removal if you're still having trouble. Once you've cleared away the old material, wipe up the wood surface with Murphy's Oil Soap or a similar cleaner. Then, leave the drawer open for a while so it can dry completely.

In her video, Steph uses a gentle palm brush to apply the Howard Products Feed and Wax Wood Polish. If you don't have one of these lying around, you might want to consider picking up a set of SUBEKYU bamboo palm brushes, which are also handy for just about any kitchen cleaning task. A dry microfiber cloth can also be useful here for cleaning up any excess wood polish after application. Make sure to only move the cloth in the direction of the grain. Just as with wood cleaning soap, you'll need to let the drawer dry before you put anything in it.

If you'd rather cover up the wooden bottoms of your drawers than polish them, but you're tired of standard drawer liner rolls, you can use peel-and-stick wallpaper to cover the surface instead. This project might take slightly more time and effort than applying the wood wax, but the finished product will be equally stunning. Plus, you'll get to pick the specific colors and patterns that best accent your space. To begin, take the drawers out and measure them carefully. As before, you should remove any old liner, scrub out the drawers, and let them dry completely.

Cutting and applying the peel-and-stick wallpaper itself is relatively straightforward. However, you might see a few creases or air bubbles trapped below the surface after setting it in place. To minimize their occurrence, use a plastic Warner putty knife or a similar tool when pressing the paper down. You can also apply a little bit of heat with a blow dryer to remove them. You'll probably have a lot of leftover wallpaper after you're done. Simply store the roll for later, or you can check out clever ways to use your leftover wallpaper. And while you're at it, you can explore the best IKEA drawer organizer products for keeping the clutter at bay.