DIY cupboard shelf fabric covering

I bought a lovilee cupboard at the Ideas Market Trunk show last year and wanted to cover the interior back panels with fabric. This months’ Creative challenge was all about Pretty storage, so I thought I might just challenge myself and do this project now. This DIY was way easier than I initially thought it would be and turned out rather well. So today I share a DIY cupboard shelf fabric covering tutorial on how to get this done yourself.

What you will need

• Fabric – Use a coarse weave fabric as it work easier to let the glue through and makes less air bubbles
• Wood glue
• Water to dilute the glue
• Jar to mix the glue and water together
• Paintbrush
• Kraft knife
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Measuring tape
• Flat screw driver

Step-by-step instructions

1. Empty the cupboard that you want to decorate (This step took the longest!).
2. Using the measuring tape, measure the panels that you want to cover and cut the material in the correct sizes. I allowed a 1cm allowance for shrinkage that worked perfectly.
3. Decant some wood glue into a jar and add a tiny bit of water to dilute it. I used approximately 125ml glue and 15ml water for each of the panels.
4. Paint the glue onto the panel, but just do the top 1/4 of the panel first.
5. Stick the fabric onto the glue and smooth it out by painting over it with the glue solution and the paintbrush again.
6. Lift the loose part of the fabric off and start painting the cupboard in sections from left to right, Small pieces at a time, gluing the fabric down over each section. painting over the fabric and repeating the step until the whole panel is done.
7. Give the panels at least 24 hours to dry.
8. Using a ruler and a kraft knife you can neaten the edges by cutting off pieces that overlap. I also made use of a screw driver to push the fabric into the spaces behind the shelves.

I would LOVE to hear what you think of my DIY – leave me with a comment below.

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