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How to upgrade plastic drawers

We all know those plastic storage drawers…..they are practical and ugly! Maybe you own some!

We have a few units all over the house, in the closets, and in the playroom. I also have some under my desk…and I can’t see them anymore!

While waiting to find a more aesthetic solution, I made a quick upgrade!

They look nicer and the mess remains hidden in the drawers! I found this idea on Madigan Made blog years ago and I kept it in the back of my mind, waiting for the opportunity to use it. I show you how to hack plastic drawers below.

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DIY Plastic drawers makeover

Materials you will need:

  • Thin cardboard
  • Nice patterned paper
  • Glue
  • Scissors
You can use any kind of paper to decorate your plastic drawers, from wallpaper to scrapbooking paper. But the best option is using wrapping paper: it’s cheap, comes with nice patterns (check these designs), and is long enough to cover the drawer length in one piece.

For each drawer, you need to cut a piece of thin cardboard. The size I used was 21’X7′. If you want to hack a different size of plastic drawer, the cardboard needs to be slightly shorter than the drawer front. So you can slide it inside.

Cover the cardboard with your nice paper. I prefer to glue the paper on cardboard as it makes it last longer. But depending on the paper thickness you use, you may not need to glue it on a cardboard.

Slide the cardboard inside the drawer and fix it with some tape! That’s it! Very simple!

I love the black and white pattern lines, it gives a modern twist.

RELATED: The playroom makeover (where I hacked plastic drawers with contact paper)

RELATED: DIY Dresser makeover

The others DIY on this pics are:

 

I will put them back under my desk, so the sides won’t be visible. But if you want a better finish, you can do the same on the drawers side.

Want to remember it? Save this easy plastic drawer hack in your favorite Pinterest board.

Easy plastic storage hack

 

 

You will find all the tutorials featured in the video on my “Best DIY” page.

Amaryllis

Jennyann Carthern

Friday 29th of November 2019

Love this!. Thanks

amaryllis

Tuesday 3rd of December 2019

Thanks. It's a super easy way to upgrade drawers

Sandra

Monday 25th of March 2019

What would I spray the white with? Mine us pretty dingy.

amaryllis

Monday 25th of March 2019

Hello Sandra, it exists spray paint that are designed for plastic (to paint outdoor furniture as example) or you can first use a primer spray. You should find them in your hardware store.

Cecilia Mercier

Wednesday 4th of January 2017

I love this idea, but what kind of material is this nice paper?

Ama Ryllis

Saturday 14th of January 2017

Hello Cecilia, It's just silk paper. I found it at IKEA.

Nikole

Sunday 22nd of May 2016

These boxes are interesting to buy just because we can see what we put in !Si on cache ce qu'il y a dedans, ça n'a plus aucun intérêt, autant acheter D'AUTRES BOITES qui sont jolies : ce n'est pas ce qui manque ! :-)

Ama Ryllis

Sunday 22nd of May 2016

There are not always other options available at a low price! I bought them because they are cheap, but I don't like to see all the stuff inside! The advantage is that the deco is easy to put on or remove as needed!

Il n'y a pas toujours d'autres options disponibles a un aussi bas prix! J'ai acheté ces tiroirs parce qu'ils sont économiques, mais je n'aime pas voir le bazar a l’intérieur! L'avantage c'est que la deco est facile a mettre ou enlever en fonction des besoins!

Hannah Pinnick

Monday 28th of March 2016

Beautiful! :-)

Ama Ryllis

Wednesday 30th of March 2016

Thanks Hannah!