Lining the cupboards

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
Seems like for the umpteenth time I was finding myself changing the cupboard liners - contact paper, though it was nice when you first put it down, peeling it up is the pits. Then went with the fabric stuff which works as long as someone sets something on it instead of shoving it in not to mention I cannot stand the feel of it... they get manky after a while especially in the cupboard where I keep the olive oil, sugar which always seems to find a way out of a bag...

I was in one of the home improvement stores wandering around and came down the isle where they sold the plastic covers one uses on florescent lights and had a lightbulb moment. So I got a couple of sheets - they are not that expensive - and had SO cut them for the cupboards.

They are easy to wash down, things slide and they are still in place. And I will never ever have to change them..

So thought I would share my lightbulb moment

Marcie
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
My cupboards - no,no internet sight LOL

I had to go look at Lowes sight cause I really don't know the technical name for them.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=8000&category=Suspended+Ceiling&N=0+5000257

When you go into an office that has florescent lighting, they are the covers over them so you don't see the bare bulbs. They sell the sheets of plastic which are 4 x 2 feet and have different patterns to them

Marcie

P.S. The right name for them is light panels :smile:
 

On_Call

New Member
Awesome idea, Marcie Mac!!

Good for you! Gotta love those lightbulb moments - no pun intended!

Your new 'liners' should last forever!!
 

WhymeMom?

No real answers to life..
Just a warning, these plastic panels can crack and break into nasty sharp pieces.....just be gentle when you are putting your dishes away......this may only happen when they get older and more brittle.....and they may have improved them too......
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Marcie Mac</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> they get manky... </div></div>

LMAO.

Marcie, you not only had a great lightbulb moment, you also invented a word! :bravo: Funny how I knew exactly what it meant, too. :smile:

This is a GREAT idea. What did SO use to cut them to size? Exact-o-knife? Table saw? Machete?

Suz
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
LOL Suz - you forget my X is English and Manky is a word in its own right ...

I think he used some tin sissors on them - an exacto knife wouldn't do it cause they are not paper thin.

I was even thinking of seeing if I could paint the back of it to match my kitchen cupboard..

Marcie
 

WhymeMom?

No real answers to life..
I think they sell exacto-like cutters for acrylic cutting. It is sort of like scoring the back then snapping the cutting line like a piece of glass. The cutters are usually located in the same area as the panels. It helps if you have a steel yardstick to help keep your cuts straight.

As far as painting them, would they hold paint?
 

Marguerite

Active Member
If you really MUST paint them, you may need to experiment. But I would paint the underside, if they are clear panels. That way the stuff in the cupboards isn't going to scratch the paint off, it will look really professional for a lot longer.

Mind you, my husband is likely to see this and may have some suggestions to make - his field used to be plastics, glues and paint.

Our cupboards are made of particle-board finished with some sort of melamine coating. No need for liners.

And "manky" DEFINITELY IS a word, too! certainly down under, as well as Britain.

Marg
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And "manky" DEFINITELY IS a word, too! certainly down under, as well as Britain. </div></div>

My apologies. It's not in the online Merriam-Webster. That must be the American version. "Gobsmacked" isn't in it either :smile: .

Suz
 

Marguerite

Active Member
I think we have a lot of words which have never made it into the US dictionaries. A particularly contentious one is "ugg boot". In Australia this is generic, so the makers of Ugg Boots were not permitted to copyright the name, they could only copyright a brand name and not a name in common usage. But some US company began making these boots, copyrighted the name worldwide (via a US system) and then SUED the Aussie company which makes and sells ugg boots here. It was looking bad for a while but there is now a compromise - the Aussie company can continue to make and sell ugg boots by that name in Australia but they are no longer permitted to export them. Mind you, the US company CAN export them to Australia!

These boots are almost a winter uniform over here, for leisure wear. The short ones are found in every household as slippers, at least. The longer ones can be worn outdoors. I wore my long pair (and difficult child 3 wore his) almost exclusively, all round New Zealand.

We'll have to have a separate thread dealing with words from different regions. It could be fun! Because crikey, so we have some good ones!

Marg
 

JJJ

Active Member
The peel-and-stick floor tiles work great as cupboard liners as well. Just leave the backing on and they'll work the same as the light panels -- and they come in lots of colors and patterns.
 

scent of cedar

New Member
Well, I was just watching that show about millionaires who solved a problem and then, patented and marketed the idea for that use.

This is a good idea, Marcie ~ so are the floor tiles.

I wonder if there is some way for you to figure out how the sheets could be easily sized?

Marge's idea about painting the backs of the light panels (or wallpapering the undersides to match the kitchen wallpaper?) was a good one, too.

:smile:

Barbara
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Did you use the Plaskolite thingys? These look great. When my mom had her kitchen counter redone she used some of the leftover formica inside some of the drawers. And she put linoleum down inside the cabinet under the sink. Everything in their is in a plastic bin, so any leak is easily cleaned up.

I haven't done any of this yet. I just wipe my cabinets out.

Susie
 
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