How to Recover a Dresser wth Contact Paper

Measure and Prepare the Dresser

• 1

  Measure the dresser's height, width and depth. Multiply those measurements to get the area of the dresser, which will determine how many square inches of contact paper is needed to cover it.

• 2

  Buy enough contact paper to cover the entire dresser.

• 3

  Wet a sponge with water and put mild detergent on it.

• 4

  Wipe down the dresser with the sponge to clean it. Make sure there is no sticky residue or dirt on the dresser before applying contact paper. The paper will not stick well or stay on the dresser if it is applied on a dirty or dusty surface.

• 5

  Allow the dresser to dry before applying contact paper.

• 6

  Remove dresser knobs or pulls from drawers, being careful to keep screws and knobs together. Set aside.

Apply the Contact Paper

• 7

  Cut contact paper with scissors in large panels. Try to use big pieces to cover the dresser to avoid a patchy look.

• 8

  Peel contact paper away from the paper backing.

• 9

  Smooth contact paper onto the dresser, making sure there are no wrinkles or bumps in the contact paper. If little air bubbles form underneath the contact paper, carefully peel it up from the corner and reapply it.

• 10

  Continue this process using the panels of contact paper to cover the sides, top and outside of the drawers of the dresser. Match seams up. If using a patterned paper, overlap the seams to match the design of the paper.

• 11

  Reattach the dresser pulls or knobs onto drawers.