Over the weekend we made our pantry a little more usable. There are 5 wire shelves and since we've using them we've realized they do not support a lot of the things you put on them. Boxes tilt/fall over; and if you put more than 4 cans on one shelf it starts to sag. And we all know that sagging is not ok. EVER.
When we first moved in, I used tv trays to sit items on, but they take up more space than required. I needed another solution. Thanks to Jen at iHeart Organizing, I was saved! She updated her pantry and added these beautiful panels made from foam board and pretty shelf liner adhesive paper! Just lovely.
If you find yourself in the same boat, here's what you will need in order to make this transformation happen! :) A tape measure, to measure the length and width of your shelves, a razor blade/box cutter to cut the foam board, a pencil in case you need to mark your measurements, foam board of coarse, and last but not least... adhesive shelf liner. I found this print at Marshalls for about six dollars!
Let's begin! Take into consideration what sides you can actually see. The top shelf is only visible on the bottom and the other shelves you can just see the top. It's your choice of whether or not you want to cover both the top and bottom. Just be prepared to buy another 2 rolls of liner. (I only covered one side of each panel.)
After measuring and cutting, I laid the pieces together and taped them so they would not move while adhering the liner. I also realized that there is a trick that will help you apply the liner in literally seconds. Here's a picture to help me explain the process.
Cut the liner to the appropriate length. Make sure there is excess liner on all four sides of the panel so that there is enough to cover the edges in the end. Here's where it gets tricky and will try and explain it to the best of my ability. Ok. The liner is going to be rolled up. That's ok. Peel back approximately an inch and adhere it to your workspace. Begin pulling the back of the liner down as you smooth out the liner with a credit card and it will adhere to the foam board. Letting the liner stick to the counter first, will keep the board and liner in place as you pull the back of the liner away. Hope that makes sense.
Opening the pantry door puts a smile on my face now! I hope this helps someone that has also been suffering from wire-shelf-itis. First world problems, right?
Sincerely,
The Lishias
