I couldn’t be more thrilled to have a linen closet. Heck, any closet at all is more than our house had while growing up. But as I work my way through the house, low key renovating and decorating, the linen closet was the last place I expected to make over. However, sometimes a good idea falls into your lap and you’ve got to roll with it. So here it is, my $20 and 2 hour instant linen closet makeover.
The running average for a roll of printed vinyl is running between $29-35 at both Target and Walmart. There are slightly less options on Amazon and high end options on Etsy and other shops. I had already used the faux brick and shiplap prints on my laundry room and downstairs bathroom, respectively. I had considered putting some accent paper on the inside of the linen closet at some point, but it was not high on the priority list. That is, not until I came across a roll of modern mint for only $14 on clearance. I knew the linen closet would be an instant makeover.
This is what the linen closet looked like before. There’s nothing wrong with it. Perhaps I need some help with organizing, or the basics could use some coordination, but overall there was nothing wrong with the linen closet. It was functional. There was plenty of room for towels and extra bedsheets, and even some bathroom things we want out of reach of the toddler. The only thing it needed was a pop of color.
The Application Process
First, I removed the shelves. Unfortunately, unlike the brackets in my laundry room, these mounts had drywall anchors, so there was no way to actually remove them for smooth application. I needed to work around them.
I started top left and ran down the wall. Covering the brackets was not impossible, albeit a pain. I cut a cross (almost like a capital I shape) over the mount with a razor blade, then tucked the vinyl down with my finger nail. Once finished, I went back and trimmed.
When I got to the bottom row, I pressed it flush against the molding then used the razor blade to cut.
The second row was slightly more complicated, as always. First, I needed to find the alignment. It was only 2ish inches below the ceiling, so I truthfully didn’t even fill it in. The wall was about 3 inches shorter than the panel, so I trimmed 2.5 inches (leaving a very small excess) down the entire panel. Then, I repeated my process on the remaining wall. Once flat, I pressed the corner smooth and used the razor blade again to trim the overlap.
The shelves slipped right back in. Instantly any wrinkles, bubbles, or imperfections of alignment were gone to the naked eye.
Isn’t it so much better now? What a difference made by 90 minutes and less than $20.
DIY Your Linen Closet
Since this is such an easy process, I’ve linked a few of the cute Peel and Stick vinyl options that would look awesome in a linen closet. Plus, some of the baskets I use (I didn’t buy those for this project though, they were already there.) Some of these are on clearance, so they may be unavailable if you don’t hurry.
