LIFE

Free time leads to Contact paper project

Abbey Roy

Little Roy went to kindergarten for the first time this past week, and as far as I can tell it was a good experience. We were super-frugal about transportation and rode our bikes to school; when the dollar store scissors I’d packed with her school supplies were sent back because they were “gigundous,” I tossed in a pair of used (gasp!) Fiskars from my knitting bag to save myself a trip to Walmart.

After Littlest Roy and I dropped her off the first day, we ran some errands, did some chores, made a few calls, played with some blocks ... and then it was lunchtime and I realized I’d accomplished everything on my to-do list — with three hours to spare.

Which I don’t think has ever happened in my life.

You should know that when the Bargain Advocate has time to spare, one of her favorite things to do is brainstorm projects she can do around the house. Preferably ones that don’t cost money, or much of it.

And thus my mental wheels began turning.

My thoughts eventually directed me to the kitchen — not just for a pretzel rod or two or three, but because I’ve wanted to paint my kitchen cabinets white for awhile. The abundance of oak in our small kitchen can sometimes make it feel ... well, small, and maybe a little dated.

But the more I researched that process, the more work I realized it was going to be, and I wasn’t quite ready to tackle that job — not to mention that paint costs money, even if you have a solid family connection to Sherwin-Williams.

So what’s a girl to do if she wants to change the look of her cabinets without having to do much work or spend much money?

Answer: Contact paper.

If you didn’t know that Contact paper can be used for so much more than covering books and lining shelves, I encourage you to do some research.

People have devoted albums worth of photos to Ikea furniture “jazzed up” with Contact paper; plain walls decorated with Contact paper patterns; using Contact paper to make metal look like wood and laminate look like granite...you get the idea.

It’s quite inspiring.

Our kitchen cabinets are a mix of “regular” cabinets with wooden doors and a few with glass doors that allow you to see our dishes maybe-sorta-usually-neatly stacked inside.

The backs of the glass cabinets are, of course, wood. But as I stood in the middle of the kitchen nibbling my pretzel rods, I had a revelation: What if the backs of the cabinets could be lightened up? Not with paint, but with — you guessed it — Contact paper?

It turns out (unsurprisingly) that others have attempted this feat before, so I began browsing Contact paper patterns, found a roll in a subtle white and taupe pattern for $14 that would suit my needs, placed my order and dreamed about how much airier and more hip my kitchen would look.

A few days later, while Little Roy was coloring pictures of Pete the Cat and admiring her class lizard and gluing her fingers together or doing who-knows-what-else kindergarteners do, I got out my new roll of Contact paper, an X-acto knife and tape measure and got busy.

Though a bit cumbersome and sticky, the process went quite smoothly and I managed not to break any dishes in the process; the hardest part was matching up the pattern from one sheet to the next.

I used a pin to prick holes in any “bubbles” and an old credit card to smooth out the paper as I pressed it on. Several times I aligned a sheet of paper so poorly I peeled it off and started over (which, with Contact paper, is actually quite easy to do).

I am definitely pleased with the results. While the effect isn’t the same as it would be if I were to paint all the cabinets white, even the little bit of brightness made the space feel bigger.

Though I wouldn’t have attempted the Contact paper on the outsides of my cabinet doors, I’ve read of renters successfully doing this to change their cabinets without risking their security deposit; another option would be to remove the doors of your cabinets to reveal the shelves and paper behind for an “open shelving” look.

And while my experiment involved Contact paper, a similar look could be achieved by using fabric or a different material.

Now that I’ve gotten through Week One of Kindergarten and accomplished a better-looking kitchen, I have no choice but to look forward to what the weeks ahead have in store.

Look out, house, here I come.

If you have insight about a frugal living topic or an idea for a future column, please email me at amroy@nncogannett.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy saving,

Abbey