Renew the Look of an Old Wardrobe

In my new home, I found this built-in wardrobe which turned yellow from nicotine and years of use.

It would be easier to paint it or change the doors with new ones.

But I wanted something that could fill up the wall, make it nice and unique.

I decided to wrap it with some fabric.

• Enough fabric to wrap the surface you want to (I bought mine from IKEA)
• VINAVIL glue
• scissors
• brush
• spatula
• cutter
• some drawing-pins

First of all, remove knobs/handles and clean the surface you want to wrap.

Now place the fabric as you like by pinning it on the top profile of the door to hold the fabric on place and judge from distance the correct placement.

If you have a fabric with text like mine, take care to make it perfectly horizontal. Or oblique if you like ;)

I decided to wrap the front side, and the 3 external edges of each door, NOT the edge between the two doors (center) for two reasons:

• I wanted the text on the fabric to be entire and continued on the center
• I didn't want to risk that thickness created on the middle edges of both doors would prevent doors from closing

Let's take your brush and dip it into the glue. (You may choose to mix some water with glue to make it more fluid, and easy to spread.)

Start spreading glue on the door from top coming down leaving the edges without glue for now.

Now with the spatula start pressing on the fabric to spread it on the door surface removing bobbles. Take care, don't stretch the tissue or it will deform.

Wait 5-10 minutes to dry.

Use the cutter in the center of the doors to separate them by cutting the fabric.

With scissors cut fabric on both sides leaving only 4 or 5 cm just to make it possible to bend it on the side edge and then on the back of the door.

Now you can remove the pins and use the brush to spread glue on the top edge (horizontal surface).

Check if glue is needed also on the front vertical surface near to the edge.

As in previous step, use the spatula to press the fabric on the door surface.

In this step, glue the fabric in excess on the back of the door.

Do the same on the bottom edge and the side edge: glue and press down the fabric with your spatula, then turn exceeding fabric on the back and complete gluing.

Do the same on the remaining doors:

• pin the fabric on the top making sure it's straight
• glue the front vertical surface and press the fabric on the door with spatula
• let it dry some minutes
• cut the fabric on the middle with a sharp cutter
• cut fabric exceeding on the sides (top, bottom right and left) leaving enough fabric to cover edges and turn it on the back of the doors
• glue the top and side edges pulling the fabric on the back side of the door.

Last door finished. :D

Suggestions:

• be generous with glue, specially on the edges which will be the most fragile and prone to unwrap. The spatula will carry away the excess.
• I decided don't to remove the doors because they where hold by old hinges which I didn't want to touch and because this where the only manner to make a precise work specially on the center. And WYSIWYG while working. ;)

thanks for watching