Do you have any wood surfaces in your home that seem prone to getting water damage or just plain old dirty?
I do too.
My kitchen windowsill is home to a Basil plant and I don’t have a little saucer (they’re ugly, plus they take up space). So a little water or dirt sometimes leaks onto my windowsill. Sure, I can wipe it clean later, but as I learned at my old house, it does damage the painted wood and sometimes the only fix is repainting.
There’s also our little laminate (non wood) very old kitchen stand. We bought that thing for $10 from a yard sale 13 years ago and it’s pretty beat up. Now it helps with my limited counter space situation and is home to a breadmaker and coffee pot.
We moved the coffee pot there a few weeks ago and I started noticing the laminate was bubbling up and looking worse than usual near the coffee pot. Apparently our old coffeepot leaks coffee. Or hubby spills it. Either way, it was damaging the laminate surface.
So I came up with a simple little DIY solution for how to make a protective mat.
Supplies:
- laminate peel & stick (contact paper) – choose one with a pretty design
- cardboard from an old box
- scissors
- box cutter (optional)
Did you know contact paper is often called “laminate paper” now days? My mom loved contact paper when I was growing up – she’d cover our homeschool books with the clear version each year to help protect them. And it really did. Anyways…
This is so simple.
Cut the box down to whatever size you’ll need for the area you want to protect. Use a box cutter or sturdy scissors.
Cut the contact paper to fit your cardboard.
One side of the cardboard will be the top and the other, the bottom, where the seams will be. Picture it like wrapping a present. Only the wrapping paper doesn’t rip and the tape is built in.
Remove the paper backing from the contact paper and carefully smooth over the cardboard.
Luckily contact paper is fairly forgiving, so if you have a wrinkle, you should be able to lift it up and try again. Just try not to get the sticky sides stuck together.
And that’s it! You’ve made your very own protective mat. So easy, isn’t it?!
You make these simple protective mats in any size you want. Make a tiny coaster. Or make a large mat that will cover your entire windowsill. The possibilities are endless.
Here’s the small mat I made for my Basil plant:
One roll of contact paper will make a LOT of protective mats. And the cardboard is easy to get too – who doesn’t get a lot of Amazon boxes these days? Even if you don’t, you can go to almost any store and ask for discarded boxes.
Of course I was just at Walmart yesterday and they had a whole new selection of pretty contact paper designs that weren’t there the last time! But that’s okay. The red is nice for my kitchen, though I’ll probably get a different design for my living room windows.
Have you seen these helpful household tips?
Dawn says
That’s just about the best DIY project I’ve ever seen. I would never have never had known you used cardboard if you hand’t shown me. I love it!
SHELLEY R ZUREK says
Such good tips and there is nothing like a bit of gingham pattern to brighten everything up. I also like that you list other tips at the end of your posts.
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
I love this suggestion, and I can see me making one in the very near future… I also think that I have the same coffee pot… Thanks for sharing
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
I so need to do this under my coffee maker and on my window sill – you don’t realize the damage they do, it’s it’s really bad!!
Dee Mauser says
Wow, that looks much better than the exposed, bubbled up laminate on the table. Plus, it’s easy to clean.
Amber Edwards says
That is so simple, yet so effective! We have the same issue with the plant leaking water in the window Seal!
Marcie W. says
I just love contact paper since it is so insanely versatile. This DIY mat idea looks simple and practical.
Liz Mays says
That’s such a good idea. I have plenty of cardboard so I could definitely do this.
Shauna says
Oh my goodness, now talk about simple, yet so cute. I will have to do this for our coffee area. Thanks for sharing.
Danielle says
Luckily I don’t have a lot of wooden surfaces at home, so I don’t have this problem. But I do know others who do so I’ll pass this along. It’s a great idea and so simple.
Ann Bacciaglia says
This is such a great idea. It is so simple to make and looks great. I have a few spots i could use this.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
What a clever idea to keep areas clean. Good way to upcycle too!
Robin {Masshole Mommy} says
What a cute way to save your furniture. You can easily wipe off contact paper, too, so easy cleanups.
Autumn @Mamachallenge says
I need to make me one of those! I love how easy it is to make!
Krista says
Looks like a super simple project! Thanks for the idea
Lena Burkut says
love creative ideas to the household problems. This one looks super decorative and pretty
Dogvills says
Such a great idea. I have a lot of places in the house that I can make these for
Cyndi Wright says
This is such an awesome idea! I wish I would have come across it much sooner. I’m ashamed to admit how much money I’ve spent for these types of things… only to never have them completely match.
Amanda says
I need to make one of these for my kid’s humidifier in their rooms. I’m always worried that they are going to leak water and ruin their dressers.
Erika says
That’s a great place to put one, Amanda!