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Lining a box or drawer

2K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  pallystu 
#1 ·
Lining a box or drawer

I have been asked how I line the boxes and drawers in my projects so I thought I would post this here. I don't have any pictures or videos of how I do this but I can say how I do it and say some lesions I learned by messing up first hand so you don't have to. trust me nothing is worse then ruining a nice project with a poor lining job! Your experiences may be different then mine and im not a professional by any means but this has worked out for me. Lining can be strange at first so I say to practice on a scrap box with a cheap lining before doing any real projects.

When I line a small box or drawer I prefer to use a Product called flocking instead of a fabric sheet. Flocking a box lines it in a nice even coat of little fuzzies that looks like velvet but with out the possibility of wrinkles and snags. Flocking is Easy and makes really nice corners while fabric sheets may round a corner out and is harder to do a nice job with.

To flock a box all you have to do is paint the inside of the box where you will put the flocking the same color as the flocking, apply the adhesive, and puff the tinny fibers onto the adhesive and let it dry. I you should paint the areas you want to flock since some tinny areas may not be covered completely and the paint makes it look like it is flawless if it is not. You should not flock over film finishes and the surface should be slightly rough. spread an adhesive over all the places you want the flocking to stick and follow the instructions on the adhesive and your brand of flocking. You will want to be generous with the adhesive since to little will cause the fibers not to stick completely. you should now use the applicator that comes with the flocking to spray the dry fibers onto the adhesive. use more flocking then you think you need to since it will help assure a even and total coverage. You can reuse the left over flocking so don't be afraid to really spray it on there. Don't tap or shake your project yet or you may make the glued flocking fall off at this point in time. Turn your project over and let the excess fall out but once more DO NOT shake or tap it. Let dry for at least one hour but over night works best.

I only use fabric sheets when I have a large project that I have a lot of space to work with. I line a box with fabric by making a piece of fabric that is a little larger then the inside of the box. Cut the fabric in the shape of the box if the walls where folded down like if it was not joined together yet. Think of a unfolded cardboard box. Then fold the extra fabric of the corners behind each other to get a nice 90 degree seamless finish. I like to use spray adhesive to spray the inside of the box since it lets me get an even coat with out any excess of glue. If you use to much glue it will soak thru the fabric and make it hard and un attractive. Now carefully place the fabric in the box and stretch it ever so slightly when you apply it to the walls and bottem and use a plastic card or putty knife to push down the fabric as you apply it so you don't get wrinkles in it much like how you apply sticker decals. Now its just to wait and let it dry.

So yes that's how I line my boxes. Give it a try and see if it works for you too. If you find out a way that works better for you or a top or trick post it in the comments so that It can help some one else out to.

Thanks for the read!
 
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#2 ·
Thomas,
I tried lining a box I made some time ago in that fashion but ended up getting adhesive on everything. I found another way that works well for me.

Take rigid cardboard from a beer case:) and cut it into panels to fit the inside of your box. Make sure you leave a bit of wiggle room for the thickness of the fabric you choose.

spray one side of the cardboard with fabric adhesive and stick it to the back of your fabric. cut the fabric leaving a bit for wrapping over the edges. (carefully apply spray the adhesive to the bits around the cardboard). I found cutting the fabric with a bevel near the corners eliminates any overlap of fabric. This also gives you clean corners.

Dry fit all of your pieces in the box before gluing in place and make sure the bottom piece is put in first, then the sides. I have used wood glue to attach the pieces and spring clamps to hold them in place while they dry.

This gives you the ability to change the direction of every side if you use a patterned fabric. I find it keeps everything very clean and wrinkle free regardless of the size of your box.

Just a note: If you use a thick fabric you will want to stick some scraps to the center back of each panel. This will keep everything flat when you glue it into your box. Using a clean scrap of wood on top of your piece will also keep your spring clamp from leaving dents in the fabric.
 
#3 ·
BudingaBill I have lined a few boxes that way befor and the results are not that bad but it is alot easyer like you said. I find lining with really any thing other then flocking is really messy so I tend to just stick with that now lol…I do like your way of doing it as well it has worked really well for me in the past.
 
#5 ·
Sadly I don't have many pics of the work that I do. I have two pics on here and one is of a rifle I refinished and the very first box I made. Honestly I had a horrible time lining the box and it doesn't look that good. I only really work when I get a client and that's rather rare but since I feel like Iv been called out I may just have to go and make a new project to show off :p hey its an excuse to build my self something for once xD
 
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