Covering bookshelves with fabric?

[ab2212]

I have laminate shelves that are mounted to the wall (with brackets underneath the shelves) and I'm interested in covering them in fabric. I was thinking of using some sort of spray glue and just wrapping the shelf with the fabric as I would a present... I'm worried the fabric might loosen over time though.

Any suggestions on how to do this? Any pictures for inspiration?

-Ali

[Craft Forums]

[stella]

all i can think of is that it would be really hard to keep clean.

spray adhesive should work fine, though. you might want to trim away excess fabric so there aren't many built-up layers where you fold it around the edges.

[djeneen]

we need to see your pictures once it's done! :) Check out this product - it's called Laminate It and it's used for adhering and sealing fabrics to surfaces.

http://216.87.15.31/products/product.asp?ID=45&SID=3

[Lainie]

My suggestion (and I'm kind of half-assed about this kind of thing, so forgive me) would be to buy some spray adhesive (my preference is by 3M, and once you spray it, it's forever as far as I can tell). You could use some small nails or upholstery tacks if you're worried about that...

And that would be a pain to clean. If you could take it outside, I would probably varnish over the fabric or something. Of course, I've never done this before, so that may be a terrible idea.

[Sewlittletime]

How about after securing the fabric to the wood, you spray it all really well w/ Scotch Guard to help repel dirt (and just vacuum the shelf often)?? I would imagine that even with doing that, you'd eventually have to replace the fabric at some point.

[rmalloy]

Hi, I just joined and going thru found this post...

I know you said permanent, but in order to keep clean you might want to try this.

Soak your material in liquid starch (buy a gallon at the supermarket, cheap) and pour into a basin. Thoroughly soak your material in the starch squeeze out excess and press the cloth on your shelf. Let it dry and it is good to go. If/when you want to change or clean, simply pull it off and throw in washer. I've used this technique on my bedroom walls. GREAT effect and easily changed.