upcycling furniture with peel and stick tiles

Renovating your living space and upcycling your old furniture has never been easier. DIY vinyl has taken home decor and renovating to a whole new level, opening up new doors for people who are renting.

Haven't we all got that piece of furniture that doesn't match the rest of the decor but it's still in perfect working condition? Or how often do we hear that there is not enough funds left for renovation after purchasing a new house? Not to mention the frustration of being unable to renovate the bathroom or install a new kitchen because you're renting…

This is when self-adhesive vinyl comes in and it is a total game changer! Sticky back plastic is a quick and affordable solution to stay on trend with your home decor. It is easy to apply and can be removed if you want to change the look again. Wrap your existing units in modern vinyl designs to extend their lifetime.

We have listed 25 DIY projects with self-adhesive vinyl that will help you transform your living space to the home of your dreams on a budget.

Projects for the kitchen

1. Benchtops

Unfortunately, most kitchens come with a post-formed benchtop (covered in laminate). Replacing it with a nice wooden or marble counter top can be very expensive. By covering your benchtop with sticky back plastic you can easily create a new modern look whilst sticking to a small budget. For a standard 600mm wide and 1800mm long benchtop you only need 1 short roll of contact paper starting at $39. The d-c-fix vinyl is easy to clean, can handle temperatures up to 75°C and is also alcohol and water resistant.

Kitchen bench top before and after wrapped in Nordic Elm sticky back plastic

2. Kitchen cabinets

The paint of old kitchen cabinets has often faded and gotten a yellow tone instead of the former crisp white it once had. Repainting cabinets can be really time consuming, especially if they have many grooves that require prep work like sanding. Using sticky back plastic can be a huge time-saver. By using vinyl wrap your cupboards will get a nice smooth finish without having to sand, apply layers of paint and wait for it to dry. If your cupboards have grooves, simply heat and stretch the vinyl into the shape of the cupboards with the help of a hair dryer. You don't need to worry about all the mess that comes with painting.

3. Kitchen Island

Trying to give your kitchen a bit more personality? The kitchen island is a great place to start. Simply apply the vinyl of your choice to one of the side panels or even all the way around it to create a new look that fits your home even better.

Kitchen island panel before and after wrapped in Sheffield Oak Umbra vinyl

4. Splash back

For flat and smooth splash backs (e.g. not tiles) or walls you can easily use sticky back plastic to create your own one. Use a marble pattern for a sleek modern kitchen or choose a wooden design to generate a cottage feeling. If you do have tiles that you would like to cover, chequered plate can be used which is a thicker vinyl design that will hide most imperfections. Alternatively you can cut out vinyl to the shape of your existing tiles and cover them one by one. This is a bit time consuming but the result can be very effectful.

Two backspashes wrapped in vinyl, chequered plate to the left and carrara grey marble to the right

5. Shelf liner for kitchen pantry

The kitchen pantry can easily look very grey and plain. Sticky back plastic is an easy way to spice it up and add some colour and texture to the shelves.

Sabbia grey vinyl used as shelf liner in open kitchen cupboard

6. Kitchen table

The kitchen table is a surface that often has to put up with a lot, especially when you have children. Scratches and dents are non avoidable. Instead of buying a new dining table, you can give your old one a new look and bring back the life to it with just a roll of vinyl. Match your table perfectly to the surrounding home decor with the many options of wood grains or even go all out and choose a concrete look!

Dining table wrapped in assorted wood grain vinyl

7. Kitchen gadgets

Kitchen gadgets normally only come in the same three colour variations and don't always look amazing. Spruce up your utensil holder, trash bin or clock with a fun patterned vinyl or a matching neutral one for a slick kitchen.

vinyl wrapped fridge in mint and rubbish bins with decals

8. Appliances

On the same note as the kitchen gadgets, fridges can become an eye-sore when they don't look like new anymore or don't fit the colour palette of your kitchen. This is more often true than not when you are renting as the one appliance you bring with you is the fridge. You may find that your white fridge doesn't blend in as well with all the stainless steel appliances in your new home. Cover your fridge to match the rest of your kitchen appliances or alternatively wrap it with blackboard film for your kids to draw on and for you to write down the grocery list and meal planner for the week. Fridges don't only have to be functionalthey can also be pretty.

Projects for the Bedroom

9. Drawers

Sturdy tallboys and set of drawers can often be outdated but yet functional. Or you might have changed your taste and are ready for a new decor style. This is when vinyl comes in really handy to help you create a new set of drawers without breaking the bank and matching it perfectly to your bedroom decor.And don't stop there! Create matching nightstands and bring out a united look of the entire room.

upcycled drawers with different vinyl on each drawer front

10. Headboard

The wood from an old headboard can sometimes be faded or just doesn't fit with the rest of your interior. Instead of going through the process of having to sand down, prime and double paint the surface, use a vinyl of your choice and create a fresh looking headboard.

bedroom furniture wrapped in grey wood grain vinyl

11. Wardrobes

Unfortunately, we cannot all have a huge walk-in closet due to lack of budget or space. Sometimes we have to make do with an ordinary wardrobe. However; that does not mean that it must be ugly. Use sticky back plastic to create a glossy dream for your clothes or make it a pop of colour and the highlight of the room.

Bathroom Project

12. Vanities

Transform your vanity to a high-end luxurious dream with just a few simple steps and sticky back plastic. Go for an industrial look and use the concrete style vinyl, a chic look with a marble design or a simple sleek look with a single colour vinyl. Be extra careful around the edges that are highly exposed to water (e.g around the basin and taps). A coat of silicon around the edges will prevent any water finding its way underneath.

Vanity before and after vinyl application with Sheffield oak umbra

Projects for the living room

13. Coffee table

Change up the look of your coffee table or do-over a table you found at the op-shop. Turn a dark wooden table into a light, modern version with self-adhesive vinyl. Even round tables are no problem, just heat up the vinyl around the edge with the help of a hair dryer and pull it tight to create a seamless edge.

14. Mini bar trolley

Upcycle a bathroom cart, changing table or a second-hand bar cart into a stylish, modern mini bar. Create marble shelves to add a luxurious feeling to your living space.

bar trolley in marble vinyl before and after photo

15. TV units

TV stands can often look very bulky, especially when they are of a dark colour. A soft colour of sticky back plastic can tone it down a bit and put more focus on the TV and your other chosen decor.

TV unit in whitewashed wood grain vinyl before and after

16. Bookshelves

Shelves in your living room can many times look a bit plain or may not resemble your unique style. Let your creativity and fantasy go wild and create a unique piece of furniture that represents your decor taste and personality.

upcycled shelves in sticky back plastic

Kids Room Projects

17. Beds

When children are growing up, their taste in colours and pattern can change really quickly. Vinyl is a great product to cope with the quick changes! You can apply it to the bed frame and have a princess bed for one year and then change it to blue the following year to incorporate an interest of the sea.

bunkbed makeover with rio sticky back plastic

18. Toy organiser

To make organisation easier for you and your child, you can use sticky back plastic to design different colour/patterned trinket boxes which will help you categorise toys and make tidying up more fun.

kidsroom decor using sticky back plastic decals

19. Play kitchen

Add some personality to your child's play kitchen by applying vinyl to the splash back or cabinet fronts. It is on trend to create a mini version kitchen that is a copy of the home kitchen and its decor.

upcycled play kitchen in pink and marble sticky back vinyl

20. Craft area

Black- or Whiteboard vinyl is great in any kids room. Your child can practise writing or drawing on the walls without you having to clean up any mess or having to repaint the whole room. Just use a wet cloth to wipe the vinyl down and it looks as good as new. Alternatively you can apply it to a table and your child can draw straight onto it.

blackboard and whiteboard film in kids room

Other projects

21. Walls

Did you know that sticky back plastic can be used as wallpaper?! If you choose an eye catching style, you can make it the highlight of the room and give the space a special personal touch.

You can also create custom wall art and decals out of the vinyl by just cutting out shapes and motives that you would like to decorate the wall with. This works really well for kids rooms as well, since it is easy to remove when the child grows up and their taste changes.

stairs and walls covered in assorted wood grain vinyl

22. Stairs

Convert your boring stairs to a fun trail up! Use vinyl on the vertical kick boards of the stairs to add some colour and pattern and create your own unique steps.

23. Office space and stationary

Pimp up your office space and make it more enjoyable by customising your paper organisers, notebooks and other stationary with your favourite sticky back plastic.

stationary accessories with black sticky back plastic

24. Outdoor use

Even though d-c-fix is designed for indoor use, it can be applied outdoor too. The expected lifetime is 1-3 years depending on how exposed it is to weather elements.

dark slate self-adhesive vinyl on outside glass table

25. Off-cuts for arts and craft

Keep any off cuts you get and use them for arts and crafts around the home. It's safe to let children use them as the glue is solvent free and does not contain any nasty chemicals.

If you've read this far, then please tell us which project you were most inspired by? What is likely to be your next project?

To watch more of our tutorials please check out and sign up to our YouTube channel.