Shelf Liner

A shelf liner can be useful in many situations. If you use wire shelving in your garage or tool shed, you've probably noticed that they are durable, economical and can hold weight well. Although they are very handy to have, smaller items occasionally fall out between the wires. This can be problematic, especially if you have lots of nuts, screws or other small pieces of hardware. You can add shelf liners to prevent this hassle.

Shelf liners are also helpful when you have shelves that need protection of their surface. Antique or expensive shelves with beautiful finishes need to have those finishes protected from the items you will put on them.

The cheapest and simplest shelf liners are made of paper. This provides a buffer between your shelves and the china or pans that you store on them. The strength of protection is thin, since it's only paper, but paper will still be able to prevent dishes or other items from sticking to the surfaces, or scratching them. The minuses to paper liners include the fact that they can be a bit difficult to keep exactly in place, and they sometimes allow moisture to seep around or through them.

The next step up in a shelf liner is a rubber liner. They usually have ribs, which can help them stay in place. This also makes it easier to cut them to the exact size you need. They give you a cushion to protect the shelves beneath them, as well as the items on them, like china or fine crystal. The shelves' ridges can also help them remain in place, without having to use adhesives. Rubber shelf liners can be porous, which doesn't protect the shelves from moisture, and the ribs sometimes make them harder to clean.

Padded shelf liners can stay in place by themselves, like the rubber liners. They give superlative protection to the shelves' surface and the items stored on them, too. Use liners that are made from non-porous polyethylene if you are lining an area that is rich in moisture.

Vinyl shelf liners also protect wooden surfaces, and they perform similarly to padded or rubber liners. Vinyl really shows its colors in rough jobs. It is a good thickness and is easy to clean. It will also help to fill in gaps so that you won't lose any of your small tools. Vinyl is strong, and if you add it to a steel wire shelf, it will make it stronger. It will also help your wire shelf to resist water. If you have a particularly thick piece of vinyl, it will be difficult to cut with scissors. Some companies that market wire shelving will also handle shelf liners made of vinyl, and these are made for their products specifically.

Rigid, clear shelf liners provide your shelves with a grip bottom and a clear textured surface. This type of lining is not adhesive, but it does provide durable protection and you can easily wipe it clean. Shelf liners that are adhesive provide a permanent, strong protection for your shelves and the items on them. They stay in place with an adhesive, and this type of shelf liner is decorative and has a vinyl top that's easy to wipe off when it gets dirty.