# What is the purpose of shelf paper? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026 "2009-08-28T14:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/21 "2009-08-30T17:08:35Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > 😕😕😕 Cite on that?? Here’s an [example](http://www.amazon.com/Griptex-Wonderliner-240-Inch-Standard-White/dp/B000H7VGTK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1251651984&sr=1-1) or [two](http://www.amazon.com/Duck-Products-1100733-Non-Adhesive-20-Square-Feet/dp/B002AS9NB2/ref=pd_cp_hg_1_img) of padding-type shelf liner (as opposed to paper-type discussed above). ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/22 "2009-08-30T20:06:35Z")
Yes, I know about that stuff (which, if I recall correctly, was originally designed to keep things from **slipping** in drawers and on shelves. As an added advantage, it may act as a shock absorber. But what confused me is that is not paper, and I’ve never had shelves where the contents rattled, short of during earthquakes. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/23 "2009-08-30T23:26:46Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Yes I did. > > As you can see I thought I was under attack for liking clean. Damn my subtlety! twicks, who also uses shelf paper ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/24 "2009-08-31T00:28:14Z")
My elderly mom is stressing right now because the shelf paper in her bedroom closet is torn, and I have told her I will replace it “soon”. Since these shelves are made from unfinished plywood, shelf paper is needed so that clothing doesn’t snag, things slide easier, it looks “finished”, and is easier to keep clean than unfinished wood. She also gets freaked out a bit if any drawers in dressers and armoires are used, for any purpose, without a shelf-paper lining. The kitchen cabinets get a liner of contact paper so that food spills can be cleaned up easier. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/25 "2009-08-31T04:03:17Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Damn my subtlety! > > twicks, who also uses shelf paper And what is your kitchen’s crime rate? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/26 "2009-08-31T10:40:38Z")
> [@Lillith\_Fair](#): > > Wow. Lots of really good reasons. > > Let’s face it. I guess my reason for not using it is that I’m lazy. Do you clean the shelves? Changing the paper is a lot faster than cleaning the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/27 "2009-08-31T11:33:23Z")
For the people that haven’t had to deal with the old shelves, let me add that painting them was bad. The oil based paint did not remain a nice solid surface and items would stick into the surface over time. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/28 "2009-08-31T12:22:42Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I don’t want my plates and glasses on that stuff. Your welcome to let yours set directly on it. I know that it contains mouse poop and pee in that grime. Contact paper did even better at covering this than shelf liner. I have contact paper on some of my shelves, too… for just these reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/29 "2009-08-31T13:39:23Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Cupboards have been so much nicer for a about 30 years I still think God I love vinyl coated shelving. Harmonious Discord, are you talking about those coated wire racks? I hate those things. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/30 "2009-08-31T13:52:18Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Harmonious Discord, are you talking about those coated wire racks? I hate those things. No Think of what covers all that pressed board core furniture. The same thing goes on many kitchen cabinet shelves, and many cabinets are made entirely from the chip board covered in the laminate. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/31 "2009-08-31T14:21:24Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > And what is your kitchen’s crime rate? Huh? Better than the grime rate, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/32 "2009-08-31T15:31:36Z")
So a couple of years ago, I was at my aunt’s new house for Thanksgiving. She had just had a new kitchen put in. Someone asked me what I thought of the granite countertops. I glanced over and said “oh, very nice.” Then they all started laughing at me. Then I looked more closely. Her real granite countertops had been delayed, and so her contractor made her temporary countertops out of plywood and granite-patterned contact paper! :smack: He did a good job. I’m another who has shelf paper on many of the shelves in my apartment for many of the same reasons. It’s also a great (real) solution for dealing with grody old countertops. I tend to like funky old apartments, which often come with funky old countertops. A little contact paper and a sharp utility knife gives you a fresh clean surface. I’ve found that the patterned stuff lasts about 6-8 months before fading, and the plain stuff lasts longer. But replacing it is easy and contact paper is cheap. My mom likes to get vinyl flooring scraps to line the bottoms of floor-level cabinets like the one under the sink where things are more likely to spill. Easy to clean, sturdy, and stuff slides easily on it. ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026/33 "2009-09-01T01:05:19Z")
My first reaction was, well, it’s pretty. I always thought shelf paper referred to the stuff that you put on the front edge of each shelf and fold so that the decorative edge shows. I have a bunch of leftover packages of it that belonged to my Grandmother. I use it in my china cabinets, where it shows through the glass. Grandma would also use it in any open (doorless) cabinets. I have fond, fond memories of shelf paper, and put it in the same nostalgic category as flour shifters and floral enamel dishpans. But evidently you’re asking about something rather more utilitarian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-shelf-paper/508026.md?page=1)