12. Relining the inside
Relining of a trunk will add a clean surface to the inside and finish off the trunk for use as a blanket chest, etc. Any number of materials can be used to reline but plain paper, decorative paper, wallpaper, fabric, and cedar paneling are the usual choices.
First, scrape the old paper out with a paint scraper. It helps to wet the old paper down with a spray bottle and vinegar/water.
Next, if there are any gaps running the length of the trunk, glue down a 1-1/2" strip of thin fabric material over them. Linen fabric works well for this. Make sure the wood on the inside of the trunk is sealed. I like to paint the inside with white water-base latex paint and use white glue to paste it in.
Plain paper is my choice for relining. I use unprinted china wrapping paper. Use the same procedure as with wallpaper. A hot air blower is necessary to dry and shrink the paper to a wrinkle-free condition. You will have much fewer wrinkles if you paint the glue on the paper. It will expand and when you use the blow dryer that will tighten it to a very smooth surface.
If you choose wallpaper, save yourself a lot of bother and put it on a sheet of poster board fitted to the sides of your trunk. It is difficult to work with and because of the many lap joints is difficult to get to stay glued in the corners. Just make sure and cover the corners with a strip of wallpaper. You can also reline with plain paper wallpaper.
The procedure for paper or linen:
Cut each piece to fit with 1/2" extra at the corners
Reline:
the ends - first
front and back - second
bottom/top - last.
You may also re-line a trunk with cloth material a good light linen is perfect. When lining in cloth be sure to glue the cloth to a poster board backer first before gluing it into the trunk. Cut the poster board to size for each surface before gluing on the cloth, then glue the poster board/cloth assembly into the trunk. Use 3M spray contact glue for this.
If you are good at woodworking and don't mind the added weight of cedar try lining the trunk with cedar paneling. Keep in mind that if your trunk has a tray and you reline completely in cedar, the tray will not fit any longer because the cedar will make the trunk smaller on the inside. Find a good woodworker to reduce the size of the tray so that it fits inside your trunk again or only line up to the tray shelf.
Any trays should be relined completely with plain paper or fabric along with the inside of the trunk.
Remember to have fun and not to rush, give things time to dry completely before moving on to the next phase, and if you just can't seem to get it finished, we are always here to help or complete your restoration!
