When back to school time rolls around, it means one thing… covering endless school books in sticky contact paper! No task fills a parent with more dread than covering those books at 2am the night before school starts.
Struggling to keep the contact paper from getting stuck to the surface and avoiding bubbles are just some of the challenges that many parents face with this laborious back-to-school task. Luckily, we’ve got some handy tips and tricks so you can get your kids books covered as easily as possible!
Why do we need to cover school books?
The benefit of covering school books is that it ensures the longevity of the books. Books covered with contact paper are protected against rips, tears and moisture. Another important reason to cover children’s school books is it allows your kids to experience a personalised touch and helps them to easily identify their belongings when they’re at school. Contact paper provides a durable and custom-fit protection for school books all year round.
How to cover school books with contact paper
If you’re looking to protect your child’s books this year, here’s how to cover school books with contact paper.
What you’ll need:
- School books
- Roll or sheets of sticky contact paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Pin
Step 1: Open the book and place it on the contact paper in a face up position as if you’re about to read it. Make sure the backing of the contact paper, or the material that is pulled off to reveal the sticky side, is facing up.
Step 2: Using a pencil, mark the edges around the book with each side of the rectangle having about one inch beyond the edge. If the contact paper has grid lines, use it as a guide to cut straight lines. Make sure the edges of your rectangle are parallel to the edges of your book. Use scissors to cut the corners at an angle. These cuts will wrap perfectly over the edges of the book.
Step 3: To save time, cut sheets of contact paper for all of the school books that need to be covered at the same time. Make sure to keep each book with its matching piece of contact paper.
Step 4: Once cut, fold the contact paper in half in a vertical position. It should be at the centre where the spine of the school book is located. Flip the book over to the right whilst keeping the spine aligned with the fold.
Step 5: Slowly begin to peel the backing as you press the contact paper. Smooth it out using a ruler. Begin by applying the contact paper to the back cover so you can get the hang of smoothing it before you move on with the front cover.
Step 6: Turn the book to the other side and press its pages firmly against the table. Simultaneously, peel the backing whilst pressing down the contact paper. Smooth it out again with the ruler.
Step 7: Wrap the flaps around the edges. Trim any loose pieces that might be sticking out from the top and bottom corners of the spine.
Creative DIY book covers
Now that you know how to cover school books with contact paper, you can get creative with DIY book covers your kids will love. Trying using clear contact paper to create your own unique designs such as:
- Covering decorative paper with clear contact
- Creating a collage of magazine cut outs
- Drying flowers and adding them to a colourful backdrop
- Decorating the books with stickers and kids drawings
Just glue or stick down your initial designs, then cover them with clean contact to make sure they keep safe all year long!
Save time with slip-on book covers for kids
Whilst these crafty ideas all sound like fun, they can take time. If term 1 is fast approaching and you need a quick and easy solution, try our slip-on book covers. These super easy book covers were made for mums and dads who don’t want to spend hours wrestling with sticky contact paper!
Here’s how you can cover your school books in seconds:
Our slip-on book covers are so easy you can even get the kids to put them on! We have a variety of sizes available so you can pick and choose from exercise book covers, to A4 and scrapbook covers and find exactly what you need.
What’s even better? They’re reusable so you can keep them for years to come. There’s a huge range of designs to suit every child’s hobby, interest and style. They’ll be more than proud to get their books out! Check out our wide range of slip-on book covers today.