DIY Cardboard Furniture: A Comprehensive Guide to Building Your Own Sustainable Pieces

Creating your own furniture doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. With a few simple materials and some time, you can build surprisingly sturdy and stylish pieces using cardboard. This guide will walk you through the process, from selecting your materials to finishing your furniture for long-lasting durability.

Materials You’ll Need

The key to successful cardboard furniture lies in using the right materials. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Corrugated Cardboard Sheets: You’ll need at least three identical sheets. The size depends on the size of the furniture you want to create. 70cm x 60cm sheets are a good starting point for smaller projects. Importantly, ensure the cardboard is double-layered for increased strength and stability.
• Cutter or Utility Knife: A sharp cutter is essential for precise and clean cuts.
• Ruler or Measuring Tape: Accurate measurements are crucial for ensuring your furniture pieces fit together properly.
• Pencil or Marker: For drawing outlines and marking cutting lines.
• Glue Gun and Glue Sticks: A glue gun provides a strong and fast bond for assembling the cardboard pieces. Hot glue is ideal for this purpose.
• Kraft Paper Tape: For reinforcing edges and seams, adding extra durability and a cleaner finish.
• Plaster or Joint Compound (Optional): For creating a smooth, paintable surface.
• Sandpaper (Optional): For smoothing out the plaster or joint compound.
• Paint or Decorative Paper (Optional): For adding the finishing touches and personalizing your furniture.
• Floor Vitrifying (Optional): Water-based floor vitrifying is used for the furniture’s protection. It will allow you to wash your furniture and it will also protect it against small shocks and scratches.

Step-by-Step Guide to Building Cardboard Furniture

Follow these steps to create your own unique cardboard furniture:

1. Prepare the Cardboard Sheets

You’ll need three identical corrugated cardboard sheets. These sheets will form the three layers of your furniture: the frontage, the inner layer, and the back. Think of this process as creating a 3D structure through the extrusion of a 2D design. The example uses sheets that are 70cm x 60cm.

2. Draw the Outlines on the Frontage Sheet

On the first cardboard sheet, draw the outlines of your desired furniture design. Be as precise as possible, as this will determine the overall shape of your piece. Consider the functionality and aesthetics of your design at this stage.

3. Cut the Frontage Sheet

Using your cutter or utility knife, carefully cut along the drawn outlines. Take your time to ensure clean and accurate cuts. A sharp blade will make this process much easier and safer. Dispose of the excess cardboard responsibly.

4. Create the Inner Layer

Place the cut-out frontage sheet on top of the second cardboard sheet. Trace the outlines of the frontage onto the second sheet. This will ensure that the inner layer matches the frontage perfectly. Then, cut the inner layer along the traced outlines.

5. Prepare the Back Sheet

Place the frontage sheet on top of the third cardboard sheet. Trace the outer outlines of the frontage onto the third sheet. If your design includes any outer outlines, cut them out as needed. In some cases, the back sheet may simply be the unchanged sheet.

Here is an example where the back needs some cutting (taken from http://camillecarton.free.fr the best french site about cardboard furniture making) :

(Fond = back, intermédiaire = inner, Façade = frontage)

6. Determine Cross-Piece Placement

Decide where you need to place cross-pieces to connect the three profile sheets. These cross-pieces will provide structural support and stability to your furniture.

7. Cut Notches in the Inner Profile

The inner profile is where you will encase the cross-pieces. At each location where you want to place a cross-piece, cut a notch in the inner profile. The notch should be the same width as the cross-piece to ensure a snug fit. The depth of the notch depends on the design and the amount of support you need.

Here is an example of a cross-piece:

Note that cross-pieces width will correspond to the fourniture inner width

And here is my inner profile with all the notches cut:

8. Mark Cross-Piece Placement on Other Profiles

Before encasing the cross-pieces in their notches, place the inner profile on the frontage and back profiles. Use a pencil to mark the location of each notch on the other profiles. This will ensure that the cross-pieces are aligned correctly when you assemble the furniture. Be sure to mark the inner side of the sheet, usually the side where one can see the corrugated texture.

9. Assemble the Cross-Pieces

Insert the cross-pieces into their corresponding notches in the inner profile. In our example, all cross-pieces are of the same size, but if their length is always the same, their height depends on your furniture outlines, so that its height fit with the ceilings and the floors of the furniture parts. Apply a small amount of hot glue to secure them in place. Hold the cross-piece and profile together for a few seconds until the glue solidifies.

10. Attach the Back Profile

Align the back profile with the assembled cross-pieces. Apply a thin line of hot glue to each cross-piece where it will contact the back profile. Press the back profile against the cross-pieces, holding them together for a few seconds until the glue sets.

11. Attach the Frontage Profile

Repeat the process with the frontage profile. Align the frontage profile with the assembled cross-pieces, apply hot glue, and press the pieces together until the glue sets.

12. Cover the Walls with Cardboard

Measure the dimensions of each wall or section that needs to be covered. Cut cardboard pieces to the corresponding sizes. Apply hot glue to the cross-pieces and/or sheets that will be in contact with the cardboard covering. Attach the cardboard pieces and hold them in place for a few seconds until the glue solidifies. Continue this process for all adjacent walls and sections.

On my example There is 24 cardboard chunks to put in order to cover all the inner spaces, and only 4 big ones for the outer. All my chunks are simple ones, but it won’t be different if there were curved ones, except that for every curve chunk I would have needed to break its straightness by rolling it over something curved like a bottle.

Strengthening and Decorating Your Cardboard Furniture

Once the basic structure is complete, you can strengthen and decorate your furniture to enhance its durability and appearance:

1. Reinforce with Kraft Paper Tape

Apply kraft paper tape to all edges and seams where two cardboard pieces meet. This will provide extra reinforcement and create a cleaner, more finished look. Due to the 6 niches there are 88 kraft bands to glue, sure it takes some time but that’s really worth it.

2. Apply Plaster or Joint Compound (Optional)

For a smoother surface, you can apply a coat of plaster or joint compound to the entire piece of furniture. Let it dry completely before sanding it down for an even smoother finish.

3. Sanding (Optional)

If you applied plaster or joint compound, lightly sand the surface to create a smooth and even base for painting or decorating.

4. Painting and Decorating

Now comes the fun part! You can paint your cardboard furniture with any color or design you like. Alternatively, you can cover it with decorative paper or fabric to match your home decor.

You can also add some texture to the plaster, paper pulp that will add to its solidity, sand or coffee marc (my favorite texture that I also use with only acrylic paint) or cork or anything, but if you do so you need to also add x4 dried wallpaper glue before the linseed oil.

After that, you can choose to cover the whole furniture with some paper that will make it fit well within your appartment style, or you can simply do like I did and paint it with any paint that you like, I recommand white acrylic paint where you can put lots of texture and colorant.

5. Floor Vitrifying (Optional)

Cover the furniture with 2 or more coats of floor vitrifying, the water based one if you can afford it. It’s expansive but it will allow you to wash your furniture and it will also protect it against small shocks and scratches.

And finally here is the last thing to do : cover the furniture with 2 or more coats of floor vitrifying, the water based one if you can afford it. It’s expansive but it will allow you to wash your furniture and it will also protect it against small shocks and scratches.

DIY Plaster Recipe (“Enduit Cyber-Bricoleur”)

This is an optional step to strengthen the furniture. I fully cover it with a plaster that we call “enduit cyber-bricoleur”, enduit is the french word for plaster and cyber-bricoleur is the name of the website that published that recipe (see here).

Here are the ingredients, given in the order where they must ideally be melted : (I assume you use a small unit like a soup spoon or cup of coffee)

• Precipitated chalk : x9 (white chalk powder usually used to opacify store’s front)
• PVA glue : x6 (usually use to glue wood)
• Water : x3
• linseed oil: x1 (of a smaller unit, I mean a coffee spoon if u used a soup spoon)

Just melt each ingredient with the former ones, and give it a 5 minutes rest. It is possible to color the plaster otherwise it will be white.

Then cover the furniture of one coat, and very important, let it dry, before to apply another coat. If you want your furniture to be very clean and soft, you can sandpaper very softly.

Conclusion

Building your own cardboard furniture is a rewarding and sustainable project. By following these steps, you can create unique and functional pieces that are both eco-friendly and budget-friendly. Get creative with your designs and enjoy the process of transforming simple cardboard sheets into beautiful and durable furniture.

Then you are done.

Here is a tiny furniture I just did last week-end, very easy to do…