There are billions of ideas for interior improvement in the world, many of them are quite economical, since the implementation requires only what is usually on hand or materials that cost a penny. Corrugated cardboard is one of them. Therefore, do not rush to throw away boxes of household appliances and other purchases. Many people have long made furniture from this packaging material for their own homes. And the more advanced ones organized a full-fledged business based on this.
But how can seemingly ordinary flimsy paper become a table, chair or sofa?
How to make furniture from cardboard so that it does not fall apart at the first test and is suitable for use in the interior?
Let's find out.
Cardboard furniture is already made all over the world, and this trend began back in the 70s. Therefore, today there are technologies that have been tried and tested by many people. Without them, fragile cardboard is unlikely to support human weight. Therefore, let's not reinvent the wheel and consider them.
Gluing cardboard
Cardboard is an easily bendable material, but if we are talking about one or two sheets. And when there are dozens of such sheets, it is unlikely to be deformed so easily. That is why cardboard furniture gains sufficient strength through gluing. The only requirement for this technique is that the adjacent sheets of cardboard must be perpendicular to each other.
The shape of the furniture is given before gluing the sheets; the required number of parts are first cut out of them.
As a rule, furniture made in this way has more elegant and pleasing to the eye forms, vaguely reminiscent of wicker furniture.
To obtain identical, clear, correct geometric parts, laser cutting technology is used. Thanks to her, it is possible to create literally cardboard masterpieces.
It’s definitely worth saying that you can also cut cardboard furniture with your own hands using this method. But in order to initially have a positive result, it is worth starting with simpler forms.
For example, it’s much easier to cut chairs like these without curls from cardboard.
Advantages and disadvantages
It may seem that cardboard furniture is ugly and impractical. In fact, if properly processed, the material is as strong as fiberboard, so tables, chairs or chests of drawers can last for several years. The main advantage of cardboard is its availability. The raw materials are used to package various goods; every store has them in large quantities - problems with finding unnecessary boxes will never arise. All costs will consist of purchasing tools and materials for decoration.
Cardboard has other advantages:
- The material is extremely malleable and plastic, it makes unusual, original furniture. The design of the products can be anything; the raw materials allow you to realize your wildest fantasies, design the item according to your taste and desire, making it as convenient as possible for yourself.
- Cardboard furniture is lightweight and portable - rearranging your apartment or moving will not cause any unnecessary difficulties.
- The furnishings are safe and environmentally friendly. Cardboard does not emit harmful substances into the air - in fact, it is ordinary paper. When furniture reaches the end of its service life, it can be easily disposed of without harming the environment.
Along with their advantages, cardboard products have one significant drawback - they are very sensitive to moisture. With high humidity in the room, furniture quickly becomes unusable. Even paint or varnish will not protect it from water, so cardboard furnishings are not used for the kitchen or bathroom. And at the dacha, it is imperative to bring furniture into the house at night so that it does not deteriorate under the influence of precipitation and other atmospheric phenomena.
Benefits of leather furniture, tips for arranging and caring for it
Building a frame
Frame technology does not involve the use of glue. All furniture is made in such a way that the parts are literally threaded into each other. The entire structure resembles one continuous stiffening rib. For such furniture, ordinary cardboard boxes are not suitable; it is necessary to use more durable multi-layer corrugated cardboard.
This cardboard furniture looks a little rougher and more reminiscent of art objects.
Combination
The combination allows you to hide the rough ends of the furniture support base. They are not visible, as in the previous case, so the furniture looks more comfortable. Another curved sheet is placed on top of the supporting cardboard frame. In this way you can make not only a table, a chair, an armchair and even a small sofa, but also other pieces of furniture.
Furniture made from cardboard may look simple, but when tens of thousands of rubles are saved, it makes sense to think about such a solution.
Many modern companies are very creative when arranging their offices. And sometimes cardboard serves as a key material in this matter. In addition, the company's capital will not suffer much.
Decoration methods
Before assembling furniture, you need to determine the front and back sides of the cardboard. The first one is smooth; inscriptions can be placed on it. The sheets are cut with a sharp knife or jigsaw, after which the cut areas are cleaned with sandpaper. Furniture is assembled using glue. It is recommended to use it even if the parts have grooves. After gluing, you need to leave the products for a day to dry, and then begin finishing.
The main thing is to process the cuts and corners. To do this, they are glued with brown craft paper. To avoid its borders being noticeable, it is recommended to tear the paper rather than cut it. Next, you need to clean the edges with sandpaper, fill the unevenness and cracks with putty. If the finished furniture should be light, it should be covered with white craft paper or tracing paper on top, and the corners should be secured with paper tape.
Materials for creating furniture and methods of decorating them
After gluing and processing, you can leave the furniture untouched - this original option is recognized by many designers. But more often than not, products are decorated to suit your taste, showing the wonders of imagination. Various methods are used for finishing:
- Decoupage - surfaces are covered with napkins or special paper.
- Decoration with wallpaper, newspapers or self-adhesive film.
- Covered with fabric (velvet, satin or silk are ideal). The material is secured using a stapler or special pins.
- Coating with acrylic paint. This method allows you to combine different colors, create patterns, and apply your own painting.
After decorating, it is recommended to coat the furniture with clear varnish - it will not only protect the surface from friction, but also make it more durable.
Furniture made from cardboard tubes
A unique technology, only unlike the previous ones, it requires not sheets of cardboard, but cardboard tubes. It is also easy to make any furniture for sitting or lying down. Cardboard tubes can also serve as a good support for a dining table or coffee table.
There are other manufacturing technologies, for example origami, modular designs made of cardboard. Of course, they allow you to get a slightly different appearance of the furniture, and perhaps they also have design advantages. But they are more difficult to implement and often do not justify the time spent.
The relevance of the cardboard house
Making a thematic object is, first of all, creativity, and only then practicality. However, even such original projects demonstrate rationality:
- Home children's gazebo - zones a children's or common room, creating a play area;
- Shelter for a cat - sets your pet up for a quiet rest;
- Doll and tea houses - fill the tabletop or floor covering with an interesting composition in which characters and objects live their immobilized lives.
It remains to be noted that it is not recommended to make miniature structures when there is a cat or cat in the apartment house
Perhaps the most submissive tailed pet is able to pacify its ardor, understanding the importance of a contrasting composition for its owners.
An antique approach to business
Believe it or not, the photos below show cardboard antiques. It turns out that this happens too. Such furniture, of course, can hardly be used for its intended purpose. But as an interior exhibit that surprises guests, it will work very well.
The designer and the craftsman approached the matter thoroughly. They managed to embody authentic classic elements and design with talent in furniture made from old cardboard.
We even managed to create a zigzag chaise longue made from cardboard that imitates leather upholstery. Luxurious things were made from waste material.
Children's furniture made of cardboard
As you know, children grow quite quickly, but cribs for babies made of natural wood sometimes cost a lot of money. We don’t take into account the laminated chipboard completely saturated with who knows what kind of glue.
There is a way out; you can make a 100% eco-friendly crib with your own hands from cardboard. In addition, a thing made with love by the parents will have a beneficial effect on the baby’s future dreams.
Sometimes children's furniture made of cardboard resembles decorations, but this is even good. For preschool children, such a good environment will only be beneficial.
Designer furniture made of cardboard
Impeccable quality, thoughtful design, non-cliché - this is what always distinguishes products from the creative “pen” of designers. They are the ones who fully prove to the rest of the world that from seemingly unsuitable materials it is possible to create fully competitive furniture with the standard furniture industry.
Harmony of forms, high aesthetics, compliance with fashion trends of the world - all this attracts people and makes them shell out a lot of money for their creations. And it doesn’t matter at all if the starting material for this was the most ordinary cardboard.
Photo ideas for creativity
Furniture from cardboard boxes can be made more complex and simpler. Of course, a sofa, table or cardboard shelving will require more time, effort and patience. If you are not ready for this, you should start with simple things, such as shelves.
We bring to your attention a few more ideas:
Preliminary preparation
Preparatory work involves creating a drawing for a specific model. Ready-made drawings can be found on the Internet, and video tutorials on making cardboard furniture will also be useful.
Cardboard table and chairs - dimensions
Next, you need to measure the area where the furniture will be located, and taking this data into account, create a design diagram or make adjustments to the finished drawing. If you have experience working in special programs for creating drawings, it’s worth using it. After depicting the drawing in volume and its projection with side, rear, front and top views, each detail should be drawn in detail.
Drawing of a chair made of cardboard
The process of making cardboard furniture includes preparing the raw materials themselves for processing. During transportation, cardboard is exposed to external influences and often becomes dirty. Since the material does not tolerate moisture, it is prohibited to wash it. It would be appropriate to wipe the stained area with a damp cloth. It is very difficult to get rid of creases and bends received during transportation at home, and they can ruin the appearance of the furniture, so you need to transport this fragile material carefully.
