DIY cardboard chest of drawers

A chest of drawers can be made not only of wood, but even of cardboard. But it is worth noting that independent production of furniture from this material must be in accordance with all the rules. This is because cardboard is not as durable as wood.

How to make a chest of drawers

There are quite a lot of implementation options. You can simply take cardboard paper, cut out walls and shelves from it, make drawers and glue everything together. Or you can take a ready-made box (for example, from a refrigerator) and put smaller boxes in it (this design will be quite strong, since the cardboard walls are thicker).

To give the material a beautiful appearance, it can be covered with colored paper, wallpaper or pictures. With good external treatment of such furniture, guests will not be able to believe that the chest of drawers is really made of paper.

What kind of cardboard should it be?

To create furniture, there are a number of material requirements. They are as follows:

1. The material should not be wet. If water gets on it, it must be dried before starting work.
2. It is necessary that cardboard paper is environmentally friendly. If mold or mildew appears on it, the material should not be used as it may cause harm to health. In addition, such material will not be durable, and after some time the structure will break.

Important! If the cardboard is of high quality and durable, but has a bad appearance, this can always be corrected with paper.

Pros and cons of this material

Cardboard has the following advantages:

1. Strength. If the material is of high quality and the work was done at a good level, the chest of drawers will be able to withstand heavy loads.
2. Availability. This material is very cheap. But you can do everything without spending money if you have a large supply of unnecessary cardboard in your house.
3. Environmental friendliness. Cardboard is a clean material that does not pollute the environment and does not cause harm to health.
4. Form. Thanks to its flexibility, any type of structure can be made.

Such material can satisfy any fantasies, and you can experiment with it.

The disadvantages are the following:

1. As a material, it won't last very long. Service life is no more than 10 years.
2. Deteriorates when exposed to water. Therefore, it cannot be placed in a room with high humidity (in the bathroom).

What tools are needed

It all depends on what kind of chest of drawers you need, you will need:

1. Cardboard. There is single-layer, two-layer and three-layer. The latter is the most durable and is suitable for storing heavy items. As a rule, cardboard is bought in the form of boxes, inside which something is packaged. It can be purchased at a hardware store or other home improvement store.
2. Glue gun. It can be replaced with regular glue. But still, the gun is more convenient to use, especially if you constantly make furniture from cardboard. If you decide on a pistol, you need to buy some glue sticks in advance to reload the pistol.
3. Kraft paper. It will help to assemble cardboard parts and smooth the edges. Crafting can also be used for decoration.
4. Scissors.
5. Cutter.It is necessary to purchase additional blades in advance, since they quickly become dull when in contact with such material.
6. Rule. It is necessary to cut out parts along the lines.
7. Plain paper. Needed to remove uneven surfaces.
8. Sponge.
9. Sandpaper. To smooth the corners of the material.
10. Construction tape.
11. Acrylic paint (to cover cardboard). You cannot use enamel, as it will ruin the material.
12. Varnish for coating.
13. Scotch tape for sealing edges.

Attention! The list of materials listed above is not final. In individual cases, additional materials may be needed (wood glue, or a board for working with cardboard). Also, to create the simplest chest of drawers, not all of the materials listed above will be used.

The process of creating a chest of drawers

If you have no experience in creating furniture from cardboard, it is recommended to make a simple model with your own hands. The classic model is suitable - a square with several drawers.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Create a sketch on paper. Set the dimensions depending on the location where the structure will stand. It is necessary to determine in advance the size and quantity of workpieces.
2. You need to cut out the blanks for the walls of the chest of drawers. They must be thick, since this is the basis of the entire structure. Glue them together. The surfaces are connected with instant glue. To ensure that the structure adheres well, place it under a load for a couple of hours.
3. Glue the parts, leaving gaps where the shelves will be installed. It is necessary that the size of the groove matches the height of the shelf.
4. Assemble the base and you can insert the shelves.
5. It is necessary to tape the edges with tape to maintain the strength of the structure.
6. Now you can make boxes, if the dimensions allow, you can use ready-made boxes for household items or shoes.If there are no ready-made boxes, you need to do everything the same as with the base - cut them according to the sketch and glue them together.
7. Before inserting the drawers, the base must be thoroughly dried and allowed to stand. Now you can insert boxes. To make the chest of drawers more beautiful, you can cover it with colored paper or various pictures.
8. At the end of the work, the chest of drawers should be varnished to protect it from external damage.
9. The structure is ready. You can use it.

Creating a chest of drawers from cardboard paper is quite simple. The most important thing is to make the correct markings and sketches, because the most mistakes are made at this step.