Ever since I made a bag out of cardboard I’m captivated by the possibilities of this versatile material. You can fold, roll, sew and sculpt it and transform it into stunning furniture.
Here I made a cardboard coffee table, you can also make chairs, sofas, tables, shelves, cupboards, even beds I’ve seen.
This table is easy to make, because of its simple design. I saw a similar table many years ago, I wanted one then, but found it too expensive (although it was probably made out of paper too).
The one I’ve built now out of cardboard wasn’t expensive, just the cost of paint and varnish, how awesome is that.
And this is what the cardboard coffee table looked like in the making.
The great thing about making furniture out of cardboard is you don’t need any fancy tools. All I used for this project was a hot glue gun and a utility knife with sharp blades. The hot glue gun bonds the pieces almost instantly, no waiting around for the glue to dry.
How I made the cardboard coffee table
I cut all the cardboard with a utility knife along a metal ruler and used ordinary craft scissors occasionally.
The table consists of two round pieces, which make the tabletops (top and bottom), 2 straps serving as edges that I glued to these round pieces and the spikes that hold the table up. I put them in slots which I cut into the tabletops and then glued them in to make sure they stay there.
After all the pieces were in place I covered the cardboard with newspaper strips, I used home-made glue (a mixture of water and flour) to paste them. The paper covers the raw edges, smoothens the cardboard and makes the structure stronger.
I then painted the table with acrylic paint applying several coats before putting on 2 coats of varnish (I used yacht varnish). Of course, this doesn’t mean you can leave the table out in the rain, but it will be more protected for sure.
Here is my tutorial about making the cardboard shoulder bag, where I sew cardboard pieces together, also an interesting project!
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