Cardboard that gets a second life: building with boxes during the autumn holidays
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
From moving box to cardboard castle: which box, which knife, which tape and which markers you need. Plus four constructions that almost always work.
After a move, a large order, or a week of webshop packages, a stack of cardboard accumulates in the hallway. Usually, this stack is flattened and put with the paper recycling. What a waste, because in October it's autumn break, and then a sturdy box is the cheapest building material you have at home. With a knife, a roll of tape, and a few markers, you can build something in an afternoon that a child will play with for days.
The difference between a cardboard castle that stands strong and a flimsy structure that collapses after ten minutes isn't in the idea, but in the material. Below is what you need, what to look out for, and what usually goes wrong.
Start with the box, not the idea
The size of your box determines what you can make. If you come up with an idea first and then look for cardboard, you'll always be one size short. The other way around works better: lay out what you have and choose a construction based on that.
Large and sturdy. An Action Moving Box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm (50 liters) costs €3.50 and is the base for anything a child can fit in or under: a house, a car, a counter. Two boxes next to each other already create a hallway.
When using recycled cardboard, look out for grease, moisture, and creases. A box that has been wet will fold along the old crease and won't hold glue or tape anymore. A box with a dent in the corner will always collapse there again.
Cutting: this is where it usually goes wrong
Scissors work for about one layer of cardboard. After that, you'll be tearing more than cutting, and you'll get frayed edges that won't stick straight. A utility knife cuts through in one smooth motion.
The Kinzo utility knife blades, 3 pieces cost €1.95. If you want to craft with multiple people at once, the set of 8 utility knives for €4.95 is cheaper per piece. These knives are adult tools: the adult cuts, the children draw, glue, and decorate.
Three things to keep your cutting neat:
Put something underneath. A piece of scrap cardboard under your workpiece protects the table and keeps the blade sharper longer.
Break off the blade in time. A dull blade tears cardboard instead of cutting it, and you push harder — exactly when it slips.
Don't cut through, but fold. For a hinge or a roof pitch, only cut the top layer. The cardboard will then fold tightly along that line and remain intact.
Taping: which tape for what
Construction and decoration require different tapes. For the skeleton of your creation, you want wide and strong; for aesthetics, you want narrow and neat.
Always tape on the inside of a corner if it needs to be sturdy, and on the outside if it needs to be neat. If you want to do a lot of taping without constantly searching for the end of the tape: the Kinzo tape dispenser with 2 rolls costs €9.95 and saves more time than you think during an afternoon of crafting.
Decorating without the cardboard bulging
Paint on cardboard works against you: the moisture soaks into the top layer, which expands and makes the surface bulge. Markers give the same result without waves.
If you still want color blocks: stick colored paper onto the cardboard instead of painting it. With Scotch Crystal tape, you'll hardly see the attachment.
Four constructions that almost always work
The house. Moving box on its side, cut out a door on the long side, two windows, the loose flaps as a small canopy above. Done in twenty minutes.
The car. Same box, bottom removed, four wheels made of cardboard circles with black tape as tires. Two holes on the side plus a piece of rope create shoulder straps.
The tower. Six to ten 15 cm cube boxes, all taped shut. Stackable, throw-able, and usable as shipping boxes again after the holiday.
The shop. Treat boxes as products, a large box as a counter, prices written with a marker. Works surprisingly well for children between four and eight.
For all four: build the skeleton first, then decorate. If you start the other way around, you'll be taping over your own drawings.
What to keep after the holidays?
Cardboard that has been taped shut once and then cut open again is no longer reliable as shipping packaging — the flaps no longer close tightly and the seam is weakened. Use that cardboard as filler, a垫, or a cutting mat.
Boxes that have only been folded shut and painted can be flattened and stored dry for the next rainy afternoon. Stand them upright against a wall, not flat under something heavy: this will keep the folds sharp and the corners intact.
Get started yourself
First choose your box, then your knife, then your tape, and only then your color — in that order, you'll build something that stands. All sizes can be found in Boxes and Moving Boxes, adhesive supplies in Tape, cutting tools in Scissors & Knives, and markers in Writing and Hand Lettering. Unsure which box size fits what you have in mind? Feel free to email info@verpakkingdeals.nl — we're happy to help, whether it's for a hundred packages or one cardboard castle.
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