How to Assemble a Cardboard Wall

Large open rooms or unfinished basements can be great usable spaces when completed. If you have such an area and have been considering dividing the space into smaller rooms, a temporary cardboard wall might be the answer. A cardboard wall will allow you to try out different room sizes without making an immediate permanent commitment to a major construction project within your home.

Supplies:

• Large card board pieces


• Utility knife


• Tape measure


• Pencil


• Small tacks


• Drywall tape


• Paint


• 1-inch x 1-inch furrowing strips


• Hammer


• Expoxy


• Paint brush


• Drop cloth

1. Draw out a small plan of the wall you want to install in your room.

2. Visit a home improvement store and purchase some large sheets of cardboard. If you are on a budget or simply don't want to spend too much on the project, you can also use cardboard boxes obtained from a local retailer or grocery store.

3. Measure the room to establish where the wall is actually being placed. Mark the ceiling and floor of the wall placement location. Cut two of the furrowing strips the length of the wall. Use the tacks and hammer to nail one strip to the ceiling and the other one along the floor directly in line with each other.

4. Carefully tack an additional furrowing strip to both the top and bottom pieces of wood installed earlier at the end of the wall. The strips should be placed every 16 inches for a standard wall and they will be perpendicular to the original two strips. Remember that it will be necessary to measure and trim the strips to fit between the floor and ceiling in order to make your frame. When your frame is completed it should appear as a ladder lying on its side spanning the floor to ceiling.

5. Measure your cardboard to fit your wall sections and trim accordingly with the utility knife. It is important that the corners be absolutely square on each piece.

6. Place the drop cloth on your floor to protect it. Open the epoxy and use your brush to generously coat the edges of the cardboard and affix the cardboard to the wood frame. Repeat this process until the entire wall frame is covered with the cardboard on both sides.

7. Allow the epoxy to dry overnight. If there are loose edges, small tacks can be used to tack the cardboard down to the wood, but be careful not to nail through the frame onto the other side of the wall making an unsightly puncture hole.

8. Apply the drywall tape to cover any seams you have made when connecting your cardboard. Allow the tape to dry.

9. Paint your new wall in the color of your choice.