How to Make a Sofa From Cardboard

College students and frugal homeowners have invented many ways to transform free or inexpensive building supplies into home furnishings. Cardboard – like milk crates and cinder blocks – is a cheap, readily available material you can reshape into a utilitarian sofa. Corrugated cardboard is comparable to plywood in strength, and is easier to cut and fit together than wood. Though cardboard is unattractive and uncomfortable on its own, you can remedy these problems with foam and fabric.

Measuring tape
Utility knife
1 cardboard piece, 4 by 72 inches
1 cardboard piece, 6 by 72 inches
4 cardboard pieces, 6 by 24 inches
Hot glue gun and glue
1 cardboard piece, 24 by 72 inches
1 cardboard piece, 17 5/8 by 72 inches
1 cardboard piece, 8 by 72 inches
Scrap cardboard pieces
2 cardboard pieces, 8 by 72 inches
2 cardboard pieces, 8 by 30 inches
1 cardboard piece, 30 by 72 inches
1 cardboard piece, 38 by 72 inches
3 ½-inch foam sheet, 17 5/8 by 72 inches
3 ½-inch foam sheet, 30 by 72 inches

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the cardboard pieces to size with a utility knife.
- 2
  Measure and mark the 6-by-24-inch pieces 8 inches in from one of the long sides. Mark the same pieces 4 inches in from one of the short sides. Draw a diagonal line from one marking to the other and cut along the diagonal. These pieces will form the back of the sofa, and the angled part will give an ergonomic tilt for back support.
- 3
  Place the 6-by-72-inch piece on a flat surface. Hot glue the 6-by-24 pieces to this piece perpendicularly at 22-inch intervals so that the 6-inch side faces down and the angled sides are all facing the same direction. The first and last 6-by-24-inch piece should be flush with the ends of the 6-by-72-inch piece.
- 4
  Hot glue the 4-by-72-inch piece horizontally over the tops of the 6-by-24-inch pieces. You have now completed the frame for the sofa’s back.
- 5
  Hot glue the 24-by-72-inch piece against the back of the back frame.
- 6
  Apply hot glue to the edges of scrap cardboard pieces and pack them firmly inside the hollow parts of the frame so that the corrugated part of the cardboard is vertical. These pieces will add strength to the sofa.
- 7
  Hot glue the 8-by-72-inch cardboard piece horizontally across the non-angled edges of the 6-by-24-inch pieces. Hot glue the 17 5/8-by-72-inch piece across the angled edges of the 6-by-24-inch pieces.
- 8
  Hot glue the short edges of the 8-by-72-inch pieces and the 8-by-30-inch pieces and attach them together to make the frame for the sofa’s seat.
- 9
  Hot glue the back of the seat frame to the non-angled section of the sofa back with a generous amount of glue.
- 10
  Hot glue the 38-by-72-inch piece to the bottom of the sofa.
- 11
  Apply hot glue to the edges of scrap cardboard pieces and pack them firmly inside the hollow seat cavity so that the corrugated part of the cardboard is vertical. These pieces will add strength to the sofa’s seat.
- 12
  Hot glue a 30-by-72-inch cardboard piece to the top of the sofa’s seat. Your rough sofa is complete.
- 13
  Cut foam sheeting to size with a utility knife.
- 14
  Hot glue the foam sheets to the back and seat of the sofa.
- 15
  Drape a large piece of fabric over the sofa to conceal the rough materials.

How to Decorate a Room With a Fainting Couch

How to Replace Sagging Couch Cushions

Couches