How to Make a Wall Out of Cardboard for Your Unfinished Basement

You don't have to spend a fortune to turn your unfinished basement into a livable space. If you need privacy, or simply a way to section off specific areas in your basement, you can make walls out of cardboard that are both functional and nice to look at. These walls don't give much privacy, but they do add dimension, and can be used as pieces of art to really make your basement unique.

Before you start working with your cardboard, you will need a piece of wood like a 1x1 that measures the length of how far you want your wall to be. You can also use a curtain rod or dowels as well. Have a friend help you hold the wood to the ceiling to mark a straight line across the studs of the ceiling so you can hang the wood. This wood will be what your cardboard pieces will hang from. Once your studs are marked, screw hooks large enough to hold the wood into the studs

To get your cardboard, you simply collect several boxes. The boxes can be the same size or they can be varying sizes. I used small boxes (which work best) that are all the same size and I really like how it turned out. Though it isn't necessary to use the same size cardboard pieces, it does make the process easier. For the wall I am going to explain how to make, the pieces have to be the same size. To get your individual pieces of cardboard, you cut the boxes apart at the fold lines. Doing this helps insure that the sides are even, and the individual pieces themselves are near perfect squares or rectangles, something that makes the wall much more appealing.

The next step in making your cardboard wall is hiding the ugly sides of the cardboard. To do this, you tear of a piece of masking tape and carefully adhere the middle of the tape down the middle of the side, so that it is even on both sides. You'll want a piece that will not only cover one whole side, but will also wrap around at least an inch at each corner. When taping down the corners, very carefully run your finger down the middle to make sure the tape is secure, then gently fold the remaining tape to the front and back of the piece, making sure that the tape is secure there as well. Try to go at this slowly so that the tape doesn't bubble or fold over on itself. If it does, it's not a super big deal, but it does look nicer if there aren't any lumps in the tape.

Continue that method until all the sides of the cardboard pieces are taped up.

Once you've finished that process, you need to paint your pieces. I hung my pieces up on a clothes line outside and brushed interior wall paint on, flipping the pieces over to paint the other side once the paint was dry. I chose not to use spray paint because the gallon paint was cheaper, and the idea behind this is to save money. You will more than likely need at least two coats of paint to cover any writing or pictures on the cardboard whether you spray paint or brush the paint on. Make sure all areas of the cardboard are painted. Once you are finished, the cardboard pieces almost look like thin pieces of painted wood.

Now that all of your pieces are cut, taped, and painted, it's time to put it all together. You can use twine, thin rope, embroidery floss, or cord to put the pieces together. And, you'll need your measuring tape or ruler.

Poke holes through the corners of all your pieces (if your cardboard pieces are not the same size, then on the larger pieces, poke holes only where the smaller pieces end). I used an ice pick to poke holes with. Measure out two pieces of twine (or what you have chosen to use to tie it together with) that is the same length from the floor to the ceiling of where you want your wall to hang. Wrap a small piece of masking tape at the end of the twine making a point so that you can thread the twine easily through the holes you've punched in the cardboard. Push the end through the top right hole of your first piece of cardboard from back to front, and pull through. Tie at knot at the end of the twine big enough so that it won't slide through the hole. Now push the twine through the bottom hole of the cardboard on the same side until the twine is taut. Repeat the process on the left side of the cardboard.

Next, measure out the length of your cardboard piece (up and down). Measure out the same number on one of the pieces of twine and tie a knot. Do the same with other piece of twine, then thread the twine through second piece of cardboard using the same method you used for the first piece. Continue this process until you have tied together enough pieces of cardboard that leaves four inches of twine at the end. Tie the ends of the twine into a loop so that you can drape the loop over the wood you have previously hung.

For the next panel, do the exact same thing, except alternate the space of twine with where the cardboard piece is. The idea is to leave a holes the same size as the cardboard pieces once you have all your panels hanging from your rod from the ceiling, a checkerboard effect. Hang your second panel up on the rod, making sure to push the two pieces together. Continue in this method until the wall is finished.

You can choose to paint the twine the same color as the cardboard pieces, or leave it natural. For an added touch, you can add postcards or artwork to the panels to give it some pizazz.