How to Build a Tower of Cards

A tower of cards is an impressive thing to look at. While it may look like an impossible task to get so many little pieces of rectangular paper to balance on each other, the good news is that you can build a tower of cards with patience and the correct technique. The following tips will help you build a tower of cards of whatever number of levels you'd like.

Instructions

1. Pull out a deck of cards. If you don't have any right now, then you're obviously going to want to buy some. But use them for a few games or shuffle them repeatedly before you use them to build a tower of cards. The edges of used cards are too thin and don't handle the weight of other cards.

2. Find a horizontal flat surface that doesn't wobble too much. A kitchen table often works well because it's solid and not too slippery. You can place a cloth tablecloth on it if the surface of the table is slippery. The average foldable card table doesn't because the top is cushioned and the legs are wobbly and will shake the entire surface if you barely touch the leg.

3. Create a box-shape to begin the foundation of your card tower by making a T-shape. Do this by leaning two cards together at a 10- to 15-degree angle. Close the box with another card. Now you'll have a closed square that's about the size of half the length of a card squared.

4. Continue this pattern until you've made the size base you'd like.

5. Make a roof by putting the cards over the boxes you've just built. Lay them side-by-side with the faces up. To give your structure more support, create another roof layer with the cards turned 90 degrees from first layer.

6. Repeat Steps 3 to 5 until you have the card tower height you'd like.

Tips & Warnings

• Patience and pacing yourself is the key to building a tower of cards.

• Avoid using well-used cards to build the tower. Creases and bends in cards reduce their ability to hold the weight of other cards.