How to Make Paper Furniture

In Europe during the 1700s, papier-mâché furniture became a popular and inexpensive alternative to the elaborate gilded furniture of the day. Papier-mâché can be made by mixing up torn pieces of paper with a glue-like liquid. The liquid can be flour- or starch-based, or some other glue-like sticky substance. When it dries, the surface hardens. The process can involve wrapping a surface with strips of newspaper that has been dipped in the liquid, or the paper can be mixed with the liquid to form a clay-like substance that can be molded and shaped.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard box Cardbood paper tubes Newspaper Liquid starch Acrylic paint Varnish Paint brush Masking tape

Instructions

1. After you create one simple piece of papier-mâché furniture, your imagination will see the endless possibilities. Begin by making a small end table.

2. Gather together empty paper towel rolls or gift wrap rolls. The long cardboard tubes will be used as the base for the table legs. You will be making four table legs, each approximately 24 inches long. If you are using paper towel rolls, several will need to be fitted together to create one leg.

3. Look for your table top. Find a box approximately 12"x 20" and about 6 inches deep. Close the empty box and use masking tape to seal all the openings, as if you were taping a box for shipping.

4. Assemble four 24" table legs out of the cardboard tubes. If necessary, squeeze the end of one roll to fit snuggly into the end of another roll and wrap the edges with masking tape. Push the roll in far enough so it does not wobble.

5. Cut four round holes on the bottom of the box table top, slightly smaller than the diameter of the ends of the cardboard tubes. Place each hole at a corner, identically spaced on all four corners. Use a measuring tape for better accuracy.

6. Gently push a table leg into each hole. The table's height should be 28' from the floor to the top of the table top. Push the legs in until it is that height. Use the masking table to secure the legs in place.

7. Cover the entire exterior with strips of torn newspaper that has been dipped in liquid starch. Wrap the strips around the leg jointing. When the newspaper dries, the surface will harden. Allow to dry, and then give several more coats of papier-mâché for a hard shell.

8. Paint the table with acrylic paint when the papier-mâché is dry. Finish with a coat of varnish.

Tips & Warnings

• Get creative and add a drawer to the table by cutting an opening in the side of the table top with a box cutter, and wrap the cut edges with papier-mâché. Make a drawer out of another box and insert in the opening.

• Remove excess liquid from each newspaper strip before adding the strip to the table.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Papier Mache Recipes