How to Make Greek Pillars Using Cardboard

Greek pillars or columns are a great decoration for a Halloween party, a toga party, a wedding, an indie film set or even just for your own home. Finding columns like these can be difficult. Fortunately, it's incredibly easy and inexpensive to make your own Greek pillars at home. All you need is a lot of cardboard and a few average household items.

Things You'll Need

• Corrugated cardboard
• Duct tape
• Ruler
• Hot glue
• White or gray spray paint

Instructions

1. Tape several pieces of cardboard together with duct tape, making sure the duct tape is only on the back side, until you have one large piece that is 24 inches wide and 90 inches long (or however tall you want your pillar to be).

2. Draw 23 vertical lines, spaced 1 inch apart, all the way down the length of the cardboard piece. Use a ruler to make sure the lines are straight.

3. Bend the cardboard inward along each line that you drew, making sure the lines and creases are straight.

4. Form a tube from the cardboard (the creases should have made the cardboard curved) and tape to hold.

5. Cut out five pieces of cardboard that are each 24 inches square. Glue them together, one on top of the other. Glue or tape these squares onto one end of the tube. Cut five 36 inch squares, glue in a stack, and glue or tape to the other end of the tube.

6. Paint the pillar in the color of your choice and, once dry, stand it up on the wider end.

Tips & Warnings

• Curl up long, thin pieces of cardboard and attach them to the top of the pillar in a design of your choice to give the pillar more detail.

References

• Graveyard Columns
• Homemade Roman Columns