How to Cover Chipboard Ring Binders for Scrapbooking
Chipboard is a thin cardboard, similar to the composition of a cereal box. When used for crafting, chipboard makes a good source of long-lasting material for die-cut letters and shapes, matting for photos and even ringed binders to cover your scrapbook pages. Chipboard in its natural form is the light-brown cardboard, which may not be desirable when used as the cover of your scrapbook. Fortunately, you can easily cover a ringed chipboard binder with acid-free paper, creating a cover that complements the contents of your layouts. Try covering a baby album with baby-themed paper, an Easter album with pastels or a Christmas album with red paper on the outside and green on the inside.
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Things You'll Need
- Chipboard ringed binder
- Acid-free paper (or card stock)
- Scissors
- Bone folder
- Acid-free adhesive
- Fine-grain sandpaper
Instructions
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Measure the size of the inside front cover of your binder. The measurement should be the exact height of the binder and the width from the outside edge until just next to the rings. Cut two pieces of acid-free paper to cover the inside front and back of the binder. Hold the papers up to the insides of the covers and draw a line on the paper along the place where the cover bends--where the spine begins. With a bone folder, score the paper along the line.
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Measure the front cover of the binder from top to bottom and side to side. Cut two pieces of acid-free paper to match these measurements. Measure the flat part of the spine of the binder (the part that joins the front and back covers of the chipboard album), and cut a strip of paper according to these measurements. You now have two inside-cover pieces, two outside-cover pieces and a strip to cover the spine.
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Apply adhesive to one surface at a time. Whether you use a glue stick or a tape runner, ensure that you cover all four edges--right up to the edge--of each piece, and then make an X through the middle. Press and smooth the paper to the surface until there are no wrinkles or bubbles.
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Sand the edges of the binder gently, using the fine-grade sandpaper. The goal is to sand the paper until it just reaches the edge of the chipboard. The sandpaper creates a slightly "distressed" (antiqued) look to your edges and ensures that there is no overhang of paper. The small strip of chipboard that shows near the rings will be covered when you add pages to your scrapbook. A slight line of chipboard will show through on either side of the spine as well, adding to your "distressed" scrapbook look.
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Tips & Warnings
Some binders have removable rings and do not have a spine. If this is the case, remove the rings, cover the front and back of both pieces of chipboard, sand the edges and place the rings back on the binder.
