Wrapping cardboard lided boxes with wallpaper

Following last post it’s time to show you how to turn a shoebox into a decorative storage box, an easy project that can be made not only with wallpaper but with other materials and that you can use to make personalized gift boxes, this way the box is more than the wrapping is also a gift in itself.

 

 

My prefered way to line the boxes is to draw the box template in the center of the paper and cut it out, this way works very well for small to medium boxes.

This is the design pattern I use for the box and lid, the pattern can be adapted to the measurements of any box as long as the following sum is smaller than the width of the paper to be used.

Box pattern

Lid pattern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lid: margin x 2 + lid height x 4 + lid width

Box: margin x 2 + box height x 2 + box bottom width

The margin is to taste but I don't recommend less than 2 cm because when it is very small it peels off easily, I usually use 3 cm but in some cases when I had barely enough paper I've had to reduce the mrgin.

To help you understand, here's an example, a box with a lid with the following approximate measurements: 20 cm wide, 25 cm long and 10 cm high, the lid is 2 cm high, to know the width of paper needed the calculation to do is this:

box: 3 x 2 + 10 x 2 + 20 = 46 cm

lid: 3 x 2 + 2 x 4 + 20 = 34 cm

That means you will need a paper with a width of 34 cm for the lid and 46 cm for the box, as a rule the rolls of wallpaper are 53 cm, so this box could be covered with wallpaper using this method. Another day I’ll share how to do it for bigger boxes, I already did a video, the problem is the time to edit and publish it. Meanwhile, here's a video of the transformation of a shoebox into a decorative box, it's going to be put on the shelf I made a few weeks ago.

In this case I didn't line the inside because I thought it wasn't necessary, but it can also be lined with wallpaper or self-adhesive paper, I prefer to use the latter because that way I can clean the inside with a damp cloth.

Here is an example of four boxes all with different interiors. The one on the top left is self-adhesive paper, the one on the right is wrapping paper, the one on the bottom right is self-adhesive paper.

I make the decision about lining the interior depending on several factors, like:
a) what was the box originally used for?
b) is it clean?
c) what will I use it for?
d) will it get dirty and need to be cleaned regularly?
e) Is the inside going to be visible?
f) Is the inside in good condition / is it aesthetically pleasing?

 

Here are two videos of transforming shoeboxes into decorative boxes to put on the bookshelf I made a few weeks ago.

 

In this second video it was not possible to use the previous method because the sum of the sides was greater than the width of the paper, so I just lined the lid with the previous method slightly modified and I lined the box as explained here. The paper was just enough to cover the boxes that I needed but I still had to make some patches on the inside and on the bottom, in this one I lined the interior with self-adhesive paper.

 

 

For those who want to put this idea into practice, here are some suggestions: 

Before applying the glue do a "dry test" put the box in the template and check if it is ok or if it is necessary to cut or trim a bit more.

Apply the glue to the wallpaper, this allows the paper to absorb it and became pliable so you can easily fold it, don’t apply it to the box, the cardboard will absorb it and became too soft and the paper will still be too stiff to fold, in which case you would have to apply more glue to the paper, meaning adding more moisture to the already soggy cardboard.

Apply glue to the whole paper, this allows the paper to start absorbing and become pliable, after applying the paper to the box and making the first folds if you feel that the paper is hard or has already absorbed the glue apply more glue to the section that you are working on, don’t be afraid to add glue.

Stretch the paper and smooth it out to get rid of any wrinkles or glue bubbles, clean the excess glue with a moist cloth.

When doing the folded corners make sure that it all fits well, you may need to trim the paper, remember you have been stretching the paper and if it has some give it may no longer fit like in the dry fit that you did.

After finishing let it dry, you can put some weight on the margins zone, or you can use clothes pins, just check that they are not very strong so they don’t leave a mark, remember the cardboard is wet so it can deform easily.