Flute Board Boxes

A few months back we bought a pair of cubed bookcases that were on sale at Le Cornu (2 for the price of 1, ftw!) We went shopping for boxes that would fit our bookcase spaces and could not find ANYTHING that would use the space well! You see, the spaces are quite tall and wide, but they're shallow and we could only find actual cubed boxes. So time for a bit of D.I.Y!

Being students, we didn't have the riches to get wooden boards like I wanted to, and I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to salvaging stuff ;) so these boxes are temporary, and are made with flute board from Bunnings. I think they'd probably be great for a kids room, or some other place where you want to mix things up a lot or only need lightweight storage. It'll be really easy to pull the decoration off the front and replace it with something else to match a new look.

What you need:

• Flute board
• Masking tape and duct tape (yes, I used both! You can probably get away with just using duct tape)
• A pencil, metal ruler and a Stanley knife
• Scrapbook paper or fabric for decorating

What to do:

First, measure the dimensions of your space.

Cut rectangles of flute board according to the following dimensions (the "2cms" is clearance so when you put the whole box together it actually slides easily in and out of your bookshelf space!). Use a pencil and ruler to mark the flute board then hold the metal ruler against the line and use it as a guide as you cut these pieces out with a Stanley knife:

• 2 x "front/back" - width of space - 2cm x height of space - 2cm
• 2 x "side" - depth of space - 2cm x height of space - 2cm
• 1 x "base" - width of space - 2cm x depth of space - 2 cm

Tip: Score one side of the flute board with the Stanley knife, then bend the flute board open. When you turn the flute board over, you'll be able to see very easily where to cut. (Thanks go to my dog Benny for including Buzzy Bee in the first photo)

Using masking tape (or duct tape if you want, but I found masking tape easier to work with for this step) tape each "side" to either side of the "base", then tape the "front/back" pieces on as well. No real trick here, it's a little fiddly but flute board is pretty light so you'll manage :) I like that I can strip the masking tape off if I make a mistake and reapply it easily.

When the box shape is complete, strengthen it up using the duct tape. I covered all edges, inside and out, to ensure the box was as strong as it could be. I then threw the box around the room to prove to myself that it was sturdy - it was!! ;)

Now, you have an ugly but functional box (or three!) that should fit nicely in your space.

  

Decorate the front (and inside and sides if you have enough paper/fabric and feel like it!). I used scrapbook paper, double sided and "transparent" tapes and some sticker ribbon. I'd glue gun fabric. 

I'll admit that my boxes are a bit lame :P I plan to replace the paper with fabric as soon as Uni starts back and I get some extra hours at work ;) I want to put some tubing or something around the tops to cover up that ugly top edge too. I'll share again when they're improved!

Extra tip: The sizes needed for my boxes were a bit awkward and I had to use two pieces of flute board for one box, which left odd sized leftover bits. Instead of buying more sheets of flute board to make the other boxes, I pieced the spare bits together for some of the sides. This won't be as strong, but it will be OK for our use :)