From Cardboard Box to Mirrored Table

When my new dishwasher arrived, I was excited to see that the box it came in was very sturdy. That meant the dishwasher was in perfect condition, but also that I had a new cardboard box to play with, and hopefully transform it into something amazing.

I decided to take advantage of the size and the thickness of the cardboard and make a piece of furniture.

I loved how it turned out, it looks amazing and no one will tell it's actually a cardboard box.

It's the perfect project for people with few tools (but lots of style). So let's get started!

Big sturdy box (I think this kind of cardboard is called honeycomb)

Handsaw

4 pieces of 10cm x 10cm x 40cm lumber

Framing lumber

Sander

Measuring tape

Metallic square

Mirror

Silicone glue

Wood glue

Tape

Acrylic metallic paint

Brush

First I measured the box, and made marks at 20 cm. I used a handsaw to cut it all around.

Then I sanded the legs.
With the box upside down, I put the legs on each corner, and marked where they made contact with the box.

Then using those marks as a guide, I put wood glue and stuck the legs. Because each leg is making contact with three sides of the box, it's already sturdy.

Then I measured the distance between the legs and cut four pieces of lumber to form a frame and glued them to the cardboard and the legs.

To finish with the structure, just to make sure the cardboard wouldn't bend with the weight of the mirrors, I added another piece of wood in the middle. I made sure I used a lot of glue.

I waited 24 hours for the glue to dry. When it dried off, I finally turned it.

Now, this step is easy, but it´s very difficult to take pictures of mirrors. I made a drawing to explain how to measure the mirrors, hopefully with it and my instructions, will be enough. If you´ve never cut mirrors, I recommend you look for videos on youtube.

When measuring the mirrors, make sure you add to the measures the width of the mirror (3mm) to two opossite sides (as shown in the drawing). Then cut the 5 pieces, it's easy when using a lubricated glass cutter and a metallic square.

Then I sanded the edges to make sure they weren't sharp. When handling, cutting and sanding mirrors use gloves and safety glasses.

I glued the mirrors to the box with silicone. Because it takes a lot of time to dry, I secured the mirror pieces in place with tape. I glued the four smaller mirrors, waited all night until the glue was dry, then glued the top mirror.

I took a picture from below so you can see how the lumber, cardboard and mirror are glued. It's amazing that I made this coffee table without a single nail, just glue! And it's very sturdy.

Finally I painted the legs with silver acrylic paint.

If you liked this instructable, I will appreciate your vote for the contests below. Thanks, and have a great day!