Papier mache furniture: tall table

 

I've been working hard on trying to prepare chairs to create my first video on how to make papier mache furniture. This is a table that was a bit of an unplanned bi-product of that. 

The base was pre-made for another project a while ago. at it's centre is the majority of a bag of weighted beads which got everywhere. I tried to fold them into the pulp which was very messy. If I was going to make it again I'd make a pulp container and start by filling that. 

The 'stem' of the table is an old carpet roll tube that was discovered in the cellar and stuffed with pva soaked newspaper to add strength.

For the table top I cut out a hexagon of cardboard and covered it with about 6 layers of pulp. It's currently still drying and a long way off being completed. 

How will it look when it's finished? I'm not sure yet. I'll be working on strengthening it for a while. The plan was to make a table to go with a set of papier mache chairs but this table is far too tall. It's probably going to be one of those projects that gets set aside until something comes to me. Probably as I'm trying to get to sleep.

Papier mache shoe rack

About 10 years ago I was a skint student and got fed up with having to buy new shoe racks because the kids and their friends kept destroying them. So I made one out of papier mache. It's still sturdy enough to take the weight of an adult standing on it. 

I started with stuffing toilet roll tubes with pva dampened newspaper for the sides which gave a nice bamboo like effect and covered cardboard sheets with pulp to make the shelves. 

I'll make more detailed posts on  making each piece in later blog posts. I've been trying to save up enough old toilet roll tubes to make something with and hopefully will post a video on you tube. Christmas activities are keeping me busy at the moment.

 

Papier mache furniture is increadably simple to make and very impressive. The only really challenging things are: 

1) getting hold of enough paper for large projects. 

2) time - waiting for everything to dry thoroughly takes a lot of patience

3) space, especially for large projects. 

4) remembering less is more - thinner layers take more patience but it's much easier to correct mistakes.

 

Apparently making it drove me to drink.