How to Cover Packing Boxes with Fabric

What do you do with corrugated packing boxes once they have served their primary purpose? You put them to use in a creative manner! One of the most common uses of cardboard boxes is as organizers. With organizers, it becomes pretty easy to manage your stuff and keep them together in one place so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time searching for it later. 

Now in order to protect these used packing boxes from excessive wear and tear, and to give them a touch of visual enhancement, it is best to cover them with a fabric of your choice. After all, you would definitely want to make an impression with these wonderful little boxes of joy that serve as organizers. Check out our method for covering the simple (and rather boring packing boxes) with fabric and converting them into beautiful storage boxes. 

Things You Will Need

·         Used Packing Boxes

·         Duct Tape

·         Hot Glue Gun (with sufficient glue)

·         Regular scissors

·         Fabric Scissors

·         Your Choice of Fabric

·         An old piece of cloth to cover the surface you would be working on

Initial Preparations

First of all, you need to prepare the boxes. There is a minuscule chance of the used box fitting your specifications accurately. In most cases, you would have to piece together different pieces (of the packing boxes) and strengthen them with duct tape. By taping the seams carefully, you would be able to ensure adequate durability for your storage box / organizer. 

The next thing that you need to take care of is the working surface. If you have a separate craft table, then there could be nothing better. However, if you do not have one, then the best alternative is to choose a good surface and cover it with a sheet of old cloth or some newsprints so that the surface is not damaged. 

Before you start covering the box with fabric, make sure that the box in itself is perfect and is exactly as you require. No modifications would be feasible once the fabric has been put on. While it may not be impossible, it will most certainly prove to be tedious and a frustrating waste of time. So check everything beforehand to avoid hassles later. 

Covering the Box in Fabric

·         Place the box on the sheet of fabric that you have selected. Make sure you place it on its side such that one the base is facing you and the open end is facing the other way. The fabric should be long enough for it to overlap at the centre. 


·         Now cut off the extra fabric length at the base after measuring around 6 to 7 inches from the base itself. Use a fabric scissor to cut the sheet as any other tool would not prove to be as effective. 


·         Now remove the fabric from the box and cut it as per requirement. Before actually gluing it on, you need to iron the fabric to ensure that no creases are left on the material. Creases, if present, would ruin the overall finish of the box and would not give a good enough presentation. 


·         With the fabric cut as per requirement and the box prepared to your specifications, it is time to glue the fabric on to the box. Take the hot glue gun and put a line of glue along the seams. Pull over the fabric and constantly stroke it to ensure that no creases are left behind. You don’t need to apply glue all over the box. It only needs to be applied at the edges and at the important junction points. 


·         An important point to remember is that if you cannot get a straight continuous line of glue from the gun, then create a line of dots. This would help you to get a firm grip on the fabric. 


·         For the top and the base section, simply fold the fabric inwards and apply glue along the edges to get them to stick. 


·         With the fabric taken care of, you just need to finish up by sticking sheets of paper to cover the brown section of the inside and also cover the junction of the fabric with the interiors. It just gives a better presentation and also prevents the fabric from coming off due to continuous usage of the packing box. 

Now that was easy, wasn’t it? With a little time and some patience, you can create some of the most wonderful things out of inanimate objects like the humble corrugated packing box. You can turn this craft into a business idea also. If you need bulk quantities of custom packaging boxes, then you can get them online at DCG Pac. You can also get a wide range of packing supplies and stationery to help you along the way. So what are you waiting for?