Craft question: How can I make cardboard “sturdy” and white?

Hi everyone,

I’m still working on a wedding gift :)

It’s going to be two amigurumi figures set in a living room.
The room is made of relatively sturdy cardboard...
Now I want to make it a bit sturdier and “cover” it with white paper.

Does anyone have any tips on the best way to do this? :)
Can I just mix craft glue 50:50 with water and then use it to paste the paper onto the cardboard in several layers?
Will it get hard, or will the paper just get soggy? 

I’d really appreciate any tips :)
Thanks in advance!

Best regards
Tina 

Hi Tina,
I’m afraid the cardboard will warp when you apply the glue—especially if it’s mixed with water.

Would it be a good idea to have some thin plywood (3 mm or 4 mm) cut to size at a hardware store? You could then glue it down with white craft glue. It would be nice and sturdy and wouldn’t warp.

As far as I know, hardware stores also sell plastic sheets that you can cut to size.

Hi Tina,
it’s me again :-)

Of course, you can paint the plywood white, and those plastic sheets are already available in white ;-)

Hello Tina,

Paper and water are always tricky, as Petra already wrote. I cover cardboard with paper when I make something using the laminating technique (I use wallpaper paste for that); the objects do warp, but after drying they return to their original position. It’s hard to say how your cardboard and craft glue would behave.
If you really want to cover the cardboard, wouldn’t double-sided adhesive film be a better option?

Best, Inna

Thanks to both of you for the replies and ideas.

It doesn’t have to be this particular cardboard box, but I just happened to have everything on hand for this project :)

Hmm.
I’ll think about which of your tips would work best for me.

Thanks again, and have a great rest of the weekend, Tina

You’re welcome, and likewise :-).

Quick update:

I happened to find a sturdy plastic box in the right size while shopping and picked it up right away.
Hopefully that’ll work :) I’ve already tested it with acrylic paint and can paint directly onto the box.

Thanks anyway for your replies. I probably would’ve made a huge mess with the glue ;)