Is your house cold in the winter, hot in the summer? Are your neighbors or their dogs loud? This post will show you one incredibly easy and inexpensive (or free) way to warm your house in the winter, cool your house in the summer and muffle the sounds of your neighbors (and their dogs).
By now everyone....well...the two people who read this blog....should know that I love to upcycle. Wooden pallets, scrap fabrics and cardboard are my go to's so it should be only natural that I share some ideas involving cardboard, again.
A few years back I bought an old house. I would venture to say that there was not one drop or piece of insulation in the entire joint. So in the summer, I could feel the heat radiating through the exterior walls and in the winter I felt cold coming through the walls. Since it wasn't a huge house, I had limited options as to furniture placement. The only wall that would work for my bed was an exterior wall. Same thing for the placement of my sofa in the living room. Super uncomfortable in all kinds of weather.
Another downside to no insulation is the fact that I could hear every car that drove by, every bark of every dog in the neighborhood and sometimes I could even hear the neighbor's conversations when they sat on their front porch. Believe it or not, cardboard saved both my sanity and my bank account.
Initially, I had estimates done to get insulation put in the house by professionals.....more money than I had to spend. My solution? Cardboard and fabric.
It should also be noted that I hate, loathe and detest white walls and/or plain walls. I love color and I love texture so this idea was pure perfection for me. Another great thing about this solution is the fact that if/when I tire of it, I rip it off and put the whole thing on the curb and replace it with whatever my mood dictates at that moment. But the best thing about it (other than it's gorgeous and easy) is the fact that it's FREE. That so works for me! Free is my favorite word. I love it even more than "cheap".
You can get fancy with this if you want. You can pad the cardboard and make the finished look tufted as the picture below.
You can cut the cardboard into strips, roll it and affix it to the walls showing the cut ends.....only do this if you have the time and patience of a Saint.
It should also be noted that if you choose to go this route, you will have to first cover your wall in flattened cardboard or instead of insulating and soundproofing, it will actually magnify any outside sounds and incoming air.
The picture below shows raw cardboard but since it's flat and not rolled, the application is quick and easy.
This one is a bit more involved but still not as complicated as the version involving rolling and cutting the cardboard.
The one below creates almost a brick or stacked stone texture. While it is a bit more involved than simply covering the cardboard with fabric, it is an easy installation. Cut the cardboard in rectangles of various sizes, affix them to the walls and randomly place other rectangles on top to form a stacked effect. Once done, paint and the finished product will be gorgeous.
To make a stacked wall, cut the cardboard into various sizes, pad a few, and then place them randomly on the wall.
This wall below is perhaps the easiest of them all. Tape several boxes together to get the height that you need, cover them in fabric and nail them to the wall. I love the simplicity of it.
Love maps? Try using crafting glue to put your favorite maps on the cardboard instead of fabric.
If you don't have a super large map like the one above, print off smaller maps that you can find for free on the internet, glue them to smaller cardboard pieces and nail those to your walls.
Here's another example of covered cardboard.
A lot of houses have those horribly ugly ceiling tiles. Sometimes they are used to cover up a ceiling that was damaged by an old leak or cracks and sometimes they are used to lower the ceiling height. Whatever reason, they are so incredibly ugly.
Try using this technique to cover them. I would recommend not using a pattern but rather using a solid fabric but if pattern is what you love, go for it!
Don't worry about covering a drafty window when using this technique. My bedroom had 2 west facing windows that were protected by shrubbery and were on the side of the house so I didn't get a lot of drafts from those. But I had a north facing window that was unprotected by shrubbery and in the winter time standing by that window was like being outside. It was also exactly where I wanted to place my bed.
My solution? I covered both sides of the cardboard that I placed over this window. When you stood outside, you saw what appeared to be curtains. It looked great inside and out AND it stopped the drafts and outside noises from coming into my bedroom.
I hope this post has given you some creative and pretty solutions to your drafty house. It should also be noted that this is a technique that can easily be done to a rental since it doesn't involve defacing the walls. The brad nails will leave tiny holes that will be easy to cover once the panels are removed. As a huge bonus, covering the walls will prevent dirt, grime, and dust from gathering on the walls so when you pull them down, your landlord will think you have scrubbed the walls.
By now everyone....well...the two people who read this blog....should know that I love to upcycle. Wooden pallets, scrap fabrics and cardboard are my go to's so it should be only natural that I share some ideas involving cardboard, again.
A few years back I bought an old house. I would venture to say that there was not one drop or piece of insulation in the entire joint. So in the summer, I could feel the heat radiating through the exterior walls and in the winter I felt cold coming through the walls. Since it wasn't a huge house, I had limited options as to furniture placement. The only wall that would work for my bed was an exterior wall. Same thing for the placement of my sofa in the living room. Super uncomfortable in all kinds of weather.
Another downside to no insulation is the fact that I could hear every car that drove by, every bark of every dog in the neighborhood and sometimes I could even hear the neighbor's conversations when they sat on their front porch. Believe it or not, cardboard saved both my sanity and my bank account.
Initially, I had estimates done to get insulation put in the house by professionals.....more money than I had to spend. My solution? Cardboard and fabric.
It should also be noted that I hate, loathe and detest white walls and/or plain walls. I love color and I love texture so this idea was pure perfection for me. Another great thing about this solution is the fact that if/when I tire of it, I rip it off and put the whole thing on the curb and replace it with whatever my mood dictates at that moment. But the best thing about it (other than it's gorgeous and easy) is the fact that it's FREE. That so works for me! Free is my favorite word. I love it even more than "cheap".
You can get fancy with this if you want. You can pad the cardboard and make the finished look tufted as the picture below.
You can cut the cardboard into strips, roll it and affix it to the walls showing the cut ends.....only do this if you have the time and patience of a Saint.
It should also be noted that if you choose to go this route, you will have to first cover your wall in flattened cardboard or instead of insulating and soundproofing, it will actually magnify any outside sounds and incoming air.
The picture below shows raw cardboard but since it's flat and not rolled, the application is quick and easy.
This one is a bit more involved but still not as complicated as the version involving rolling and cutting the cardboard.
The one below creates almost a brick or stacked stone texture. While it is a bit more involved than simply covering the cardboard with fabric, it is an easy installation. Cut the cardboard in rectangles of various sizes, affix them to the walls and randomly place other rectangles on top to form a stacked effect. Once done, paint and the finished product will be gorgeous.
To cover the cardboard in fabric all you have to do is cut your fabric to fit the cardboard and tape it to the cardboard. Once that's done, figure out your placement and using a small nail, nail the cardboard in place. Don't worry too much about your choice of tape because once the piece is nailed securely to the wall, the pressure will keep the fabric in place. You can also staple the fabric in place or you can get fancy and trim it out with molding to make a picture effect.
I am not a fan of flat sheets but for some reason, I buy a lot of sheet sets throughout the year. My children think I have a sheet set addiction. Sheet sets all come with both fitted and flat sheets and before I realize it, my linen closet is crammed full of flat sheets that I never ever use. Well, I never use them on my bed.
To get these out of my closet, I use some of my flat sheets for curtain panels and I use them to cover cardboard to put on my walls. Great solutions!
To make a stacked wall, cut the cardboard into various sizes, pad a few, and then place them randomly on the wall.
This wall below is perhaps the easiest of them all. Tape several boxes together to get the height that you need, cover them in fabric and nail them to the wall. I love the simplicity of it.
Love maps? Try using crafting glue to put your favorite maps on the cardboard instead of fabric.
If you don't have a super large map like the one above, print off smaller maps that you can find for free on the internet, glue them to smaller cardboard pieces and nail those to your walls.
Here's another example of covered cardboard.
A lot of houses have those horribly ugly ceiling tiles. Sometimes they are used to cover up a ceiling that was damaged by an old leak or cracks and sometimes they are used to lower the ceiling height. Whatever reason, they are so incredibly ugly.
Try using this technique to cover them. I would recommend not using a pattern but rather using a solid fabric but if pattern is what you love, go for it!
Don't worry about covering a drafty window when using this technique. My bedroom had 2 west facing windows that were protected by shrubbery and were on the side of the house so I didn't get a lot of drafts from those. But I had a north facing window that was unprotected by shrubbery and in the winter time standing by that window was like being outside. It was also exactly where I wanted to place my bed.
My solution? I covered both sides of the cardboard that I placed over this window. When you stood outside, you saw what appeared to be curtains. It looked great inside and out AND it stopped the drafts and outside noises from coming into my bedroom.
I hope this post has given you some creative and pretty solutions to your drafty house. It should also be noted that this is a technique that can easily be done to a rental since it doesn't involve defacing the walls. The brad nails will leave tiny holes that will be easy to cover once the panels are removed. As a huge bonus, covering the walls will prevent dirt, grime, and dust from gathering on the walls so when you pull them down, your landlord will think you have scrubbed the walls.
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