Handy Boxes for Every Room! How to Make a Decorative Box With Shims

Anita K
by Anita K
4 Materials
Love the Hometalk community! Martha Ramos posted "Easy DIY Boxes" and I was inspired to make them for my home last year! I needed boxes with lids that were covered on all four sides.
I began with a shoe box from my son's latest pair of kicks. It had a hinged lid and was large - perfect! Purchased cedar wood shims in Home Depot - by the exterior doors (they are used to level doors when they are installed). I bought the 12" shims for this box. For smaller boxes, I used the 6" shims. Note: the shims are made to be used in construction to wedge under doors. Many of them will be in rough shape (knots, holes). So when you do this project, be sure to account for material you will not use.
Lay out the cedar shims in a pattern, alternating them, thick side, then thin side, to form the basket weave pattern.
Hold the loose shims with one hand, and mark the underside of the shims that hang over with a pencil. Then, cut the shims with a scissors. These are very easy to cut, on the thinner side.
Glue all the shims to the top and side of the lid. box.
Next, open the lid to your hinged box, all the way back. Start the same process (select your shims, mark them with a pencil, and cut). Glue the shims up to the point where the box is bent open completely. You do not want to glue shims all the way up the back of the box - because the box will not be able to be opened fully. The black strip seen in this photo is the back of the original black shoe box.
Depending on the box you use, the edge of the top front may show. No worries, when the box is closed, the wood pattern will be uniform. As you work your way around the box - butt thick side to thick side at the corners. Work your way down, gluing the shims on all sides of the box. This will give your box a cohesive, woven look, on all sides.
Here is the completed box!
Here is another box, that had print on it - I used Fabric Duck Tape to make it look nicer when the box was opened. You can use decorative paper to cover the parts of the box you want to hide - just cut to size and glue to those areas.
Here are other boxes in use to store myriad of "stuff" neatly in my son's room. He did not want the boxes painted. Note: You can paint your boxes, but the cedar is very absorbent, so be sure to have enough paint on hand. You can also clear coat your boxes with a matte or clear spray. All of my boxes are in their natural state. And NO, there were no incidents with splinters with any of them!
You can use this technique on any size box you need - here is an example of a larger box and smaller one....
These boxes are throughout my house now, in all sizes. They are inexpensive to make and tough and durable. AND...they are pleasing to the eye. Hope you found this tutorial helpful - and thanks again to Martha Ramos' post for the inspiration!
Suggested materials:
  • Cedar Wood Shims   (Home Depot (Door Department))
  • Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun (Elmer's)   (Michael's Crafts)
  • Sharp Pair of Scissors - I use Cooking Shears   (HomeGoods)
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