How to Make a Cardboard Backboard

A basketball backboard can be an expensive purchase, but luckily you can easily make one out of cardboard using a few tools you probably have in your own home. Some cardboard material can be quite flimsy, however, so make sure you use a single sturdy cardboard piece or multiple pieces of cardboard attached together. You could also reinforce the cardboard backboard by attaching plywood to the back of it.

Things You'll Need

  • Cardboard
  • Pencil
  • Black marker
  • Ruler
  • 1-inch thick plywood
  • Saw
  • Wood glue
  • Plywood
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Instructions

    • 1

      Mark on your piece of cardboard a rectangle that is 72 inches wide and 42 inches high using your ruler, the dimensions for an official basketball backboard.

    • 2

      Mark in the middle of the rectangle, another rectangle that is 24 inches wide and 18 inches high with your ruler. Use your black marker to draw this rectangle 2 inches thick.

    • 3

      Cut out the original rectangle with your saw.

    • 4

      Cut additional pieces of cardboard that are of the same dimensions as the original rectangle to reinforce your backboard with more cardboard. Cut pieces of 1-inch thick plywood to the same height as the original rectangle; cut as many pieces as you will need to reinforce the back of the entire cardboard backboard.

    • 5

      Apply wood glue to the back of the cardboard backboard.

    • 6

      Apply the additional pieces of cardboard or the plywood pieces to the back of the backboard you cut. Press them firmly in place.

    • 7

      Allow the backboard pieces to dry for ten to fifteen minutes.