This is a great inexpensive way of making a Shoji Screen room divider with cardboard, especially for those college students out there on a budget!

I made no new purchases and only made use of whatever items I had on hand. You can modify the dimensions or materials to suit your needs.

Step 1: Materials

This is a scaled-down version of a full-size screen because of the limited amount of cardboard that I had on hand. If I had larger and more pieces of cardboard, I would have made this taller and with 3 panels. Ideally, this screen should be twice its size in height (72" x 18") and with 3 panels instead of 2.

Materials I used to make a 2-panel, 36" x 18" Shoji screen:

4 pieces of cardboard (36" x 18"), the thicker the better. These pieces were all taken from a single moving box that I had. Cut carefully and make your edges as clean as possible. You can find free cardboard on Craigslist, if you live in the U.S. People that have recently moved or have bought furniture will usually be eager to get rid of their excess cardboard boxes and will list them for free.

12 pieces of onion-skin paper (8.5" x 11"). These can be purchased at any office supply store. You can substitute onion paper with rice paper, vellum, or any other semi-transparent paper. The semi-transparency will filter light and give it a nice glow.

3 Cable ties/Zip ties

Other items: ruler, fat color markers, pen/pencil, clear tape, box cutter, glue. I would've used Gorilla Glue, if I had any. ;-)

Step 2: Paper Layout

Lay out your paper on a flat surface and carefully tape 6 pieces together. There's no need to seal the entire edges with tape, just enough to hold them together. Do the same with the other 6 pieces and then connect the two with a couple of small pieces of tape. You will be separating these 2 halves later.

Step 3: The Artist in Me

Now let the creative side of you take over! Start drawing whatever pleases you on all 12 pieces of paper. I used my markers to draw bamboo. Yes, it's bamboo! Sorry, I'm no artist!

I did not extend my drawing to the very edges of the paper, because this will covered by the borders of the cardboard.

Step 4: Using My Left Cerebral Hemisphere

Mark a 2" border for the top and sides of one of the cardboard panels. Make sure you only make these marks on the printed side. You don't want to mark up the clean side of the cardboard.

I made the bottom border about 6" from the bottom. If you're making your screen taller, you will need to make the bottom border larger (higher) so that the screen will hold its rigidity. For instance, if you're making a 72" x 18" screen, make the bottom border at least 20" high.

Next separate your drawing, and place 1 half on top of one of your cardboards and start making marks so that you will know where to cover the seams of the paper. You will want to make your "seam" borders (where each paper is connected) about 1" wide, and make sure that these borders cover your paper seams.

Once you've made all your marks, lay your drawing on top again to make sure that all the seams are covered. You should be able to see all your lines through the transparency of the paper.

Step 5: Clean Cut

Cut out your windows with a box cutter.

I find it easier to cut cardboard on top of my carpet rather than on tile. If you need to, use a ruler to guide your box cutter. Use your first cut-out as a template for the rest of the cardboards. Again, make sure you are not making any marks on the clean side.

Step 6: Gorilla Glue

Now lay one half of your drawing on top of a panel, making sure the borders cover up the paper seams. Now carefully glue the drawing onto your cardboard panel. Take another cardboard panel and glue this on top of the paper, so that the paper is sandwiched between the 2 cardboard panels. Make sure you are not applying the glue to your unmarked sides.

Do this with the rest of your panels.

Step 7: Done!

Lay your completed panels side-by-side, and right side up, and cut slits near the edges for the cable ties. I placed the cable ties close to the bottom and top edges of the screen to keep the entire screen from flopping around. Use more ties for your larger screen. Your cable ties should be tied loosely to allow you to adjust the angle of the screens effortlessly.

Your very own cardboard Shoji Screen is now completed! I placed my Shoji screen in front of my fishtank to capture the light effect in the background. This project took me around 2 hours to complete.

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable, and I would appreciate any feedback and votes. Thanks!