Introduction: DIY Removable Hardcover Book Tutorial (No Damage to Original Cover)

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About: Hi, I’m Quinzy Varira, a passionate craft enthusiast who finds joy in turning ideas into reality! ✂️✨ Crafting is more than just a hobby for me—it’s a way to express creativity, solve problems, and bring imagi…
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I’ve seen so many amazing book rebinding videos all over social media, and I’ve always wanted to try making one myself. But honestly, I kept hesitating—most tutorials require tearing off the original book cover, and I just couldn’t bring myself to do that.

Then I got the 100th edition of the novel Laut Bercerita, and that’s when it clicked. I wanted to turn it into a hardcover without damaging the original paperback cover at all. The cover is simply too special to ruin. It’s made of brown kraft paper, not glossy, with a beautiful vintage envelope-style design complete with old-fashioned stamps. I absolutely love it.

However, because it’s not glossy, the cover gets dirty very easily—especially when my hands are sweaty or a little oily. I really wanted to protect it, but without changing or harming it. So I decided to create a removable, non-permanent hardcover that could protect the book while keeping the original cover perfectly intact.

If you’re like me—wanting a hardcover version of your favorite book but refusing to damage the original—then this tutorial might be just what you’re looking for.

Let’s give it a try! 😊

Supplies

For this project, you are going to need:

  1. Chipboard
  2. Cutter
  3. 0.7 cm spacer / T-Square Ruler (optional, but quite helpful)
  4. Ruler
  5. Bone folder
  6. Corner-cutting tool (practical tool, is not necessary)
  7. Cardstock
  8. Faux leather/book cloth
  9. PVA glue
  10. HTV
  11. Iron / HTV press
  12. Teflon sheet
  13. Cutting machine (I used LOKLiK iCraft)
  14. Software Inkscape / Affinity

Step 1: Mark and Cut Out the Cover Boards

Place the book on a sheet of chipboard, aligning one side of the book with a straight edge. Trace around the book, adding an extra margin of about 0.7 cm along the top so the front and back covers end up slightly taller than the book itself.

Cut out this piece and use it as a template to make a second identical board.

Next, stack the book together with the two cover boards and press them firmly. Measure the total thickness and transfer this measurement onto a scrap piece of card.

Finally, cut the spine piece so its width matches the combined thickness of the book and covers, and its height matches the height of the cover boards.

Step 2: Arranging the Boards

When binding a book for the first time, it’s recommended to attach the spine and cover boards to a sheet of cardstock or paper first. This allows you to check the fit of the text block and avoid common mistakes. To start, cut a piece of cardstock that is roughly three times the width of the spine. It would be frustrating to complete the entire binding only to discover the cover dimensions are incorrect, so this step helps prevent that.

Next, glue the spine chipboard to the center of the cardstock and use a bone folder to crease the paper neatly over the board.

Turn the piece over, then use a 0.7 cm spacer to mark lines 0.7 cm away from each side of the spine. Apply glue within these marked areas and attach the front and back cover boards to the paper.

Finally, place the book into the assembled chipboard cover and check the fit. The cover should be slightly taller and wider than the book itself.

Step 3: Hubs (optional)

This step is optional, but I like to add raised hubs along the spine. These can be made from various materials such as chipboard, leather lace, EVA foam, or even jute rope. I use EVA foam cut into strips about 0.5 cm wide and slightly longer than the spine of the cover. Attach them in position using PVA glue and allow the adhesive to dry for at least one to two hours. After the glue has fully set, trim away any excess EVA foam, angling the knife to create a beveled edge. The number and spacing of the hubs can vary, though four is the most traditional choice.

Step 4: Applying the Faux Leather/bookcloth

Place the chipboard cover on the back side of your chosen leather or book cloth and mark it so there is an extra border of about one inch (2.5 cm) on all sides.

Cut the covering material to size.

Trim the corners using a corner-cutting tool; if you don’t have one, a spacer or T-Square ruler can be used instead, as I did.

When attaching the cover boards, I prefer to begin at the spine because the presence of hubs requires deeper creasing to properly define them. In a previous tutorial for my book bag, I used rope to pull the faux leather tightly around the hubs. If you didn’t add hubs to the spine, you can start gluing from either the front or back cover board.

Apply an even layer of PVA glue to the boards and place them face down onto the wrong side of the covering material (the side where the pattern or finish appears reversed).

Use a bone folder to smooth the surface and remove any trapped air bubbles.

Next, spread an even layer of white or rubber glue around the edges of the boards and fold the material over to cover the edges. Work one edge at a time, starting with opposite sides, then fold over the remaining edges so all folds run in the same direction. Finish the corners neatly. If you are working with thick material, you may need to trim away some of the excess that will be hidden under the folds to prevent bulky corners.

Step 5: Inner Cover

For the inside of the chipboard cover and the pockets, I created a photo collage inspired by Laut Bercerita and printed it on linen paper. However, cardstock works just as well—just be sure to choose a slightly thicker paper so it doesn’t tear easily, especially for the pocket areas.

Cut a piece of cardstock so it is about 0.5 cm taller than the book. The width isn’t critical, since the sides will later be covered by the small pockets.

Begin by gluing this piece along the spine, positioning it as close to the edge of the chipboard as possible. I apply glue directly to the edge of the cardstock to avoid getting adhesive on the faux leather that will remain visible. Next, fold one side into place and apply glue along the hinge and across the entire cover, again placing glue directly on the cardstock edges for better control.

Use a bone folder to press the paper down carefully. Apply gentle pressure along the hinge—too much force can easily tear the cardstock—and smooth around the edges while making sure no excess glue seeps out. Repeat the same steps on the other side, and this stage is complete.

Step 6: The Pocket

Next, prepare another sheet of cardstock and cut it into two pieces. I cut mine to a width of 11 cm, then added 4 cm to the height of the cardstock used for the inner cover.

Create a 2 cm folded margin along three sides of each piece—these folds will form the edges of the paper pockets. Carefully trim away the corner squares, then glue the three folded edges together. I always attach the top and bottom flaps first, followed by the side flap, as this allows the book cover to slide in more easily. At this stage, it’s important to do a dry fit with the book cover to ensure the measurements are correct and that it fits smoothly.

Once the folds are glued and fully dry, apply glue along the entire folded border and carefully attach the pocket to the inside edges of the case. Placing parchment paper inside the pocket while pressing it down helps protect against any glue seeping through. Repeat the same process on the other side.

Finally, test the pocket to make sure the book slides in and out smoothly.

Step 7: Gold Ornate Cover

I build my cover art on Affinity. But any design software will work, as long as it can export in vector image formats like SVG.

  1. I started the process by drawing boxes that represent my covers and spine.
  2. Art on the actual leather-bound books typically doesn't fill the entire cover. So next, I draw out my actual working space with at least 1 cm margins on all sides. The spine is a little different, though, with margins at the top and the bottom but not on the sides. The spine also has 0.5 cm spaces set aside for raised bands, also known as hubs.
  3. The number and spacing of the hubs vary, but four is the most conventional number.
  4. I pick a small number of images/ornaments to build my border patterns. There are millions of PNG clip art images available from a free database online. I used ornaments from Freepik. Here are some keywords that you can search for: tribal, medieval ornament, vintage corner, swirls, and dividers. Don't forget to look for vector files. Once I downloaded the pattern that I liked, I edited and combined it in Affinity.
  5. Inside the borders, you can add any design you want, from generic filigree to detailed pictures, whatever conveys the tone and the content of your favorite book cover best.
  6. For the spine, I used a little ornament from the front cover and modified it so the spine would have a uniform ornament with the front and back covers. I also added the book title and the author.

Step 8: Applying the Cover Design

For the gold ornamental vinyl design, you can choose either a shiny reflective gold or a more muted, matte gold finish. I cut my decorative cover using a LOKLiK iCraft machine. If you don’t have access to a cutting machine, DTF material can be a good alternative, as I used it previously for my book bag project.

After cutting the SVG design from the HTV, I secured it in place with heat-resistant tape. If you have a heat press, you can use that, but for this project, I used a standard household iron. I set the temperature to approximately the silk–wool setting and pressed the design onto the faux leather for about 40 seconds, making sure to place a Teflon sheet between the iron and the vinyl.

Once the HTV had cooled slightly, I checked that it had fully bonded to the faux leather and repeated the pressing process if needed.

Using an iron worked especially well for the spine area because it has raised hubs and is narrower than the front and back covers. For added durability, you can also attach metal book corner protectors to reinforce the corners of the cover.

Step 9: Final Thought

And that’s it—your custom hardcover is complete! This method allows you to create a sturdy, beautiful cover without damaging the original book, while still giving you plenty of room to personalize the design. Don’t worry if your first attempt isn’t perfect; bookbinding is a skill that improves with practice, and each project teaches you something new. Take your time, enjoy the process, and feel free to experiment with different materials and details. I hope this tutorial inspires you to try making your own book covers and to turn your favorite books into something truly special. Happy crafting! ✂️✨


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