# Where do I find black cardboard?



## HauntedHorror

Does anyone know where I can buy black cardboard? Preferably stores to try rather than online as shipping would most likely be too high?

I want to make something like this for my Halloween party:
http://talesofagirlgamer.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

The problem is I have not been able to find anywhere to buy black cardboard, which is what they said they used for the "buildings". The closest I could find is black posterboard material at Michael's but it is way too small to give the same look, I'd have to buy a LOT of it and glue it together or something which would not look right (seams) and would end up being very expensive.
Help?


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Look's like poster board, see all of the tape?


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## Frighteners Entertainment

unless you are trying to make it much larger than this?


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## trishaanne

Walmart and Dollar Tree each have large sheets of black poster board...it may work. They are 2 for $1.00 at Dollar Tree out here and at Walmart they are $.52 each.


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## debbie5

Can you friend the blogger & ask her where she got it?


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## trishaanne

Oh, and thanks for posting this. I've been looking for decorating ideas for the firehouse for our party and I may be able to do something like this.


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## HauntedHorror

Frighteners Entertainment said:


> Look's like poster board, see all of the tape?


I think that is some type of marking, not tape...

The only posterboard I found (at Michael's, they only had one size) wasn't tall enough or wide enough for my spaces... Since the blogger's party was in a basement (no windows) and mine is in my house not a basement, I am planning to put these scenes up over my actual windows so it needs to fit in the windows.
I am especially concerned that it will look weird if I have to take two pieces together halfway up a "building" because the seam may show or allow light through.

I haven't tried Walmart or Dollar Tree so I guess those are my next stops, thanks!



debbie5 said:


> Can you friend the blogger & ask her where she got it?


I tried posting comments on her blog to ask but the answers weren't very helpful (you can see them on the page there.)



trishaanne said:


> Oh, and thanks for posting this. I've been looking for decorating ideas for the firehouse for our party and I may be able to do something like this.


If you do I'd love to see photos!


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## RoxyBlue

I think Jeff is likely right. The building silhouettes appear to be made from multiple sections of black posterboard.

Seams can be taped from the back with black duct tape so the tape won't show and light won't come through.


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## HauntedHorror

Ohh now I see it, I had to view it in full size, or it looked like drawn-on lines rather than tape. Now I see it appears to be a bunch of short pieces of clear tape that were used which is why it looked odd...
I still am looking for a good source though because if I have to buy THAT much posterboard from Michaels it is going to get expensive! I'll have to try Walmart.


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## Aquayne

Go to a teacher store. Get bulletin board paper. Glue it to regular cardboard. Bulletin board paper comes on huge rolls approx. 3' wide and dozens of feet long. They will cut it by the foot.


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## Headless

I have been getting boxes that refrigerators come packed in and painting them black. Lots of cardboard there.


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## Lunatic

I've seen it at Staples.


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## debbie5

Okay..I LOOKED for this today. The posterboard at the dollar store is crap- it's not black enough and it's very flimsy. Plus, there's not a lot of it (ever) in stock. WalMart has good quality poster board for 97 cents...it was waaaayyyy on the bottom of all the posterboard display & I almost didn't see it. It's good quality posterboard & uniformly black. Do not believe the website when it says "limited stock in local store"...it says that about the superstore store I was just in, and they must have 35 sheets of it on the shelf. Hope this helps!http://www.walmart.com/ip/UCreate-Poster-Board-Black/17203964


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## Frighteners Entertainment

I've only been in a walmart 5 or 6 times in my life.
I don't want to end up on the website people of walmart, it is never flattering! lol


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## debbie5

Removed due to rambling.


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## RoxyBlue

Stay on topic, please


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## HauntedHorror

debbie5 said:


> Okay..I LOOKED for this today. The posterboard at the dollar store is crap- it's not black enough and it's very flimsy. Plus, there's not a lot of it (ever) in stock. WalMart has good quality poster board for 97 cents...it was waaaayyyy on the bottom of all the posterboard display & I almost didn't see it. It's good quality posterboard & uniformly black. Do not believe the website when it says "limited stock in local store"...it says that about the superstore store I was just in, and they must have 35 sheets of it on the shelf. Hope this helps!http://www.walmart.com/ip/UCreate-Poster-Board-Black/17203964


Thanks for the help! You're right about the dollar store... I went to Dollar Tree and although they had a lot of it, it was very poor quality, flimsy, not black all the way through and it has some weird finish that shows every fingerprint that touches it!
I guess I will have to venture to Walmart... I don't know if there's a Staples in my area.


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## Peyjenk

Black spray paint works wonders.


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## HauntedHorror

I hate the smell of spray paint, and the last time I tried to paint something cardboard-like it ended up causing it to curl inward badly...

I tried Walmart but they did not have any posterboard.


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## fontgeek

In the video they say they use posterboard not cardboard, but it looks like you already found some.
You will need some framework to hold it all upright, and at that point you might find something like tarpaper would work as well or better if you want it truly black. You'd still need some framework or something to hold it upright, but you would have to do that with posterboard anyway.


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## HauntedHorror

Yeah I was just going to either use tape or those 3M Command Adhesive sticky strips to attach it to the window and that would also hold it up so I don't need a framework. 
But I realize that could be an issue since it won't be flat against the window if I'm going to have string lights attached to the back, so now I'm not sure. I'll have to see if that would still work...


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## fontgeek

You might look at getting a roll or two of black cloth/duct tape to hold the stuff up to the windows, it has the strength to hold posterboard, tar paper, etc. and it would be pretty easy to get. To remove it easily, just use a hair dryer on it to warm it up. Residue can be removed with GoofOff or something similar.


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## Pumpkin5

:jol: Hey HH, I don't know if you have reached a solution to your cardboard problem, but you may want to try a sign company. My local sign company has some stuff called Coreplast, it is basically plastic cardboard and it comes in 4X8 sheets in all different colors and runs about $35 per sheet. I had some signs made (black with orange lettering) and they are still lasting (outside) 2 years later. I just called the sign company and they said any sign company in your area should have it. Hope this helps.


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## fontgeek

Coroplast (corrugated plastic) si great material but it tends to be shiny, and it doesn't make cutting curves easy, and the cost may be prohibitive.
But hey, if it works for you then go for it!


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## kprimm

I always just made my own. Lowes sells the one dollar can of black spray paint and I just made mine by spraying it. Don't know if I have ever seen black cardboard, at least not cheap enough that I could get any use out of it.


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## TRICKorTERROR311

Could always spray paint regular cardboard.


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