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Assembly Instructions

An illustrated, step-by-step build for the Columns, using the materials listed in the Bill of Materials.

Isometric watercolor illustration of the finished installation: a fire pit at the center with people sitting around it talking, six tall painted columns arranged radially on canvas drop-cloth spokes running out from the fire pit, two people painting columns, paint buckets at each column's base, and a row of garage doors behind with one door open, playing music, a record player visible inside. — The full vision: six columns painted in place around a shared fire pit, connected by the same drop cloths used to build them.

The illustrations on this page — including the full installation vision above and the steps below — are AI-generated approximations, not photos of the actual build, and will likely be replaced with real photos over time. See the AI Disclaimer.

Before you start

This guide uses an 8 ft tall, 12” diameter Sonotube — adjust the wire and paper quantities if you build at a different size. It follows the removable-shell method: the stretch-wrap layer lets the finished paper, tape, and wire shell slide off the Sonotube after the paint has dried, so the same tube gets reused as the template/mold for the next column.

Build order	What you add	Why it matters
1	Sonotube form	Establishes the finished height and round shape.
2	Wire mesh	Gives the shell rigidity and a textured structure.
3	Stretch wrap	Smooths the mesh and provides a release layer.
4	Carpet tape	Creates an adhesive grid for the paper skin.
5	Kraft paper	Becomes the paintable outer shell.
6	Paint	Makes the finished column your own.

Prep the form

An upright blue-gray Sonotube stands between two stabilizing braces, with a dashed cutting guide near its top. — Set the height first, then stabilize the tube before adding any layers.

Cut the Sonotube to its finished height, stand it upright, and brace it so it cannot tip while you work.

Cut the Sonotube to the finished column height.
Stand it upright and brace it so it can’t tip while you work.

Wrap the wire layer

Hardware-cloth wire mesh wraps a blue-gray cylindrical form, with a visible overlap seam and pliers crimping hog rings. — Overlap the seam, then use low-profile hog rings to hold the mesh flat at the seam and edges.

Wrap hardware cloth around the form, overlap the seam, and cinch it closed with zip ties.

Unroll the hardware cloth and wrap it around the Sonotube, overlapping the seam by a couple inches.
Cinch the seam and the top/bottom edges with zip ties through the mesh, pulled tight and trimmed flush so the tails don’t bump through the layers on top.
This layer gives the column its rigidity and a rough surface texture to build on.

Add stretch wrap

Transparent stretch film is wrapped in overlapping bands from the bottom upward around a wire-mesh-covered column form. — Work upward in overlapping bands. The film smooths the mesh and keeps the finished shell from sticking to the form.

Wrap the stretch film tightly from bottom to top, keeping each overlapping band smooth and taut.

Wrap the stretch film tightly around the wire, working bottom to top in overlapping bands so it stays taut and smooths over the mesh bumps.
This layer also acts as a release film between the Sonotube form and the paper shell, letting the finished shell slide free so the Sonotube can be reused as the template for the next column.

Make a tape grid

Vertical and horizontal tan strips of carpet tape form a grid on a smooth wrapped cylindrical form. — A vertical-and-horizontal tape grid gives every paper strip enough adhesive support.

Apply vertical tape strips first, then add horizontal bands to create a full adhesive grid.

Run strips of double-sided carpet tape over the stretch wrap—vertically first (top to bottom), then a horizontal band every foot or so—to build an adhesive grid the paper will stick to.
Leave the backing on until just before you press paper over each strip.

Build the paper skin

Overlapping strips of kraft butcher paper wrap around a cylindrical form, crossing tan tape supports beneath the paper. — Overlap the paper strips, cross the tape grid, and smooth the surface as you go.

Apply overlapping kraft-paper strips one section at a time, pressing every strip firmly across at least one tape line.

Tear or cut the butcher paper into workable strips.
Peel the tape backing a section at a time and press the paper on, overlapping each strip over the last by an inch or two, wrapping all the way around the circumference and up the full height.
Smooth out air pockets as you go. The tape grid underneath is what holds the shell together, so make sure every strip crosses at least one taped line.

Paint the shell

A paintbrush applies blue paint to a kraft-paper column shell, with blue and orange paint pots nearby. — Once the paper skin is complete, paint it in the colors and motifs that make the porch feel like your community.

Paint only after the paper shell is fully wrapped, then allow each coat to dry before handling the column.

Once the paper shell is fully wrapped and any adhesive has set, paint with the tempera paint using the foam brushes.
Let each coat dry before handling the column.

Release the shell

A painted decorative column shell lifts upward from a blue-gray Sonotube form, with a transparent release-film layer visible between them. — Slide the finished shell off the form, then set the Sonotube aside to use as the template for the next column.

After the paint is dry, slide the shell free from the Sonotube and set the tube aside to build the next column.

Once the paint is dry, carefully work the paper/tape/wire shell loose from the Sonotube. The stretch-wrap layer should let it slide free.
Set the Sonotube aside — it becomes the reusable template/mold for the next column.

Reuse the Sonotube for the next column

The Sonotube isn’t part of the finished column — it’s a reusable template. Once a shell is released in step 7, the same tube goes back to step 2 to build the wire, stretch-wrap, tape, and paper layers for the next column.

Final checks

Before moving the column into place, confirm that the paper is securely bonded to the tape grid, the paint is dry to the touch, and the finished form is stable for its intended installation. Keep the detailed materials list close by for future builds or repairs.