5 DIY Phone Stands You Can Make Right Now From Things Already in Your Home
You don't need to buy anything. These five clever phone stand ideas use materials most people already have at home — and they work surprisingly well for repurposed desk displays.
Before you spend money on a phone stand, take a look around your desk.
Chances are you already have everything you need to make one in the next ten minutes.
The maker community on Instructables and Reddit’s r/DIY has been sharing zero-cost phone stand ideas for years — and the best ones are so simple it’s almost embarrassing that we keep buying the store-bought versions. Here are five that actually work, ranked by how much effort they require.
Why Even Bother With DIY?
If you’re repurposing an old phone as a permanent desk display or bedside clock, you want a stand that:
- Holds the phone at a comfortable viewing angle (60–80 degrees from horizontal is ideal)
- Keeps it stable without wobbling when you tap the screen
- Doesn’t look terrible
- Allows the charging cable to connect at the bottom
A $5 stand from a shop does all of this fine. But so does a binder clip. And you probably have several of those right now.
Stand #1: The Binder Clip (Under 2 Minutes)
What you need: 1–2 large binder clips
Tools: None
Take a large binder clip (51mm or wider works best). Fold the two metal handles completely back so they stick out from the flat side. Place the clip on your desk with the handles pointing down — they act as legs. The clip mouth now faces upward, and your phone rests in it at roughly a 70-degree angle.
For wider phones, use two clips side by side with handles overlapping for a wider base.
This is the method most commonly shared in r/battlestations and r/malelivingspace when people ask how to prop up a secondary clock display without buying extra hardware.
Stand #2: The Layered Cardboard Stand (10 Minutes)
What you need: Cardboard (cereal boxes, shipping boxes), scissors or box cutter, glue
Tools: Ruler, pen
Cut three identical rectangles from cardboard, roughly 10cm x 7cm. Stack and glue them firmly together — this creates a thick, rigid block. Once dry, cut a groove into the top edge, angled slightly backward (about 10 degrees off vertical). The groove should be just wide enough for your phone to sit in snugly.
This stand is the most stable of the five. It’s heavy enough not to tip, absorbs vibration, and can be painted or covered with tape to look more presentable.
Pro tip: Before gluing the layers, cut a small notch at the back for your charging cable to route through cleanly.
Stand #3: The Wire Stand (15 Minutes)
What you need: Wire coat hanger or thick garden wire
Tools: Pliers, wire cutters
This one takes a little more effort but produces the most elegant result. Using pliers, bend the wire into a rectangular base (roughly 8cm x 5cm). From the front edge, bend the wire upward and form two symmetrical loops — these are the cradles that hold the phone. Each loop should be about 1.5cm tall.
The final shape looks like a tiny music stand. It’s surprisingly sturdy and works particularly well for landscape-oriented displays.
Stand #4: The Old Credit Card Cross (5 Minutes)
What you need: 2 expired credit cards
Tools: Scissors or craft knife
Cut a vertical slot into the center of each card (about halfway through the card height, 2–3mm wide). Slide the cards together using the slots so they form a cross shape — one card horizontal, one vertical. The intersection creates a stable four-legged base.
Set the cross on your desk and lean your phone against the front edge of the vertical card. Adjust the card angle for the viewing angle you want.
The satisfying part: this is genuinely made from something that would otherwise go into recycling.
Stand #5: The Wine Cork (5 Minutes)
What you need: A wine cork
Tools: Sharp knife
Make a single diagonal cut across the top of a wine cork at roughly 45 degrees. The angled surface creates a natural groove — just wide enough to hold most smartphones at a stable 65–75 degree viewing angle.
If the phone slides forward, cut a slightly deeper groove on the second attempt. The cork grip naturally prevents scratching the phone frame.
This is the one guests ask about. It looks deliberate and considered, which it is.
The One Thing All Five Have in Common
None of these require you to buy anything.
More importantly, none of them produce additional plastic waste — unlike most commercial phone stands, which are injection-moulded from virgin plastic and will outlast any phone you put on them by several decades.
If you’re already repurposing an old device rather than discarding it, pairing it with a handmade stand is the complete zero-waste version of the same idea.
Further Reading
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