DIY: How to Flock Your Own Christmas Tree

I am proud to say, I have officially flocked my own Christmas Tree for two years now. Before we go any further, this DIY is not for the weary. You’re adding another step to the already tedious task of putting up your Christmas tree. Flocking takes a while and it can get a little messy.

There were several reasons why I wanted to flock my own tree: reason one – I flocked it last year and it was still “semi-flocked” when I pulled it out of the storage bag. Reason two – flocked trees can be EXPENSIVE! We’ve had our tree for several years now. It’s old, the lights don’t really match and it’s crooked, but it gets the job done. Every year as I’m putting the tree away I say to myself, “maybe next year will be the year I get a new tree.” That hasn’t happened yet (but who knows maybe next year!).

I hope I didn’t scare you off with this DIY. In all honesty, it’s fairly simple and requires minimal supplies, but like I said before, you need time and a bit of patience as well.

Before we get into the process, tips & tricks will be shared throughout the blog. Just look for the asterisk.

You Will Need:

1. Adhesive Snow – not the exact product I have used, but this adhesive snow has over 4,000 reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars. It even has a diagram of the amount of product you need depending on the size of your tree and the look you’re trying to go for.
2. Aerosol Snow – This is used for touch ups. There will be some snow flock that falls after you place the ornaments on the tree.
3. Mesh Strainer – these are the exact strainers I used. ***Go with the medium sized strainer. It covers enough surface area that you’re not flocking all day, but you’re still able to be precise. Large is too big and you will wind up flocking the whole house.
4. Spray bottle – you’re going to be spraying before and after. This is the exact spray bottle I used. If you have a larger one, I would suggest using it, but no smaller.
5. Elmer’s Glue – you’re going to mix the glue with water to help keep the flock in place on the Christmas Tree.

How To:

• set up your Christmas tree stand. ***don’t forget to cover any vents prior to setting up your Christmas tree.
• if your tree comes in pieces like mine, lay each piece out on the floor. A tree that comes in several pieces makes it easier to flock. I suggest flocking piece by piece.
• place first piece in stand. *** use a pair of gloves to separate each branch. This makes the tree look full and easier to flock.
• Lay several towels down below the tree. ***I made this mistake! I did not lay the towels down first and the glue mixed with snow flock fell all over my tree skirt.
• Mix your spray bottle with about 1/3 Elmer’s glue and 2/3 water. *** you don’t want too much glue. If you use too much, this will cause your mixture to be too thick and you will not be able to use the spray bottle.
• spray a small area of the branch with your glue/water mixture. Before this is dry, pour snow flock into strainer and lightly tap the strainer over the area of the branch you just sprayed. ***you want to spray small areas at a time. You don’t want the glue mixture to dry before you flock.
• As you’re tapping the strainer, try to spray the falling flock as it’s landing on the branches. ***this will help “seal” the flock onto the branch.
• Continue this throughout the whole tree.
• Once your tree is completely flocked, spray with your glue/water mixture one more time.
• Add your ornaments.
• Once ornaments are on the tree, you can go throughout the tree with the aerosol spray and spray any patches that did not take the flock as well as the other pieces. ***Be careful with the ornaments!! Try to avoid spraying them with the aerosol flock.

Well, there you have it – the magic of Christmas. Watching Archie’s face the first time he saw the tree, lights on and fully decorated made the hard work of getting the tree up totally worth it. He pointed over to the tree and his eyes lit up. If you’re hosting for the holidays, a flocked tree makes a great photo op, too!

If you decide to flock your own tree, garland or wreath, let me know! I would love to see your finished product. As always, reach out for any questions and I will see you all soon!