How to Flock a Christmas Tree
Get your cozy, wintery Christmas fix by learning how to flock a Christmas tree the easy way! Seriously, so simple and so much cheaper than buying a new, flocked tree. Turn your winter wonderland wishes into a reality with a great DIY solution!
I seriously love the flocked Christmas tree look. A couple years ago I replaced the small tree in our living room with a flocked Christmas tree and it’s just gorgeous. I adore the snowy, wintery look – especially since it rarely looks like that outside here in Alabama.
There’s nothing sweeter than cozying up on the couch next to the fire, with the Christmas twinkly lights and the look of snow on the tree. Just magical, if you ask me!
My Christmas Candlelight Home Tour
Up until last year I have been perfectly happy with our artificial 9-foot slim yuletide pine tree in our dining room in the front window. It’s the perfect size for the room and looks great!
But sometime this fall I started dreaming of a flocked tree in the front window. There’s just something about the vintage look or the rustic charm of the snowy branches. So, I started shopping. But I couldn’t justify purchasing a new tree when we had a perfectly good tree!
Enter the DIY solution. Duh! I really think my love for DIY comes from the fact that I want what I want and will figure out a way to have it even when my budget is limited (or it doesn’t make any sense to get rid of a perfect good tree). LOL
I discovered this awesome DIY flocking powder from a fellow blogger who had used in it her home. I was sold! I ordered the 5 lbs. box of the powder, since my tree is 9 feet tall, and anxiously awaited the 2 days for it to arrive.
I was a little nervous about how messy it would be, but it turns out that it was fine! I’ll walk you through the process. But don’t be intimidated. It’s seriously super easy and would be hard to mess it up!
Tools you need to Flock a Christmas Tree
- SnoFlock Decorative Snow Flocking Powder (I bought the 5 lbs. box for my 9 foot tree and used a little more than half of it.)
- Kitchen Strainer
- Large Spray Bottle (filled with water)
- Drop Cloth (or other protective cover)
How to Flock a Christmas Tree
Step 1. Set up your tree. You will want to decide if you want to flock your tree while it’s put up or still in pieces. And you’ll want to designate a place where you can put down a drop cloth. I did mine in my dining room with a drop cloth on the floor, but you may want to do yours in a garage or basement.
I chose to flock my Christmas tree from the bottom up as I was putting it together. This allowed me to get the flocking powder in the middle of the tree and throughout all of the branches. I wanted a full flocked tree. But if you just want to flock the outside edges of your tree, then you can probably just put the whole thing together and then start working.
Step 2. Gather your supplies. Fill the water bottle with water and grab your strainer & flocking powder!
Step 3. Liberally mist a section of the tree with water from your spray bottle.
Step 4. Fill your strainer half full with flocking powder and gentle shake it over the wet section of the tree. The instructions suggest spray the powder as it falls on the tree, but I didn’t do that. I just sprayed the tree and let the powder fall on it. Just be careful not to spray your sifter, if you do try that! 😊
Step 5. Disperse the “IceFlakes”. There will be some “pre-mixed IceFlakes” left behind in the sifter. They are just shiny pieces that can be added to the tree. I just sprinkled them around. Or if you don’t want those on your tree, just dispose of them.
Step 6. Liberally mist the flocking powder again until it is well saturated, but not dripping wet. I didn’t test this out, I just sprayed it a bunch and saw that it was fluffing up and moved on to the next section.
Step 7. Repeat until complete!
Step 8. Allow the flocking to dry completely before adding lights or decorating. I applied the powder at night and it seemed completely dry by the next morning, but I’d let it sit for 24 hours just to be safe.
And that’s it! Your newly flocked tree is now gorgeous and ready to look beautiful in your home all season long!
A Few Frequently Asked Questions about How to Flock a Christmas Tree:
Q: Is It Messy?
A. While the process of flocking the tree is messy, it’s not terrible. I put a drop cloth under it and it worked great! A tiny bit of fine dust got on the floor, but it came up with a damp cleaning cloth. And once it’s dry, it’s really stuck on there. I moved it off of the drop cloth and hardly anything came off of it. I imagine more will shed as I decorate it, but it seems to adhere very well.
Q: Does it look like a store-bought flocked tree?
A: I think it looks pretty darn close. The only thing that I wish could be better is that the flocking powder adheres really well to the top of the branches, but it’s hard to get it on the bottom of the branches. Looking from the top of the tree down, it looks covered, but looking directly at the tree, it’s a lot less white. My flocked tree from the store has flocking under the branches as well. When I take it down at the end of the season, I might turn each section upside down and flock the underneath side. 😊
Q: Is it safe?
A: In the official instructions that came with the powder, they recommend using a dust mask, gloves and eye protection, although the product is non-toxic and naturally sourced. I didn’t feel the need to use these safety products and it seemed perfectly fine without them. But please use your own judgement.
Let me know if you have any additional questions and I will do my best to answer them.
I absolutely LOVED this product and the results for the price. It’s super pretty and took just a couple hours to give me the look I was going for – at a MUCH cheaper price than buying a new tree. It’s also immensely satisfying to sit there and watch the branches go from regular green to snowy white. So pretty!
How well does it store, I can’t leave mine set up I have to put it back in the box, will it ruin the flocking if I smash it into the box?
3questions
Is their an odor, can you use on prelim tree and how well does it store for following year?
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Welcome to March and I hope the beginning of spring to some who are experiencing a harsh and dreadful winter. Living in Arizona, our winter can be the most beautiful time of year. I don’t miss the snow, thank you.Ambergris Caye real estate
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Well, my question is, can flocking be done on live trees? We always do a live tree every year and really like this look.
Thanks
D.
Hi Dianne! First of all, welcome! So glad you’re here! An according to the instructions that came with the flocking powder, it can be done on real trees! I’m not sure how easy it would be as I’ve done it to two fake trees now and I’m able to flock it as I put it together. But it says it can be done, so I might give it a shot! xo, Laura
Hello,This is great! Very nice idea! This is something special for Christmas tree. I think Embankment Stairway Santa will be pleased I am definitely adding it to my list.
I like your article for information. Thank Laura !!
Hi am wondering what happens to the flocking when the tree is packed up til next year? does it come off, or effect the artificial tree needles in any way?
Hi Karen! I don’t know for sure because I haven’t done that yet, but I imagine it will stay on there like it does on my flocked tree from the store. The flocking seems very similar and doesn’t look for feel like it’s going anywhere! I’ll be sure to post an update next year. 🙂
Love your galvanized tree stand cover. Did you do that yourself from an old tub?
Hey Christine! I meant to link to it in the post, so I’ll go back and do that. But it’s the new galvanized tree collar from Joanna Gaines’ line at Target. I love it!! Unfortunately it’s sold out online and most places, but hopefully it will be back in stock soon! Here’s the affiliate link —>>> http://rstyle.me/n/cufmmrx85w
Thank you for reading!! Laura
I planned to flock our tree this year too. I purchased the Sno-Flock last week so I’m going to tackle it this weekend. Glad to see you tried it first. I think yours looks awesome and don’t worry about the bottoms of the branches. When it snows outside, it only hits the tops anyway so yours is more authentic! Big hugs.
Very true! Snow doesn’t fall upwards from the ground. 😉 And I’m glad you’re doing it too. It really works well! Thanks for reading, Cindy!
xo, Laura
My tree is pre-lit. Do you think that 5he flocking would cover all the lights?
It says in the instructions that you CAN use it on a pre-lit tree, you just need to make sure they are “UL Listed Christmas Lights” – I have no idea what that means, though. 😳 But if you do, and yours are “UL Listed” then go for it! It just says make sure it’s completely dry before you use the lights. Hope this helps!!
Do you think you could do this on a live tree?
Absolutely! You can really do it to anything. 🙂