DIY Wooden Christmas Tree Collar
Have you seen this new type of Christmas tree decor on Instagram and/or Pinterest? I’ve noticed this trend, of Christmas tree collars last year. Instead of having a tree skirt laying on the floor under your Christmas tree, a tree collar actually wraps around the base of your tree.
I wanted in on this trend but was a little too late last year so I wiped up something last minute. This year, I planned things ahead and made a sturdier version of what I had last year. Here is what I did.
First Attempt
With two cats and a toddler, a tree skirt was no longer an option for us. The cats would lay and sleep on it so it would be filled with cat hair. If our toddler ran around the tree, he would slip on the tree skirt and fall. A tree collar was a genius idea! Kuddos to whom ever had that idea!
I whipped up a tree collar out of an old moving box that I wrapped in brown paper and added a jute bow. It held up pretty good and served its purpose for the holiday season.
When it was time to put my cardboard box tree collar away, I noticed that the bow was loose and that the paper had been ripped a little (either by the cats or by the corners of the Christmas gifts around). So, I took a mental note to look for one for our next Christmas.
Most recent attempt
When we were close to Halloween, stores seemed to have their Christmas decor out so I started looking for a tree collar. I browsed online to try to find and see if what I wanted existed for a reasonable price. Of course! What I was looking for (a rustic themed tree collar) existed but NOT for a reasonable price. Some were as much as $200!
I decided to go on a search in stores around town. I found a few options that could have served the purpose, but I didn’t want to settle. Here are some options I had found:
When I showed the store options as well as my Pinterest inspiration to my husband, he said we would build one for cheap, so we did.
Material
- wood
- tape measure
- saw
- screws
- drill
- sand paper
- paint
1st step: getting material
We started off with a trip to Kent Building Supplies for some wood. We bought a pine shelving piece 1x12x6 and another 1x12x2 for a total of $9.81 +tax.
2nd step: building it
When we got home, my husband cut 4 pieces out of the wood we had just bought. Then, we laid it out around our Christmas tree base to see how big we wanted it to be. We cut out what we needed and then screwed it together.
Since the wood we used was not overly wide, my husband suggested we pre-drill the hole before putting the screws. This kept the wood from splitting. Now for the fun part: painting!
3rd step: interior
I sanded the box a little just to get a softer surface to work with. Then I applied Annie Sloan’s Dark Wax (which in fact is brown) to the inside of the box. I figured we wouldn’t see it much, but if we did, it would at least look finished. I applied it with a lint-free rag (blue shop towel works very well) and left it to dry. Since I used a wax, I didn’t have to apply any clear coating on it.
4th step: first coat on exterior
Now for the exterior of the collar. I imagined it looking a distressed white with some accents of brown in some areas where the white paint was more textured. For that reason, I started with a base coat of Annie Sloan Honfleur watered down with water. I basically did a wash with this colour.
5th step: second coat on exterior
Once dry, I went ahead and applied two coats of Annie Sloan Original. With this colour, I made sure to apply it in ever which way and added texture in some areas with larger amounts of paint on my brush.
6th step: dry-brushing
I then dry brushed some Honfleur on the textured areas. Dry brushing is when you apply almost no paint to your brush and then lightly paint. In this case, it brought out all of the texture. However, I was not pleased with the result. I wanted it to have more of a rustic feel. I got some sand paper out and started sanding.
7th step: sanding
I’ve sanded chalk paint before so I somewhat knew how to go about it. The only issue was that I had applied too much of the Original paint to just be able to lightly sand it off. I had to sand a lot harder than I had initially intended which created a big dusty cloud on our basement. Thank goodness it’s not a finished basement lol. I changed sanding paper grit a few times to remove as much as I wanted.
I kept at it and was finally getting the look I wanted. Once I was done sanding, I cleaned off my box with a damp cloth. Be careful not to have too much water on your cloth, if you do, the water will activate the dry paint and will start blending it. If you are going for more of a blended look, that’s fine, but if you want to keep the work you’ve put in of sanding your piece, I suggest to be careful.
Keep in mind that you could have picked any colour and any kind of paint to do this project. I personally have a special place in my heart for Annie Sloan’s chalk paint so I use it as much as I can.
8th step: applying the wax
Once you are satisfied with your piece, you need to wax it. This will protect your piece (like a clear would). With this piece, I only applied one coat of the wax. If you know that your piece will be positioned in a high traffic area or will be touched a lot, you may want to consider putting more than one coat of wax.
Quick Tip: To maximize your wax and to have a better chance of applying it to your brush, Melanie, the owner of Carte Blanche, shared this tip in one of her workshops; put a little chunk of wax on wax or parchment paper first. This will make it easier to dip your wax brush in it and you won’t be wasting it as much.
Here is the difference. As you can see (top), the wax brings out the colour of the paint you’ve used on your piece.
I then proceeded to add felts on the bottom of my tree collar so that it wouldn’t scratch our floors.
We are very fortunate to have tools and paint at home so technically, this project only cost me around $10. That’s a win in my book!
I hope this inspired you to create something you’ve been wanting for your home. When you are organized and well prepared, you can plan and achieve anything you want.
