A few years ago, my aunt bought a 9-foot, pre-lit Christmas tree on FB marketplace for a great deal. She loved the shape and size of the tree, but she really wanted a heavily flocked look on the branches. There are lots of tutorials online for DIY flocked Christmas trees so we decided to give it a go!
One thing that was missing from all of the tutorials we watched was the problems they encountered throughout the process. From what we saw, it seemed like a breeze, but there were definitely discoveries we made that will be helpful for anyone planning on tackling this DIY themselves. Along with a detailed tutorial, I have also highlighted all of our discoveries and challenges encountered during this project.
Table of Contents
- Flocking an Artificial Christmas Tree | Tutorial
- 1 | Assemble the Artificial Tree
- 2 | Wet the Branches with Water
- 3 | Sprinkle the Sno-Flock Powder
- 4 | Saturate the Flocked Branches with Water
- 5 | Let the flocked Christmas Try Dry
- DIY Flocked Christmas Tree Reveal
- Flocked Christmas Tree Materials Used
- DIY Challenges When Flocking a faux Christmas Tree
- Similar Content You Will Love
- Frequently Asked Questions
Flocking an Artificial Christmas Tree | Tutorial
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Before beginning this DIY project, you want to determine the look of your flocked Christmas tree. Do you want a light dusting of snow on the branches or clumps of snow stuck on each branch? This will determine the amount of flocking powder needed for the project. for the 9-foot tree, we used 10 lbs. of the sno-flock powder and honestly could have used more to achieve that heavy snow look. Gather your materials and get ready to begin!
*For a complete list of materials used for this DIY, scroll to the bottom of the post.
1 | Assemble the Artificial Tree
If possible, I recommend setting up your tree outside due to the mess. We set up the tree in the garage and fluffed the branches to look more realistic.
TIP: Generally, when you fluff a Christmas tree, you point the branches in various directions. With this DIY, we realized that fluffing them to point downward was the best way to see the thick snow on the tops of the branches. Arrange the branches to fill any bare spots and hide the metal pole. Any remaining bare spots or views of the center pole can be hidden with ornaments.
You will notice that the tree already has a lightly powdered look from my aunt’s first attempt at flocking. She learned quickly that she had not used enough water, so the snow was falling off of the branches. With more experience and knowledge this time around, we tried a different approach to get that heavily flocked look.
To make our lives a little easier, we propped the top section of the tree in a box to add the sno-flock before connecting it to the top. This was much easier than leaning over the 9-foot tree on a ladder!
2 | Wet the Branches with Water
In order for the flocking powder to stick, the branches need to be very wet. Using spray bottles, we worked in sections on the Christmas tree to wet the branches and then add the sno-flock powder.
TIP: If possible, use a hose! Honestly, if the weather is warm enough (and it isn’t a pre-lit tree), a hose would work really well. We spent a lot of time refilling our spray bottles throughout this process.
3 | Sprinkle the Sno-Flock Powder
The technique will differ based on the look you hope to achieve. For a light dusting of snow on the tree, a sifter will work well to spread the sno-flock material. Because we wanted heavy clumps of snow on each branch, we ditched the sifter and I sprinkled sno-flock straight from the bag.
4 | Saturate the Flocked Branches with Water
Once the sno-flock was applied to a branch, we immediately sprayed that branch to harden the material. If the powder does not get wet, it won’t harden and will fall off of the tree.
We worked our way around the tree in sections until the entire tree had sno-flocking powder attached.
TIP: Periodically step away from the Christmas tree to see how it looks. When we applied the snow flock up close, it looked great. As we stepped back, we realized how green it still looked and where we needed to add more snow.
5 | Let the flocked Christmas Try Dry
Give the tree 48 hours to completely dry before moving it to your desired location.
DIY Flocked Christmas Tree Reveal
This Christmas tree turned out beautiful, but it was a lot of work to get there!
You can see the flocked branches peeking out between the red and gold ornaments and ribbon.
Flocked Christmas Tree Materials Used
- Artificial Christmas tree (bought off FB marketplace)
- Sno-flock flocking powder – (10 pounds)
- Dropcloth
- Spray bottle
- Ladder or step-stool
- Sifter (optional)
DIY Challenges When Flocking a faux Christmas Tree
Now let’s talk about what we didn’t love about this flocked Christmas tree DIY!
This project is time-consuming!
With two people working on this project we probably spent 8 hours working together to flock this tree. When tackling DIY projects, I like to consider the time required for a project and the cost of my time. If we paid our hourly rates for 16 hours of work, how does that equate to just buying a pre-lit, flocked Christmas tree from a store? I think the final number is pretty close.
Flocked Christmas trees are messy!
The project itself and the finished product are pretty messy. Even though we heavily sprayed the tree, it still drops a lot of the flocking material when the tree is moved and decorated. Buying a Christmas tree that is already flocked may be a little cleaner with less of the material dropping. I don’t know this to be true since I haven’t bought one, but I am guessing it would be a little more secure.
The water broke half of the pre-lit lights!
One of the pros of this used Christmas tree was that it was pre-lit. We were so focused on wetting the Christmas tree so the snow would stick that we forgot to think about the repercussions of the lights. When the tree was assembled in the house, the lights in the center of the tree no longer worked. My aunt spent additional time hanging more lights because we broke them with this DIY.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Was flocking your own Christmas tree worth it?
In this particular situation, I would say no. For the amount of time and money spent on this project, I think spending a little more on a Christmas tree that was already flocked would be the better option.
For a shorter tree and a light dusting of snow, this could definitely be worthwhile. I also think it is a great option for garland strands.
What is the easiest way to flock a Christmas tree?
The easiest way is to purchase an artificial tree that is already flocked! Haha.
But seriously, I think this sno-flock material worked well, even though it sheds a bit. There are other products available like a flocking spray option that may be easier as well.
Flocked Christmas Trees to Purchase
If you are considering buying a flocked Christmas tree, I have found a few options to check out!
