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How to Flock a Christmas Tree | DIY

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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!

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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

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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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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!

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

We worked our way around the tree in sections until the entire tree had sno-flocking powder attached.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

DIY Flocked Christmas Tree Reveal

This Christmas tree turned out beautiful, but it was a lot of work to get there!

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

You can see the flocked branches peeking out between the red and gold ornaments and ribbon.

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird
How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

Flocked Christmas Tree Materials Used


DIY Challenges When Flocking a faux Christmas Tree

Now let’s talk about what we didn’t love about this flocked Christmas tree DIY!

How to flock an artificial Christmas tree - including a tutorial and the not-so-fun challenges we encountered | Building Bluebird

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!