DIY Wooden Christmas Trees

Make these festive DIY wooden Christmas trees in no time at all for the Holidays. Any experience level of DIYer can create these inexpensive trees with leftover scraps of wood. They are uniquely hand-decorated to add a personal touch to your mantel or front door. Follow these easy steps to create wooden Christmas trees for inside or out.

Start your trees by deciding how many you would like to make and where they will be placed. Inside trees can be smaller to fit on a table or mantle while outside trees need be large to be seen from a distance. For these trees, we had different heights and designs to give depth and variety to the display.

Make sure to have a safe workstation ready to go. You will want space and ventilation to spray paint and cut your trees. A table with a drop cloth will work great for measuring and painting. However, a cutting surface such as a sawhorse will be necessary for cutting your boards into trees.

These hand-painted Christmas trees are the perfect project to use those old scrap wood pieces you might have laying around. If you need more wood, head to your local McCoy’s. A 2x6 pine board works great for this project. If your tree will be displayed outside, treated lumber is best to handle the outside elements.

The other supplies are minimal and likely to be found in your garage, but you can pick up these items at your local McCoy’s as well. You will need a saw, pencil or marker, tape measure, masking or painter’s tape, spray paint colors of your choice, and sandpaper. Be sure to have your gloves and goggles handy for sawing your tree.

1. Determine the height you want your trees. Mark with your pencil or marker where to cut off the extra board at the end. 
2. Cut the board to its height, then determine which end will be the treetop. Measure the midpoint across the width on the top end. This is where the top of the tree will come to a point.
3. Using a straight edge like a level, mark an angled line on each side going from the mark you made at the top to the bottom of the board forming the triangular shape of a Christmas tree. 
4. Cut your board into a triangle along the marked lines with your saw. These trees have a natural feel, so your lines or cuts do not have to be perfect.

One of the best things about the Christmas trees is that they are truly customizable. You can choose a forest green spray paint to fit with your other classic Christmas decorations or silver sparkly paint for a festive feel. Whatever color or design you pick, lay your tree on a drop cloth outside or in a well-ventilated area to paint. 

We used painter’s tape to make designs on our trees like our red and white striped candy cane. Acrylic paint works well here too, for more detailed designs like adding a painted garland or string of lights. For a truly rustic Christmas tree, lightly sand your board after the paint has completely dried for that weathered look.

For some Halloween decorations next year, paint the back of your Christmas Tree like a candy corn with orange, yellow, and white paint.

McCoy’s is your Christmas DIY center whether you want to make your own Christmas decorations or hand-made gifts, stop by or shop online today!