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Creating a DIY flocked Christmas tree isn't as hard as you might think. Learn how to flock any Christmas tree with this easy tutorial.

This year, I really, really wanted a flocked Christmas tree. So I decided to turn my old fake Christmas tree into a DIY flocked Christmas tree. And it turned out amazing!

I did casually check out a few flocked trees while I was shopping, thinking maybe I would find a killer sale. But I just couldn't justify buying a new artificial tree, when I already had a perfectly nice one at home.

So, of course, the next logical step was to figure out how to flock the Christmas tree I already had!

I'm sharing the full tutorial for this DIY flocked Christmas tree below, as well as a video tutorial and printable instructions.

What is a flocked Christmas Tree?

If you aren't sure what a flocked Christmas tree is, flocked trees are those gorgeous, snowy white ones. Not the ones with white plastic needles, the ones that have a realistic white snowy texture.

Some are a little white with plenty of green still showing through and some are almost all white. They are meant to look like a beautiful evergreen covered with snow.

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Use real snow flocking powder

I turned to Pinterest and started searching for information on how to flock a tree. I found a few different methods involving soap flakes, white glue, glitter, even spray paint.

But when I looked at the results, they really didn't look like a real flocked tree at all. So I did a bit more research and I learned that you can buy real flocking powder, the same flocking material that florists and other professionals use.

It only makes sense I guess – if you want it to look like the real thing, you need to use the real stuff!

I've never been able to find any real flocking powder in stores, it's something you need to buy online.

After doing a bit of searching, I found Sno Flock flocking powder on Amazon. I bought a box of SnoFlock to flock my tree and have since used it to flock many other projects with great results.

This year I decided to do a little test to see if SnoFlock really is the best. You can see all the details of my quest to find the best flock here , but I'll go ahead and share that I found SnoFlock and Sno-Bond Flock in a Box both work really well and look absolutely beautiful on your tree.

(This is especially helpful to know because SnoFlock sells out frequently, so having another awesome option really helps.)

How much flocking do you need?

I really wasn't sure how much flocking I would need so I went for the five pound box. I figured it was better to have too much than too little.

In the end, I probably used a little less than half of the 5 pounds flocking my tree. Our tree is 7.5 feet tall and I flocked it with plenty of green still showing.

If you are flocking a typical 7.5 foot tree like mine, a two pound bag of flocking powder should be enough to flock it lightly. If you are flocking a larger tree or want your tree mostly white, I would recommend going for a five pound box.

Supplies

A real or artificial Christmas tree – you can also flock wreaths , mini trees, and garlands. I have flocked all of these and they look beautiful.
Real Flocking Powder – this is the flocking I used , but it tends to sell out quickly. In my recent test of flocking powders, I found that this one is very similar. Either one will get you that beautiful snowy texture.
A spray bottle of water
A strainer
A dropcloth to protect your floor

How to Flock a Christmas Tree

Protect your workspace

The actual process was super simple. It is a little messy, so I recommend working in a basement or garage if possible.

Be sure to cover the floor under the tree with a tarp or dropcloth before you start.

Fluff your tree

I should mention that before I flocked our tree, I did something else slightly crazy to it. Last year over half of the lights on our pre-lit tree burned out. I just unplugged them and threw on a bunch of other strings of lights.

This year, since I knew I was going to be making our tree beautiful and snowy, I didn't really want to cover lots of old nonworking lights with flocking. So I cut all of the lights that came on the tree off with wire cutters first.

This took a lot of time and was completely unnecessary but I'm glad I did it. We are most likely going to have this tree for many more years and now it is good as new again.

You can flock real trees, fake trees, pre-lit trees, wreaths, garlands, pretty much anything. And you certainly do not have to remove the lights from your pre-lit tree first – since flocking this first tree, I've flocked several pre-lit trees with no problem.

It works best to flock your tree once it is already assembled and all of the branches are fluffed. Start working at the top of your tree and work down from there.

Mist with water and flocking powder

Lightly mist a section at the top of the tree with your spray bottle of water.

Scoop up some of the flocking powder into your strainer and sift it onto the damp tree from above.

Then spray the flocked section of the tree with water again.

The water activates the adhesive, fluffs up the flocking, and seals it all.

(By the way, you don't want to accidentally mist your sifter full of flocking with the water – it will fluff up the flocking before it is on the tree and clog up the sifter).

Continue to do this moving from section to section.

Work from the top down

Working from the top down allows the flocking to settle on the branches in a way that mimics fresh fallen snow. Don't attempt to smear the flocking onto your tree or add more flocking underneath the branches because this gives an unnatural look.

Afterwards, if you would like your flocking fuller, go back and add more water and more flocking until you get the look you want.

Seriously easy.

I love how much it actually looks like a snowy evergreen!

Allow the flocking to dry

Once you are finished, you need to let everything dry. This takes between 6 and 72 hours.

The more thickly you flock it, the longer it will take. I flocked my tree in the evening, let it dry overnight, and the next morning it was ready to move upstairs and decorate.

It has been several years since I first flocked my Christmas tree and it is still going strong! The photo above is of the exact same DIY flocked tree a few years later – still looking beautiful!

I've gotten a lot of questions about this project so I put together an update on how my DIY flocked Christmas tree is holding up after 5 year plus answers to frequently asked questions.

This is by far my favorite Christmas project ever!

Check out the before and after – the flocking just made such a difference.

How to Flock a Christmas Tree. DIY Flocked Christmas Tree before and after.

How to Flock a Christmas Tree Video Tutorial

Just hit the play button below to watch the full video tutorial. It shows exactly how to flock a tree along with answers to the most common questions I've been asked about flocking.

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Instructions

Before beginning, be sure to protect the floor under your tree with a dropcloth or other protective covering.
Use a spray bottle to lightly mist a section of the tree with water.
Scoop some of the flocking powder into the strainer and sift it onto the damp tree from above.
Spray the flocked section of the tree with water again. The water activates the adhesive, fluffs up the flocking, and seals it all. (By the way, you don't want to accidentally mist your sifter with the water – it will fluff up the flocking before it is on the tree and stop up the sifter).
Move around your tree in small sections. Spray each section with water, sift flocking powder over it, and spray with water again. Continue to do this until the entire tree is flocked. If any sections look a bit bare, simply repeat the process until you are satisfied with how it looks.
Allow your tree to dry thoroughly before moving or decorating it. This will take 6 - 72 hours, depending on how thickly you apply the flocking.

I'd love for you to pin this post on Pinterest!

closeup of Christmas tree before and after adding flocking with text - How to flock any Christmas tree.

And for those of you who aren't sure you want to flock your own tree, I put together a round up of flocked Christmas trees you can buy all ready to go: 15 Gorgeous Flocked Christmas Trees for Any Budget .

I actually just bought a new flocked tree myself. After many years of use, the stand and some of the branches on my DIY flocked tree gave out. I bought this tree from Amazon . It's pretty affordable and I'm really happy with how it looks.