Monday, December 30, 2019

DIY Christmas Tree Stand

 I am always asked how I get our Christmas trees to stand up in alternative containers. Ever since we stopped buying real trees and swapped over to faux I have come up with creative stands. Each one was created a bit differently. Some were successful and well lets say one year Mr. Front Porch and I watched in horror while the tree started to topple over. It was a good thing we were there and I was able to catch it. After that year our skills have advanced and we have never had an issue again. So if you try your hand at creating an alternative stand just be sure that it is sturdy enough to hold the tree up to prevent any accidents! Probably best not to try if you have small children or pets unless you are 100% sure your stand is sturdy!

DIY -Christmas -Tree -Stand-Hearth & Hand-Galvanized-Bin-From My Front Porch To Yours
This year I used my Hearth & Hand galvanized storage bin that I got on clearance at Target after Christmas last year. I purchased it with this particular project in mind. I sat it on top of my wooden carved pedestal to add some more interest. It fit perfectly!

DIY- Christmas- Tree -Stand-PVC-Pipe-Fittings-Construction-Adhesive-From My Front Porch To Yours
Next up we created a the actual tree holder out of PVC fittings and a piece of scrap wood.
We used a coupling reducer hub attaching it to the scrap wood with extra strong construction adhesive. Next we attached an PVC adapter to the reducer hub with Solvent Cement meant for PVC work. The adapter was still too wide so we added another PVC adapter piece. The only one we could find in the right size around had threads in it which prevented the tree from sliding down. To solve that issue Mr. Front Porch took his Dremel and lightly sanded the threads away which worked perfectly!

I apologize for not knowing the exact names of the fittings we used but if you go and look at any big box hardware store you can pretty much figure out what will work and what won't work.
DIY -Christmas -Tree -Stand-Hearth & Hand-Galvanized-Bin-Wood-Pedestal-From My Front Porch To Yours
After creating the PVC scrap wood tree holder, I used extra strong construction adhesive to attach it to the center of the galvanized bin. I allowed it to dry for approximately 24 hours. 


DIY- Christmas -Tree- Stand-Rock-From My Front Porch To Yours
Because we had a 9ft tree this year and because I wanted to make sure the PVC holder was not going anywhere once the tree was placed in it I purchased two bags of beach pebbles. They weighed I think 34 pounds each. I chose this instead of say sand or gravel because for me it is easier to deal with as far as storing it till next year. 

DIY -Christmas- Tree -Stand-Pebble-Rock-Added-Support-PVC-Pipe-From My Front Porch To Yours
I placed the pebbles all around making sure to further weigh down the scrap wood and adding extra support to the PVC holder we made. Mind you I did check to see if the scrap wood adhered to the bin BEFORE adding the rock and it had but I ALWAYS like to be extra careful hence the addition of the rock.

DIY -Christmas- Tree -Stand-Tutorial-Hearth & Hand-Galvanized-Bin-Wood-Pedestal-Cottage-Style-Farmhouse-Style-From My Front Porch To Yours
After that I placed the tree into the PVC holder. The next day after I was sure it was not going to topple over I added over 1300 lights to our tree. What I love most about our PVC tree holder is that there is just enough room in the top piece from where the threads were sanded away that allows the tree to be moved around in a circle so I never had to try and reach around the tree. I just carefully turned it as I went. The tree has staid up and it has now been two months so I say this DIY tree stand was a success!

Again if you opt to make your own tree stand like we did keep in mind all safety issues that it entails! You want to make sure you are creating something that will not allow your tree to topple over and possible hurt someone or break something. I DO NOT recommend any DIY tree holder if you have small children or pets. As with any and all DIY projects you attempt them at your own risk.  


1 comment:

  1. I enjoy finding different options for our trees too. Hubby's number one rule, safety. Our two doxies love chasing each other like cookcoo birds every morning. They are small but when they run alot of shaking happens.

    Great tips and speaking about safety first was great

    Happy New Year

    Cindy

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