Over at the blog Stephanie @ Home there was a great tutorial on how to make faux driftwood (link dead).
If you’re looking to create a coastal vibe in your home or add some natural elements to your decor, driftwood can be a great option. However, finding real driftwood can be difficult or costly. Fortunately, with a few materials and some patience, you can create your own faux driftwood at home.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Eye protection and rubber gloves
Sticks and small logs that are at least partially dry
Hammer and other tools for distressing the wood
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (MSDS)
Hot water
Container large enough to hold the wood
Wire brush
Optional: oven for drying the wood, sandpaper or sander power tool
Here are the steps to follow:
Collect dry sticks and small logs. Make sure they’re partially dry to ensure they’re able to absorb the solution.
Use a hammer and other tools to beat up your wood. This will give it a more natural, distressed look.
Fill a container with hot water and add washing soda while stirring. Be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection as the solution is caustic. Add washing soda until it no longer dissolves.
Place your wood in the solution and let it soak for 12-24 hours or longer. Use a rock to keep the logs submerged.
A few times during the soaking period, use a wire brush to scrub off softened bark. This can take a few rounds of scrubbing depending on the amount of bark.
Rinse your logs well with water and dry them. You can air dry them in the sun or use an oven at 250°F for an hour.
Use sandpaper or a sander power tool to round out sharp edges and create a more realistic driftwood look.
Now you have your very own faux driftwood to decorate your home with. The active ingredient in washing soda is sodium carbonate which breaks down lignin in wood. Lignin is a component of plant cell walls that gives them strength and rigidity. By breaking it down, the bark softens and can be easily scraped off.
In addition, the wood’s natural colors are released, lightening the surface. With this easy and affordable method, you can bring the beauty of driftwood into your home without the high cost or difficulty of finding the real thing.
I hope this works for you all, you driftwood-making peeps!
Looking for more Driftwood ideas? Check out these handmade crafts on Etsy.
Looks great, you should check out a new show called “Sister Pickers” they picked then bought old items to start a business. I love the stuff you link. Keep on keeping on!
I would LOVE to see this DIY but the blog is blocked (?) Is there a way to request permission from the blogger to view this tutorial? My husband is building us a farmhouse table and I wanted to find a good way to PHYSICALLY distress the wood (besides just distressing with paints and stains…)
When you click on the download for the tutorial at the site simply fill in the two blanks and the tutorial will be sent to you. I hope this helps,
Stef
When I click on the link you provide, it does not allow me to see it. It says only people invited by the blogger can access the site 🙁
Would like to be invited to read your blog and see the tutorial on how to turn wood into driftwood…. thank you
This looks so interesting. Thank you for sharing.