How To Treat Tree Log For Indoor Decor

This post will teach you how to care for tree branches for indoor use. Acquire how to clean and remove bawl from branches, as well as how to finish branches for decor and crafts to ensure they expect wonderful and last.

How to Treat Tree Branches for Indoor Use

I'm back from vacation 🙁 Only I am really excited to get dorsum to my projects list. Consider this mail service an appetizer for a postal service I take coming up later this week on how to make a true cat tree out of a existent tree!

I was starting to put together the cat tree post when I realized that it was going to beactually long. So I decided to pause out the role nearly how to treat tree branches for indoor utilise, specifically how to clean, strip, and terminate the branches, and make it its ain post.

Besides, stripping and finishing branches is something that I recall a lot of people might be interested in. Not merely those of you who want to build a existent kitty tree.

collage of two images showing a stripped and stained tree branch

Using tree parts for dwelling house decor is beautiful, price effective, and not too hard. Check out my mail most my DIY tree stump side table and this post on a lovely stained stump with wheels!

I as well absolutely love these tree branch drawer pulls by Kelly over at Design Asylum. The possibilities are countless, and if you're lucky, you can get the materials you need to create these awesome projects for complimentary.

When I started researching how to treat tree branches for indoor utilise, I was overwhelmed with the many unlike approaches. I had but pulled some branches from off the basis in the woods.

We weren't even sure what kind of tree they were from, although nosotros had some guesses. We also weren't sure how long we had to let them sit down out because we didn't know how long it'd been since they'd fallen off the tree and what kind of weather they'd been in since then.

Then consider the steps I followed below to be only 1 arroyo. I'll provide some boosted tidbits on other approaches I read nearly but didn't use along the mode. 🙂

Here'Southward WHAT I USED:

Branches and a dry space
A paint scraper—similar this one here.
Small hand-held saw—meet one here—and a miter saw (not completely necessary, but we needed to trim some thick branches down).
Assorted sandpaper—I used 100 and 150 grit depending on the spot.
Minwax Stain in Natural and Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin.

Here are the steps to make clean branches for ornamentation.

(Remember to clothing a mask and eye protection while sanding and working with wood, and wear an advisable mask while working with paints, stains, and finishes. Follow the directions and warnings from your item brand. Do not use any tools without proper training, precautions, and supervision from a professional. Read my full terms of utilise here.)

Pace 1: Discover a suitable co-operative

We foraged the woods backside my parents' house and constitute 2 keen branches that were already on the ground. I'd read that you had to allow the branches dry out for a while—upwardly of a year, even. So I idea it would exist best to discover something that had already been drying out on the footing.

We also didn't want to hack upward whatever trees that were still growing when at that place are enough of fallen sticks and branches to choose from. Non knowing how long information technology had been detached from the tree was a run a risk nosotros were willing to take. 🙂

branch laying on the ground in the woods

Afterward cutting the branches, we brought them into my dad's workshop, which has baseboard heating, to dry out for 2 more months. We guessed the pieces nosotros had were pretty dry since they did have some cracking, just nosotros wanted to be sure. If nosotros'd thought they were newer branches, we would have allow them dry for longer.

Pace 2: Remove bawl from branches

Afterward about 2 months, I started scraping the bawl off. This is a very of import footstep that a lot of people skip when bringing tree parts indoors. You need to scrap the bawl off because in that location could be bugs living under it!

In fact, I institute guide a few picayune guys while I was scraping. Bugs take a purpose, just I don't want them living in my home 🙂 The bawl will somewhen autumn off anyway, and so it's best to take information technology off at the start of your project.

In that location are lots of ways to de-bark copse. The ease with which you can remove bark depends on many factors, including what type of tree it is, how dry out the wood is, and fifty-fifty what time of year it is. So information technology'south difficult to provide an estimate.

Unfortunately for me, my bark was not like shooting fish in a barrel to remove—and it looks like that's the example for many people if my Googling is any indication. Simply don't worry, the results are totally worth the time and frustration!

Removing bark from a tree branch to bring it inside

While I read that a lot of people utilize a depict pocketknife and even a pressure washer to remove bawl, I used a paint scraper. Information technology was my dad'south idea, and information technology worked actually well! Information technology just took time and elbow grease, and it was extremely messy.

Step 3: Sand and smoothen the branches

Subsequently I'd scraped all of the bark off, I cried of happiness that the miserable process was over and grabbed some sandpaper. I used 100-grit sandpaper on some of the rougher spots.

So I gave the entire piece a adept, thorough sand with 150-grit sandpaper. I was truly amazed at how well sanding polished the piece. I did all sanding by hand since the branch was a bit curvy and bumpy—just seemed easier.

Step 4: Stain the branches

After cleaning off my work space and wiping downwardly the co-operative with a dry paper towel, I used a chip brush to employ a generous coat of stain. Minwax Stain in Natural really helped to bring out the wood'south graphic symbol.

I didn't even wipe off the excess stain—I but left it to soak into the wood for about 24 hours. Like I said, my pieces were pretty dry, so the stain soaked right in. (I also take a whole post near how to stain and end forest if y'all're new to the process!)

staining a stripped tree branch to bring it inside

Pace 5: Stop to protect

At this indicate I was giddy with excitement about how adept the branches looked. I finished them off with two coats of Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin because I wanted to bring in a bit of sheen while providing further protection for the branches.

This is a water-based polyurethane that dries much faster than an oil-based 1. I also really love Varathane h2o-based polyurethane in matte. I used it on my girl'south dollhouse bookshelf, our cat business firm side tabular array build, and our DIY plywood planter considering I didn't desire much shine on any of these pieces. You tin can see it's a cute, understated finish.

Left: Stain dried; Right Acme: First glaze of poly on; Right Lesser: Drying poly

And here are my treated branches finished…

Y'all can see that the pieces have just the right amount of sheen for what I wanted. I wanted them to look polished but non super shiny and fake, and I think the water-based poly in satin really accomplished that await.

They do look a but shinier in person—this was hard to capture in photos. If you want them to look like these pictures, I'd err on the side of caution and become with a matte h2o-based formula. Yous can always add a layer of satin on top of the matte if you don't love it.

stripped and stained branch connected to a piece of plywood

You lot can see the true cat tree made out of a existent tree build that these branches were finished for besides! And I also did a post about how the tree held up years later on considering I get a lot of questions nearly information technology. This is probably my favorite project of all time.

Also, while making the cat tree, we have to level off the branches. Later all this work staining and finishing the branches, I couldn't bear throwing out scraps we had to cut off. So I fabricated a tiny false succulent planter out of one of the branch pieces. It's a cute and piece of cake DIY!

Pin my tips near how to treat branches for indoor ornament and crafts!

pinnable graphic about how to prep tree branches for indoor home decor projects including images of a branch and text that says just pick, sand, and stain

Instructions

Find a suitable branch. Ones that are already laying on the basis are all-time considering they have already started to dry out. Note that is best to let them proceed drying out for at least ii months if yous are wanting to use them indoors.
Remove all the bawl from the branch using a paint scraper.
Sand the branch to remove any rough spots using 100 grit sandpaper. Then, using 150 dust sandpaper, sand the unabridged branch.
Wipe downwardly the entire co-operative with a dry paper towel to remove all the dust and droppings.
Use a bit brush to apply a generous coat of stain. No demand to wipe off the excess stain, go out it to soak into the wood for 24 hours.
Finish the branch with ii coats of polyurethane in satin to protect it and you're done!