Crafting décor from tree bark can add a lot of character to your home, making it look more mature and bold.
But, whether you’re making simple bark lanterns with your kids or crafting vases, you must first clean the bark to get rid of dirt and insect borers of trees. Otherwise, you could end up bringing all kinds of natural nasties into your home!
There are many approaches to cleaning tree bark, and regardless of how you go about it, it will take time and effort. So, to help you avoid the trial and error I did, I’ll take you through how to clean tree bark for crafts in this post.
How to Clean Tree Bark for Crafts
Firstly, remove extra branches from your piece of wood and cut it to the desired size. Then, let the branch dry for a couple of months – it takes a long time for this to work! Then, depending on the size of the wood, use bleach and water solution or put the wood in the oven to kill insects.
Clean the bark using a paintbrush and damp cotton. Next, apply wood hardener and let it dry naturally. Finally, complete the process by applying a water-based poly or tung oil protective coat.
Step #1: Trim Off Extra Branches
Take a wood piece and trim all the extra branches from it using a hand saw. If the piece of wood is much bigger than you want to use, cut it to size before drying and cleaning.
Step #2: Dry the Piece of Wood
Let the piece of wood dry out. You can leave it in your garage or anywhere it won’t be disturbed. If the wood is freshly cut, it can take between six months and a year to dry completely. It’s best to use a branch that fell from a tree for making crafts since it doesn’t take as long to dry.
For example, a branch I found recently was pretty dry already, but I left it to dry in my garage for another month for good measure.
Step #3: Bake the Wood to Get Rid of Insects
If the piece of wood is four to five inches in diameter, bake it in your oven at the lowest setting for an hour. Check the wood every 15 minutes to make sure it’s not burning. If the log or branch is bigger, turn the oven up to 250 degrees, and bake for two to three hours.
The idea behind this is to reduce the moisture level of the wood down to 12% or lower. Low moisture content makes the wood inhabitable for bugs. However, incorrectly stacking wood in the oven will reduce air circulation and slow down the drying process. So, stack the logs with sticks at 90 degrees to maximize air circulation.
If you’re working with a huge log, soak it in a solution of 1-gallon water and 1/2 cup bleach. Let the log rest in solution for one day as it will kill bacteria and bugs. Then, soak the log for another 1-2 days in water. Keep changing the water frequently to extract all the bleach, and let the log dry for a few days.
If you’re using peeling barks to make smaller crafts like lanterns, heat them in your oven at the lowest setting and keep checking on them so they don’t get charred.
Some DIYers choose not to bake peeling bark at all since the pieces should be safe to use as long as the bark looks clean and isn’t wet.
Step #4: Clean the Bark
Clean the bark with a paintbrush and damp cotton, but don’t wet the wood too much. You can use canned air to assist with cleaning, but this can sometimes break bits of bark off.
Step #5: Apply Wood Hardener
Using a brush, apply wood hardener on the log and let it dry. It will reinforce the wood and also protect it from rotting. Once the wood has a plasticky look to it, the hardener has cured. Applying a second coat isn’t a bad idea, especially if the piece of wood is large.
Step #6: Apply a Protective Coat
Apply a clear, water-based poly coat on both sides of the log. After this, your log won’t crack, shrink or swell. Alternatively, you can avoid chemicals by using tung oil as a protective coat. Put three coats of tung oil and let the log dry completely between applications.
Craft Ideas with Tree Bark
Tree bark lanterns are a rustic yet stylish addition to any living room! But, I liked the idea of making a tree bark mirror to pair with my own lanterns.
How to Make Lanterns with Tree Barks
Collect pieces of peeling bark and clean them up with a slightly damp cloth. Grab a jar, and position the pieces of tree bark around it. Ask someone (I asked my daughter) to wind twine around the jar. Tie knots with the twine. This will hold the tree bark in place.
You can then put candles in the jar. I love these lanterns because they give the fireplace so much more character!
How to Make A Tree Bark Mirror
Cut cleaned pieces of bark off the log using a handsaw. Then, get a mirror of the desired size, and draw a large square in the center of the mirror with a temporary marker. Use super glue to stick the pieces of bark along the outline of the square. Cover the entirety of the mirror outside of the square with tree bark.
After the glue dries, you will have a beautiful-looking mirror with a tree bark frame to hang in the living room.
How to Make a Tree Bark Wreath
Gather pieces of peeling bark and attach them to a wreath using clamps. Then, use hot glue to permanently stick the bark to the wreath. It’s really that simple!
You can further decorate the wreath with pinecones, holly leaves, and berries to give it a more seasonal and rustic look.
How to Make A Tree Bark Vase
After cleaning the bark, cut the log to size – between 10 and 14 inches is best for making a vase. Next, use a tri-flute drill bit to drill a hole and hollow out the log. Make sure you stop about two inches from the base of the log.
If the log you have is wide enough, you can consider inserting a glass vase in it. If you’re going to put fresh flowers in the vase, make sure you give the insides of the log a waterproof coating.
How to clean tree bark for crafts – a quick summary
Ok – so, what have we discovered? Here’s one last run-through of the steps I’ve laid out above.
- Trim or saw off any extra branches or unwanted pieces of wood.
- Dry the wood for at least 30 days – if not longer.
- Bake the wood at around 250 degrees F to get rid of bugs -checking frequently so you don’t start a fire!
- Clean your bark carefully.
- Apply wood hardener.
- Apply a protective coat.
Drying wood out properly for crafts takes a lot of time and patience! If you live in a rural area, however, you may already have lots of wood lying around. If you want to use wood regularly for crafts, make wood and bark collection – and drying – a regular events throughout the summer months.
Give it a go – and see what you can make!
Originally posted 2021-10-21 09:07:07.