Refinished Bergere chair using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Before and After

Refinished thrift store chair using driftwood weathering wood finish

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Refinished Thrift Store Chair Using
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Turned Coastal Cottage Chic

I’m using an outdated and rather dark thrift store chair and updating it with a beachy driftwood finish fit for any vintage seaside cottage and I’m using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish.

This is my second refinished thrift store chair project and turning it into a beautiful piece of furniture to fit my beach cottage. Like the first chair, this one was purchased for under $30 and it needs to be completely stripped of both its dark finish and outdated fabric.

Once you find that special chair, here are the materials you will need:

To start, you will need to remove all the fabric. This may entail removing screws and I had to take the chair apart in order to remove the seat. Here is what you will need for each step:

Removing the Fabric

needle nose pliers for helping to remove staples – and there will be MANY, MANY staples.
flat head screw driver – helps with removing staples
patience, patience, patience – removing the many staples is the most tedious part

Stripping the Finish

Furniture stripping agent such as Klean Strip Paint & Varnish Remover or other safe stripper
steel wool #0000
scrapper
sandpaper #150, #220 and #320
mineral spirits

Refinishing and Re-upholstering

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
Fabric of your choice
Piping (optional)
Chip brush
Drop cloth
Spray on glue for foam Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose
Tacky glue (but only if using piping) Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
good quality staple gun
staples

Above is the original thrift store chair

It’s in good condition, but not suitable for a vintage seaside cottage. I wanted that weathered look that I keep seeing in Ballard Designs and Restoration Hardware. I am always inspired by the pages of Ballard Designs and they have a Bergere style chair with a weathered finish that sells for $800 or more. Same with Restoration Hardware. I know I can recreate the weathered finish with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish stain AND I can find a fabric that will suit my decor perfectly.

A key to re-upholstering the chair is to keep all the original fabric pieces, including any padding or backing. This way you can use them as pattern pieces. Make sure to mark each piece and even take pictures during the removal process that you can refer back to.

Take pictures and mark the pieces. Once all the fabric has been removed, you can start stripping the finish.

I used an environmentally safe spray-on furniture stripper so as not to have hazardous chemicals seep into the ground water. This particular stripper took longer and more elbow grease but I’m good with that. There are plenty of environmentally safe paint removers available. To help remove the finish, I used #0000 steel wool especially in the hard to get areas.

Fully Stripped of Finish and Fabric

The chair completely stripped, sanded and cleaned with mineral spirits. Any chemical residue from the stripper or original finish will hinder the results of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. So I need to test the results using the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish stain.

My first chair project turned out darker than I expected because I did not test the results first. This time, I knew I wanted a lighter and more brown toned finish that would pick up the taupey brown tones in my chosen fabric. I also wasn’t at all sure what type of wood the chair was made from. Since the more tannins a wood has – the darker the color will be when using the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. It’s really important to test the results in an inconspicuous area first.

As it turned out, diluting the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish solution gave me the color I was looking for. Instead of mixing 1 packet with 1 cup of water – I mixed it with 2 cups of water.

Here I am testing the finish against my chosen fabric which is Magnolia Home Indoor/Outdoor Sea Island Spa. It has a beachy, cottage feel and even looks a bit vintage to me. The colors are perfect!

I seriously considered using the Driftwood Liming Wax to give it a lighter finish as I did with my first chair project but then realized I wanted a more driftwood, weathered finish. A finish that was completely matte like a found piece of driftwood.

Re-upholstering the Chair

I’ve been sewing since I was 10, but if you are not confident in your sewing skills, this might be where you want to take the chair and original fabric pieces to an upholstery shop to complete the project.

Cut out all your fabric pieces using the original pieces as templates, which hopefully you saved and marked. Same with any backing pieces. Sometimes you may need to replace the cushioning or backing pieces.

One thing I learned along the way was to use a spray glue good for closed cell foam such as Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose to lightly glue ONLY the fabric backing to the foam. DO NOT glue the actual fabric to the foam – just the backing materials. This really helps keep everything in place while you are re-covering the chair.

Another great tip is to fold and press your fabric under about 1/4″ before applying to the chair using a staple gun. This way, you end up with a nice clean edge instead of frayed fabric edges. Much less messy. I also used piping to cover up any exposed staples and Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive to apply the piping.

Final Project

Total Cost for Refinishing and Re-Upholstering Thrift Store Bergere-Style Chair Using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The total cost for this project was about is about $115.00 and that included:

$25.00 for thrift store chair
$24 for a 3 yards of fabric
$12.99 for the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
$10.00 piping
$13.00 Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive Multi-Purpose
$6.00 Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
$12.99 environmentally safe paint and varnish stripper
$8.00 for incidentals such as staples and sandpaper

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

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Stenciling Patio Pavers with
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

The Vision

Stenciling Patio Pavers – Another Great Use for Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

I have this patio envisioned in my head. It’s about 15’x20′ and made of Arizona flagstone with all its beautiful color variations. There will be a 2 ft high stone retaining wall and that will be topped by bluestone slabs for sitting and showcasing plants. Behind that is a wall of 3 ft tall boxwood or similar shrub. This envisioned patio is #1 on my wish list. Unfortunately, it’s about #8 on the priority list. But I definitely needed something inexpensive and fairly easy to create that would serve until my dream patio can be built.

Let the Games Begin

My mind went to Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and how it stains just about everything it contacts including concrete, cement and stone. There is something in the stone that reacts with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish and turns it the color of spicy brown mustard. I have no idea what but I knew the color would not wash off like paint. And then I realized if I could use a stencil with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish I might be able to create something unique at a cost that was fairly inexpensive. Soon my backyard became a research project filled with different stenciled patio pavers and various watered down dilutions of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. The stenciled pavers were all over the yard like some bizarre game.

Some of the older pavers I turned over and used for experimentation and some ended up in the patio along with newly purchased cement pavers. All were purchased from Home Depot but I see them at Lowes and Wal-mart. They come in different base colors and I chose the lightest, whitest ones. The cost is about $1.89 per paver for a 12″x12″.

I spent the next 3 days testing and stencilling patio pavers. After trying numerous stencil designs, I settled on this one although Amazon has a quite a selection of great Tile Stencils Available on Amazon. Choose one to fit your paver size. Some go all the way to the edge and are suppose to match up with the next paver. The one I chose allowed me to add a border and it had a cottagey/vintage vibe which I liked.

The Hard Part

Since there had already been pavers down and the area was somewhat level, I did not have to dig into the ground or put down gravel, etc. before replacing the pavers. Nor did I use a level (which I regret). I did have sand on hand to help get an “eyeball” level. After all, I did not want a big project or a lot of expense – just a fairly quick intermittent solution until my “Dream Patio”.

I used sand purchased from H. Depot specifically for pavers and drove it into the seams with a stiff brush. I did this for a few days as the sand kept settling and more was needed.

And finally, once the sand had settled, I used Miracle Sealants H20 Plus Penetrating Sealer to give the stenciled patio pavers a waterproof topcoat that would help deter stains. If you have ever used similar pavers, you know that they stain rather easily especially if you use flower pots. I was impressed by how well the sealant worked.

Final Project

The pavers are deliberately different shades of the same color. The darker ones were done with the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish at full strength (1 packet and 1 Cup of water – there are 2 packets per Single Pak). And then I started adding an additional Cup of water (1 packet and 2 Cups of water) and finally 3 Cups of water. Three cups of water ended up being too pale for me. I like the ultimate translucent, watercolor look achieved. This technique does not give you “fine” lines. In my creative mind, I likened the look to some ancient Grecian tile floor uncovered in an archeological dig. It’s been worn and weathered and has tons of character. Perfect for a shabby chic or cottage style garden.

And I started getting ideas for stenciling patio pavers and the different ways I could use them throughout the garden. More on those later in another blog.

Total Cost for Stenciled Patio Pavers using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

The total cost is about $150.00 for a paved patio approximately 3′ x 6′ and that included about $75.00 for 18 pavers from Home Depot; $20 for a 12″x12″ stencil; $12.99 for the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish; $4.89 bag of paver sand; $32.00 waterproof topcoat sealant and a fun day sitting in the garden stenciling patio pavers.

Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

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Creating a Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

An easy way to make a driftwood pendant light shade that will stretch to go over a glass shade of various sizes. The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

If the top of the glass shade is narrower than the bottom – you can tighten the driftwood row at the top and leave the bottom looser. However, you don’t want to use a shade with more than a 2-3 inch circumference difference between the top and the bottom. Having said that, a creative mind could easily create two separate rings of driftwood one to fit around the top and the other to fit the bottom.

Materials You Will Need:

1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
Drill
1/8″ drill bit
Pendant Light Shade to be covered
Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight
Pencil to mark drill holes
Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

Marking and Drilling your Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Place a driftwood piece against your glass shade, figure and mark 2″ from the bottom of your driftwood piece. Then measure another 2-3″ from the first mark and make a 2nd drill mark. You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood. Drill at hole at each mark.

Once your pieces are all drilled, start threading the stretch cord through the holes. Tie knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the shade expands. Pull the stretch cord to tighten the rows.

Make Your Circle

Occasionally place the driftwood row around the circumference of the glass shade to check the fit. When you have the row the length you want – tie a final knot or two. DO NOT CUT THE CORD. Form a circle with the driftwood row and continue threading the cord through 3 or 4 driftwood pieces from the other end. Knot the ends. You can add a little bit of hot glue to the end knots or lightly melt the stretch thread with a match.

Finally, slide the driftwood over the top of your glass shade and attach the assembly to the hanging rod.

You need not be confined to just using the driftwood on pendant shades – try using the same technique to go over an existing table or reading lampshade.

And don’t forget this stretchy driftwood surround makes a great candleholder or planter. Use them for special events, weddings or just liven up the garden.

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.

Make A Holiday Driftwood Star for Christmas

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Making Holiday Stars from Driftwood and Candy

Here’s a fairly quick and easy holiday craft idea for making driftwood stars from pieces of driftwood and candy that will give you that stained glass look.

Materials:

Driftwood pieces. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Hard candy such as LifeSavers Cherry, Watermelon, Orange; Cinnamon Red Hot
Heat Gun such as HiPur Adhesive Applicator by Stienel or Professional Glue Gun
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
Parchment paper or tinfoil
Eyelet screws
Ribbon
Spray polyurethane

Simply lay out your star figure with your driftwood pieces. You can make them any size you want but the bigger they are the more crushed candy you will need to fill the star.

2. Once you have your driftwood star figure, then just glue the ends. I discovered the hard way that it is much easier to fill them with the crushed candy if they are as level as possible and as many sides as possible rest on the parchment paper so that the melted candy has something to adhere to. Try to glue the points together without resting the driftwood pieces one on top of the other in order to adhere the points.

If you are using the Stienel Glue Gun and Adhesives, you will find that the glue will become opaque so a little will go a long way. This is a strong glue but it has its disadvantages. It will hold together better than regular glue guns and the glue is both waterproof and heat proof so it does work well in Florida’s heat. It even held up fine while in the oven when the candy was melting. However, half way through my project, the gun’s heating element broke and I had to resort to another method to finish my stars. I chose to go with E6000 glue which you can find at any hardware or craft store. E6000 is very good and also held up in the oven. It dries clear, but it does not dry quickly so it was time consuming to hold together ends until they were dry enough.

Glue the eyelet screw in place so you can attach a ribbon for hanging.

Now you will need to crush your candy. Use hard candy such as Lifesavers or any hard candy that, when melted will give you that stained glass look. Menthol hard candies should give you that pretty holiday blue color. Sour apple or watermelon hard candies will work.

I buy a large bag of candies and unwrap each individual piece then double bag them in ziplock baggies and pound away with a hammer until you have the smallest bits possible. A fine powder is best because it will melt quicker and result in a smoother more glass like appearance.

Set your driftwood star on some parchment paper or tinfoil and place on a cookie sheet. Then fill in the driftwood form with your crushed candy. The more candy you use and the thicker it is, the longer it will take to melt. Also, the larger your crushed pieces are – the longer it will take to melt.

The above star was filled to about 1/4″ with crushed candy and took longer to melt in the oven. It was about 8 minutes at 200 degrees. My other stars were not as thick and I put the oven at 250 degrees and they melted in about 4 minutes. You need to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn so I would start at 200 degrees and do 4 minutes and then check it every 2 minutes.

Once it has melted, take it out of the oven and let it cool before moving it around as the candy is fragile and will crack especially if it is thin.

After it is cooled, you can spray it with a polyurethane to help keep it from attracting bugs and also from melting if it becomes too warm. Then tie a ribbon through the eyelet screw and use them to decorate.

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Stars? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar Tutorial

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Making a Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar

How cute is this Bell Jar setting with a driftwood Christmas tree, stonewall, bench and snowman. This bell jar has been designed for Christmas but can easily be changed for the seasons or holidays just by changing the miniature pieces. Change out the snow for grass and leaves and the snowman for a scarecrow and you have a bell jar for the fall season – or add some spooky gravestones and miniature skeletons and you have a nice little halloween display – all centered around a little driftwood tree.

Materials Needed:

Driftwood pieces for tree. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Piece of styrofoam to support your driftwood tree while building
6″-12″ wood base depending on the size of your tree and bell jar
Bell Jar
Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator or Professional Glue Gun
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
Snow Flakes
Granite pebbles for stonewall
Miniature pieces such as a sled, snowman, bench, skates, presents, sleigh, reindeer, santa, etc.
Drill and bit the size of your tree base

Start by picking your driftwood pieces for your driftwood Christmas tree. A good size to aim for is about 8″ tall.

2. Pick out four driftwood pieces to be used as support on your tree – about 1 1/2 – 2″ in length each.

3. Glue your driftwood support pieces on all sides of your driftwood tree base about 1/2″ down on the base.

4. Now start gluing flat driftwood pieces from the ends of each support to the top of the base.

5. Continue all the way around building up the tree.

6. Drill a hole in your base piece using a drill bit the size of your tree and glue your tree in place.

7. Use pebbles or stones to create a stonewall or create a fence out of driftwood pieces.

8. Add your snowflakes and create your miniature scene then cover with your bell jar.

You can add a Christmas ribbon on top or surround the bell jar with Christmas greenery.

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Cloche? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture

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Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture

This Simple Tutorial on how to Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture will show you how easy it is to create a stunningly beautiful piece of driftwood sculptural art using nothing but weathered driftwood pieces.

This Driftwood Wall hanging brings all the colors and textures into one striking art piece that can be hung indoors or out and in a variety of room decors from beachy to modern. It’s perfect for focal point over a mantel.

Supplies Needed:

Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator by Franklin International or Professional Glue Gun
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
150-200 Driftwood pieces 6″ – 12″ (I used approx. 175 pieces for my 25 1/2″ round sculpture). If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Paper Template (decide how big you want it and create a template from paper)
Round Wood Base 9-12″ (you will need this to be able to hang the sculpture on the wall)
Hardware for hanging sculpture
Picture hanging wire

1. Start with deciding how big you want your piece and creating a round paper template that will help you keep the shape in check. I also separated my driftwood into 3 different piles – long pieces, shorter pieces and odd curly pieces. This made it easier to find the right size I needed.

2. Center the wood circle on the template. This piece is what you will use as your base to attach your hardware for hanging and to also attach some longer pieces of driftwood to help stabilize the piece. It can be anywhere from 9″ to 20″ around.

3 Glue longer pieces from the wood circle to the outer edges of the template. This will help stabilize the piece. Notice that my driftwood pieces extend way past the wood center piece.

4. Continue to fill in with shorter pieces – lining them up with the bottom edge of the paper template.

5. For the next layer, I added shorter pieces and filled in sparser areas. Then took my odd shaped pieces and used them for the middle to create more dimension – turning them so they pointed up and out. Nice curly pieces that add character as well as dimension.

6. The final step is to attach the hardware for hanging.

Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Birdhouse

Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand

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Driftwood Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand

I recently added this sweet weathered wood bird feeder and stand to our backyard and aged it using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish. I wanted it to match and blend in more with our aged and weathered wood fencing. Once I had all the materials, it took about 30 minutes to assemble, stain and paint this bird feeder and stand. Pretty easy actually and now we are thoroughly enjoying watching the many birds frequent the feeder all day long. Especially Bella, our cat whose morning routine is sitting in front of the back door. She is completely mesmerized by the visiting wildlife just beyond the glass door.

Items Needed

Bird feeder. I purchased the Woodlink Cedar Bird Feeder from Amazon – $34.84
18″ Woodlink Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle also purchased from Amazon – $18.49
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish
1 Vinyl Wrapped Wood Closet Round Pole by Woodgrain Millwork from Home Depot – 1 5/16″ x 72″
1 Galvanized steel nipple from Home Depot – 1 1/2″ x 2″
1 Iron floor flange from Home Depot – 1 1/2″
Used Sunbrella stand

I wanted a bird feeder that I could easily move around the yard and into the garage should a hurricane approach. But I also needed one that would be easy for me to fill and one that fit in with the surroundings. The more I looked at the two unused sun umbrella stands in the yard, the simplier the answer seemed to be – attach the bird feeder to a pole and insert it into the sunbrella stand. Seemed easy enough and certainly cheaper than buying a bird feeder pole kit. If you don’t have an extra sunbrella stand on hand, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, Craig’s List, etc. or even cheap ones online.

weathered wood bird feeder and stand — The two sunbrella stands I had on hand.

I found the style birdhouse I wanted on Amazon along with a recommended squirrel baffle.

One thing I ended up doing is removing the two wire cages on the ends of the bird feeder used for holding suet cakes. I did not find that the birds liked them although it was probably the type of suet I was using. Once I removed the wiring, I applied the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to give it age and create my weathered wood bird feeder and stand.

Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and many other stores all carry poles and the plumbing hardware I needed to attach the bird feeder and to also set it into the stand. I purchased the vinyl-wrapped wood pole from the closet department and the flange and steel nipple from the plumbing department. I thought the vinyl would help the wood last longer in the outdoor elements. Be sure that whatever width size pole that you purchase will fit into your sunbrella stand. Most stands are adjustable to accommodate various sizes – just make sure you don’t get one too big.

Putting the Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand and Together

The iron floor flange needed to be small enough to fit on the bottom of the bird feeder and the galvanized steel nipple needs to fit inside the flange. The steel nipple needs to fit over the top of the pole so that it can be easily lifted on and off.

The beauty of this bird feeder is that I can lift it up and off the pole easily when I need to refill the seed. And it sits secure enough on the pole so that I’m not worried about it coming off in any wind. I’m 5’2″ so the 2″ nipple worked perfectly for me but if you are taller, you can go with a 4 or 6″ nipple and it will really sit solidly on the pole.

I inserted the pole into the sunbrella stand, adjusted the tightening mechanism and attached the squirrel baffle about 4 feet off the ground. Then spray painted the pole black to match the baffle.

I then attached the flange to the bottom with screws and screwed the galvanized nipple into the flange. The bird feeder is now ready to slide over the top of the pole. That’s it – just slide it over the top. There is no need to screw or secure it in place. It will stay on the pole just fine and you will still be able to easily lift it on and off the pole to refill it. It’s amazingly sturdy even in the wind.

Fill it and Enjoy the Wildlife

I fill my bird feeder with white millet and it is constantly visited by morning doves, cardinals, woodpeckers and bluejays. Thankfully, the crows and grackles don’t like millet so they stay away. The baffle works perfectly to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder as long it is placed at least 15 feet from anywhere they can jump. And every morning I have a rabbit or two mingling about the bottom of the bird feeder with the squirrels. I don’t know if they like eating the millet seed but I now put carrots out for the rabbits. We have a deal – I give them carrots and they don’t eat my hostas. So far so good…

If you prefer a more whimsical birdhouse made from actual driftwood pieces in additional to our weathered wood bird feeder and stand, check out this tutorial.

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

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Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

This is an easy way to make driftwood candleholders and plant holders that will stretch to accommodate different size jars. Those pretty glass candle jars that you normally throw out after the candle burns down can now become a very pretty driftwood plant holder. The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

Materials You Will Need:

1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Drill
1/8″ drill bit
Glass container
Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Pencil to mark drill holes
Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

Place a driftwood piece against your glass container. Measure 2″ up from the bottom and mark a hole for drilling. Then measure up another 2-3″ from the first mark and drill a second hole. You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood.

Once your pieces are all drilled, just start threading the stretch cord through the holes. I tied knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the candleholder expanded but it’s not really necessary. Pull and tighten the driftwood row.

Make Your Circle

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

The simple holders are also great for Using driftwood in a Party or Wedding Theme.

We actually used this same technique to create pendant light shades and they look awesome! Making driftwood pendant light shades.

Make a Driftwood Ball

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How to Make a Driftwood Ball

Very simple tutorial to Make a Driftwood Ball or Driftwood Orb.

Materials Needed:

Pro Hot glue gun or Titebond HiPur Adhesive Applicator Glue sticks – professional glue such as:

Titebond Wood to Wood WW60 or WW30 (for use with Titebond HiPur Adhesive Applicator)
Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks
All Temperature Wood Stik
100 or more 2″-6″ driftwood pieces. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Balloon or beachball. (Use extra strong balloons)

I wanted my driftwood ball to be about 10-12″ in diameter so I had to use a balloon. I found “Punch Ball” balloons at Walmart for about $3.00 for a package of 8 which were strong enough and allowed me to get the size I wanted. Once a blew up the balloon to the size I wanted, I tied it off so that I would be able to untie it easily enough to let the air out slowly when I was done instead of just popping the balloon. My driftwood ball is about 10″ in diameter and I used 100 pieces of driftwood for my project.

I started by actually gluing a driftwood piece directly to the balloon just to hold it in place. Keep in mind that once you let the air out of the balloon, it will continue to stick to the glue so you want to use as little glue as possible to hold it in place on the balloon and as few times as possible gluing directly to the balloon. I believe I glued directly to the balloon 5 times. The less you can do it the better. Ideally, you want to glue just on the driftwood pieces.

And it’s important to use a professional hot glue gun and professional grade glue sticks or the piece will not stay together. If you don’t want to use a glue gun, you can use any glue that will give you a quick and permanent adhesion – “quick” being the operative word here. You don’t want to be holding the pieces in place and waiting for them to dry.

If you live in a hot, humid climate like Florida, you will find that regular glue sticks will not hold up and your driftwood orb will quickly fall apart so it is important to use professional glue for “all temperature”. This will also allow you to use your driftwood ball outside without it disintergrating.

Continue making your way around the balloon and filling in the spaces with driftwood pieces until you like what you see.

Find where you tied your balloon and untie it then slowly let the air out. It should pull away from the glued sides but it will leave behind some pieces of balloon that will be difficult to remove unless you used as little as possible to hold it in place.

There you have it – a beautiful driftwood ball that you made in about 2 hours.

Once you’ve created your driftwood ball, the possibilities are endless as far as what you can do with it. Certainly, it’s decorative and quite textural by itself but add a string of LED lights or even just one bulb and you’ve got a unique light source. Attach dirt wrapped in moss using wire or fishing line and insert some succulent plants and you’ve now got a unique planter. Or just use it as a sculptural garden element. Whatever you decide, you now have a clever and decorative driftwood element.

Using Driftwood in a Wedding or Party Theme

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Using Driftwood in a Wedding or Party Theme

By Kim Foster

Whether you’re planning a romantic barefoot wedding at the beach or you’ve simply chosen a nautical theme party, using driftwood in a wedding or for your party is one of the most dramatic elements available for your party décor.

Not only is driftwood naturally-occurring and often obtainable for free, but it also adds a perfectly casual yet classy touch to your special occasion. Plus, as an added bonus, driftwood stands up to wind and weather, unlike expensive fresh flowers that will wilt in the heat. Check out these clever ideas for using beautiful, eco-friendly driftwood for your wedding or party. If you don’t have driftwood available to you locally, check out this tutorial on how to make your own driftwood, or these online sources for obtaining some good driftwood pieces online to get your projects started. Recommended from Amazon for creating Driftwood Furniture including driftwood arches – great for a wedding. Driftwood Furniture: Practical Projects for Your Home and Garden

• Driftwood Menus

Adding driftwood to your special event menu is a lovely way to add the driftwood theme to your tablescape. Buy inexpensive frames that have a back stand, make copies of your menu and insert into the frames, then attach driftwood pieces using a hot glue gun and your done. When the party is over, remove the menus and add your favorite photos from your special event.

• Driftwood Sailboats

Use simple Driftwood Sailboats as table décor. Follow these simple instructions for making these easy driftwood sailboats which look amazing when added to any beach themed wedding or party décor and are super easy to make. Surround your sailboats with other driftwood pieces, shells, candles, sand flowers and you have your simple yet elegant and inexpensive table decorations.

• Driftwood Arch

To begin with the most obvious and yet one of the most striking uses of driftwood, consider exchanging vows with your beloved under a driftwood arch. Driftwood arches range from stark and simple to breathtakingly intricate, and are easy to enhance in many ways, should you choose. You can cover the entire piece with greenery, or add fabric or ribbons to flutter in the ocean breezes. LED lights wound around the arch look lovely for a nighttime wedding, bringing that radiant glow to your face and that of your intended.

• Driftwood Vases

You can just easily make a driftwood vase for holding flowers as you can a driftwood candleholder – the same technique is used. Find a large cylinder glass vase – clear or even a pretty seaglass color that will show through will work just fine and attach it all the way around using a hot glue gun then just add your choice of flowers.

• Driftwood Signs

Signs are often used to point the way to the ceremony or reception, to urge guests to “Choose a seat, not a side,” or simply to display the names of the bride and groom with a loving message or a romantic quotation underneath. Driftwood signs look right at home in any natural or “shabby chic” venue, and are easy to personalize by painting freehand or using stencils. Driftwood can also be used to frame chalkboards, and messages in chalk can of course be erased after the big day, so you can continue to use the signs in the future.

• Place cards

Search online for “driftwood place cards” and you’ll find so many artful ideas you won’t know which to pick. For starters, you could decide to paint or carve each guest’s name directly onto a small piece of driftwood, creating for each person a unique wedding favor as well as a placeholder. If painting or carving seems too labor-intensive, you can cut small slits into pieces of driftwood to hold handwritten name cards, or drill tiny holes into any small, irregular pieces of wood and insert wire card holders. This idea from June Bug Weddings. Photo by Harrison Studio

• Driftwood Candleholders

If you’d like to add a cozy ambiance to your tables, driftwood can be used to make candle holders in countless imaginative styles. If you have a long driftwood log at your disposal, small divots can be cut into it to hold tiny tea lights. You might also arrange sticks of driftwood vertically around a glass candle holder, or directly around a wide candle itself. They can be decorated with ribbon, though twine or thin rope would also be in keeping with a nautical or beachy feel. For a tutorial on how to make driftwood candleholders click here.

• Driftwood Garland

When frilly bows and ribbons just won’t fit in with your theme, you can add a truly unique finishing touch to your wedding décor by creating driftwood garlands. Whether natural colored or whitewashed, a collection of driftwood twigs can be strung together and draped from furniture, laid casually on a tabletop, or used as a tie-back for fabric. Add a few sand dollars, shells, or starfish to turn it into an idyllic seaside accent.

• Driftwood Chandelier

For the more ambitious decorator, nothing says “drama” like a handmade driftwood chandelier. The idea is more do-able than you think, and like so many driftwood items, you’ll find that chandeliers can range from intricately entangled sculptures, wired for electricity, to plain driftwood sticks used to suspend candles in beautiful holders. Metal candle holders are often used and mason jars are popular, too, but any colored glass container can add interest to the piece and tie in with your wedding motif as well.

• Driftwood Cake Display

If you can find the right piece of driftwood, it can be a clever display to highlight a beautiful wedding cake, champagne fountain or food tray. Make sure your unique piece is capable of holding the weight of whatever you want it to hold and then properly balance and support it for a spectacular driftwood display your guests will be talking about for years.

• Driftwood, River Rocks and Flowers

There’s something simple yet serenely beautiful about smooth stacked river rocks and purposefully placed flowers against a backdrop of driftwood that will set the tone for a beach themed wedding. Hot glue them together so they stay attached then artfully place them on your guest tables or scatter them about your reception area to set a sea inspired zen like ambiance complete with driftwood, flowers and river rocks.

• Driftwood Centerpiece

Use driftwood as your centerpiece. Driftwood is naturally beautiful and can easily stand alone as a piece of sculpture or use it as an integral part and incorporate it along with other natural elements. Include flowers, stones, shells, intertwined or sculptural driftwood and candles. Simplicity is key. It doesn’t need to be elaborate to be beautiful. And don’t forget to add a hint of your colors for your special day, event or the season your celebrating.

The allure of driftwood lies in the history each fragment holds. Once young and green, every piece has traveled far and changed much from its original form. Tossed by the waves for many years, it has finally landed on the sunny shore—time-worn, but still strong and beautiful. There is no better symbol for an enduring marriage than driftwood!

Make a Whimsical Driftwood Birdhouse

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How to Make a Whimsical Driftwood Birdhouse

Simple tutorial will show you how to make a whimsical driftwood birdhouse for indoor or outdoor use. Add charm and character to your garden with a whimsical driftwood birdhouse you make yourself.

Supplies

Driftwood pieces – 5-12″ round and flat plus assortment of other pieces. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
18 oz. oatmeal carton or similar cardboard carton
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
Heat Gun such as HiPur Adhesive Applicator by Stienel or Professional Glue Gun
wooden stand (optional)
wooden round 5″ – 8″ (optional)

I used an 18 oz. oatmeal box but pretty much any similar cardboard box, round or square, will work. Remove the advertising so you just have the brown cardboard.

Cut out a hole for the door and any additional “windows” you might want.

Then just fit and glue your pieces around your form. You can use flat or round, long or short – just cover your form.

Once the form is covered on the sides, you can start on the top. I wanted mine to be off-centered and longer on one side which would give it a more whimsical look so you can see I started with a long piece on one side propped up by a shorter piece on the other. From there I just started filling in areas. It’s like a puzzle where you find the best pieces to fit and pieces that will add some character here and there.

Here is a view from the back. Once again, I just started layering smaller, flatter pieces on the roof until I had it completely covered.

In the front top I added a post that protruded out so the birds would have a perch and other little unique pieces that just fit well on the top. I then added a “front porch” so to speak and a piece on the right that ended up looking almost like a handle. I found a unique driftwood piece that was like a curly little pig’s tail and added that coming down from the top and one more piece to balance the left side and I was finished with my whimsical little birdhouse. It was hard not to keep going by adding more little pieces here and there.

The final thing I did was use the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish on the base so it would look more weathered. You can see the difference in the very top picture where it blends in very well with the regular driftwood.

And there you have it. So cute in a garden or just on display. Since I used Titebond WW30 HiPur Hot Melt Adhesive, I can use my birdhouse outside.

Driftwood Bergere Chair Project

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Driftwood Bergere Chair Refinishing Project

This is one of those projects I started over a year ago – yes over a year ago. It took me that long to remove all the staples (if you’ve ever done a re-upholstery job then you know what I’m talking about); decide on a fabric; make my own piping and then summon up the courage to actually attempt the re-upholstering and applying piping. And, in between there was a move to a new house so yes, this was a long time in the making. Amazingly enough, this is one of those projects that came out so beautiful when it was finally finished that it was well worth the time it took and I now have a beautiful driftwood Bergere chair.

This is the chair I started with – picked up at a thrift store for a mere $25. Pretty ugly but the style is exactly what I was looking for. I knew I wanted a Bergere style chair to use the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to create a driftwood finish on the wood and recover it with some fresh new updated fabric most likely in gray tones. When the time came to choose a fabric, it took forever to decide and I actually purchased three different fabrics. I ultimately decided it was time to just pick one and move forward – anything was better than this hideous blue and pink fabric.

The first step is removing all the trillions of staples. I used a pair of needle nose pliers. You want to save all your pieces of fabric, including the lining pieces as you will use them as templates for cutting your own fabric so don’t get impatient and start tearing and ripping. You’ll also want to take good closeup pictures of every angle of the chair to show how the fabric folds and the piping flows. This really becomes helpful as does using the old fabric as a template to cut your new pieces. Pay attention to the layers and sequence of batting, webbing, canvas and any other pieces that make up the underlying structure of your chair as you will want to duplicate it as much as possible and use the same pieces when possible. Take pictures and make notes – you’ll be very glad you did.

Since I was going to use a paint stripping solution, I needed to tape off the areas I wanted to protect.

Then I started the very messy project of stripping this bad boy before applying the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish that would give me the driftwood finish I was looking for. Once the old paint was removed, I mixed a packet of the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish powder with a cup of water and started applying with a brush. And of course, because I’m so impatient, I don’t test it first and I get a very dark color – darker than I really want. But I keep going anyway because it still looks good even though it’s darker than I want. What I should have done was test it first and I would have known to dilute the solution. This would have resulted in the lighter finish I really wanted.

Now starts the hard part of re-upholstering. But this poor little chair sat like this for over a year before I picked up this project again. Now, a smart person would have applied the Driftwood Liming Wax at this point certainly before recovering the chair with fabric but not me. I was still okay with how dark the wood was so I began the re-upholstery. Here’s where researching the internet came in very handy. I researched many videos and websites on re-upholstering chairs and gleaned a lot of good information. I am a fairly good seamstress so sewing the cushion didn’t scare me. Cutting and making my own piping was just time consuming but ended up not being that bad at all. Even applying the piping was pretty easy using Magna Tac glue.

Following the advice of one website – I actually used a spray glue to fuse and apply the webbing and batting to the chair. This eliminated the need for using too many staples in the areas where the wood was already worn out. Using the old fabric pieces as my templates, I cut all my new pieces in my nice new fabric.

Once I applied the batting to the front, back, arms and seat with the spray glue, I started stapling the fabric in place using an electric staple gun. This is where I learned a very important lesson that helped me a lot and made a world of difference so I want to pass it on. I initially started by pulling the fabric taught on all sides and stapling as shown on the left below – then I saw a video of someone who suggested folding the fabric under before stapling and I literally pulled out all my staples and started over with rolling under the hem before stapling. You can see how much neater and cleaner it looks and I can tell you it will save you time as you will not have to go back and cut away the excess and you will not have hanging threads. And it’s so much neater and easier to cover with either a single or double row of piping.

Using Magna-tac glue I applied my single row piping. Here is another big tip I’d like to share. Measure and sew your pieces of piping together to create more than enough length to cover the area you are working on. Trying to piece together two pieces of piping because you come up short just makes it very difficult and usually ends up looking sloppy. Plus it usually ends up with trying to piece it together in an awkward place like smack in the front where it will be quite noticeable. It’s so much easier if you have the right length to fully cover the area right from the start. Here you can see I’ve glued on the piping on the arm and tucked and glued the ends. Start and end in the most inconspicuous area possible. Start with small sections first until you get comfortable with it though it’s not that hard. Just make sure to cover your staples.

Weeks after the chair was completed, I decided to attempt applying the Driftwood Liming Wax to lighten the finish. Not an easy task and not one I recommend. Trying to avoid getting the wax on the fabric was difficult at best but with a lot of effort, I managed. I do like the finish so much better. You can see the difference below. This is the driftwood shade I was looking for and if I had just taken the time to test the Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish I would have known to dilute it and would have gotten this color without having to add the Driftwood Liming Wax. But I will say it again – this is one of my favorite projects and it came out so well. I finally have my driftwood Bergere chair. This chair would sell for an easy $600-$700 in the stores and it’s going to look amazing in my sunroom as soon as I can get that room finished.

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Turned Coastal Cottage Chic

Removing the Fabric

Stripping the Finish

Refinishing and Re-upholstering

Above is the original thrift store chair

Fully Stripped of Finish and Fabric

Re-upholstering the Chair

Final Project

Total Cost for Refinishing and Re-Upholstering Thrift Store Bergere-Style Chair Using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Stenciling Patio Pavers with Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

The Vision

Let the Games Begin

The Hard Part

Final Project

Total Cost for Stenciled Patio Pavers using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish

Creating a Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Materials You Will Need:

Marking and Drilling your Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Make Your Circle

Making a Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar

Make a Driftwood Wall Sculpture

Driftwood Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand

Items Needed

Putting the Weathered Wood Bird Feeder and Stand and Together

Fill it and Enjoy the Wildlife

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

Materials You Will Need:

Make Your Circle

How to Make a Driftwood Ball

Using Driftwood in a Wedding or Party Theme

• Driftwood Menus

• Driftwood Sailboats

• Driftwood Arch

• Driftwood Vases

• Driftwood Signs

• Place cards

• Driftwood Candleholders

• Driftwood Garland

• Driftwood Chandelier

• Driftwood Cake Display

• Driftwood, River Rocks and Flowers

• Driftwood Centerpiece

How to Make a Whimsical Driftwood Birdhouse

Supplies

Refinished Thrift Store Chair Using
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain

Stenciling Patio Pavers with
Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish Stain