Give an Old Worn Out Christmas Tree New Life With a Little Paint!

2 Materials
$20
45 Minutes
Easy
Our tree had pretty much seen it's day. We've had it just over 10 years. With the 3 kids and 3 dogs and being packed and unpacked for all those years it just wasn't looking as good anymore. And last year the pre-lit lights on the tree went out. I tried to fix it, but when I found a tree 75% off at the end of the season I knew it was time to let this one go. But you know us DIYer's....I couldn't get rid of it quite yet.

I really had wanted a white tree, but hubby said I couldn't buy another tree and we really have no where to put another tree in this house. Oh well....


But since I couldn't buy a white tree, I wondered if I could make a white tree?? I had previously painted one of those little mini trees from the dollar store and wondered if I could do the same with our old tree. Oh yes you can! :)


I started this DIY by cutting off all of the lights that were still on the tree. Since they didn't work, I didn't need them on there and I didn't want them to stand out on the tree when they were covered with the paint.
I really had wanted that white tree, but when I spotted this Aqua color from Krylon I had to use it. It was a pretty light color, but I loved that it had color to it instead of white. And since our tree was going to be decorated with all of seashells from our trip to the Gulf of Mexico this color would be perfect.
Start by putting a bag around your tree stand to protect it from the spray paint.
Then depending on how your tree comes apart or doesn't come apart will determine how you paint your tree.


I put just the bottom section into my tree stand and worked my way around my tree. Seperate the branches and make sure you get in between each branch and on the underside of each one too. Just take your time working your way around and up your tree.


When you have that section complete, add the next part of your tree and continue until you have it all covered.


My tree is about 6.5' high and is a "skinny" tree and I used up about 5 cans of paint so you can make adjustments from there based on the size of your tree.
Here you can see how good the paint covered on the branches and you can better see the color of the paint. It turned out exactly how I had hoped - I am thrilled!
Here it is standing in the corner naked.
A before and after - what a difference! It looks great with this nice, soft and beachy feel to it. To see the final result of our decorated tree, head on over to CrazyDiyMom.com!
Resources for this project:
Old tree
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Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 4 questions
  • Nina Nina on Dec 07, 2017

    Question: will the paint flake off when you pack the tree up for next year?

  • Sarge Sarge on Dec 07, 2017

    Have/did you notice whether or not the spray paint made the "pines" of the tree branches stick together?

  • Tonya Tonya on Dec 12, 2017

    I was thinking of painting a yard sale find tree for my son in black. Was worried of flaking and sticking of the branches. Is there any certain spray paint out there that will not flake off easily or make the branches stick together?

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