Faux Coral From a Palm...er...thingie

Thea
by Thea
2 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

Most tutorials on making faux coral look like hard work. Here is the lazy girls’ way of getting the same general effect. And the solution was lying in my garden.

For someone living in a grassland climate I inherited quite a big collection of palms in my garden. I think that at least half of the16 were probably potted gifts that the previous owner planted out. At first I didn’t like them because they just seemed strange within this setting but I have come to love them for the great craft materials they shed.

Case in point is this whatchumacalit. I have no idea what it is other than that they come from the palm trees pictured above and that this one made me miss the beach because it reminds me of coral. Fortunately there are so many types of coral that only a diehard botanist will recognize what this really is - a botanist or someone living in Florida that cleaned their yard yesterday!


I trimmed off the base and weaker branches, washed it and left it to dry. It’s important plan how the branch is going to stand before you trim it.

Find a base


I had a block mounted print that would serve as a nice base for my coral.

Spray paint


I spray painted both the branch and the box. The box created some issues because although I had primed it, the print kept coming through. So I gave up and used it, faded print and all. I finished the branch with a wax layer to give it a bit more strength as it can be brittle.


Next, I positioned the branch on the plinth and with a marker marked on the branch the spots where it makes contact with the surface. This is not as obvious as it seems. I then stuck it with hot glue.

Whether it looks like coral or not, I think it’s great.

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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 5 questions
  • Janell Janell on May 08, 2020

    By wax layer, what do you mean and what did you use?

  • Jodi Jodi on May 09, 2020

    I live in South Florida and have several of these palms and had never thought of this. You have a good eye. Maybe I should start shipping them out to the inland states for those that would like to try this craft. Anyone interested? Offer a Bid.

  • Autumn Autumn on Mar 17, 2022

    does the wax come in a spray or do you need to use a paint brush and brush it on all over?

Comments
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2 of 52 comments
  • Thea Thea on May 08, 2020

    No, its an excellent excuse for a vacation in Florida!

  • Kristy Kristy on Jan 15, 2023

    What a great idea! Now I just need some of these whatchmacallits 🙂 but I think I could "experiment" with some twigs n clumps here in the Midwest! Thanks for the ideas

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