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Turn leftover pallet wood into easy DIY Christmas trees with this simple woodworking project. I’ll show you the cuts and measurements we used for two different tree sizes, plus how we stained, assembled and decorated them for Christmas.

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Have some leftover pallet wood? Turn it into these easy DIY pallet Christmas trees for a simple piece of rustic holiday decor.

We made two different-sized trees using pallet boards, leftover wood and a few basic supplies we already had on hand. The angled pallet pieces create the tree shape, while green stain, a wood star and a little white craft paint give them a festive finish.

Use our original measurements to make the same two sizes, or adjust the cuts to create a pallet Christmas tree that fits your space.

How to Make Pallet Christmas Trees

 

I’m still deciding if the trees look better in our Christmas entryway or in our mud room. Which do you like?

They definitely add some fun décor punch without costing a much money. I think I spent about $12 on these trees! [And I have a ton of green stain leftover for another project]

Supplies for DIY Pallet Christmas Trees

• Old Pallet (Find one with great texture!)
• Green Stain (This one is super festive)
• Wood Stain (We used this one here)
• Leftover Wood (Furring Strip & Base)
• Wood Glue
• Wood Star
• Craft Paint for Star
• White Craft Paint
• Chip Brushes

 

 

Step 1: Cut the Pallet Pieces

Decide how many pallet pieces tall you’d like your tree. You’re going to overlap the pieces so add an extra level if you are debating between two options.

Using a miter saw, cut your pieces at 10 degree angle. This part is really easy because it doesn’t need to be perfect!

To give you an idea  of your cuts…

For the bigger tree:

• Furring Strip 21″
• Bottom Pallet Width at Bottom 15.5″
• Top Pallet Width at Bottom 4.5″

For the smaller tree:

• Furring Strip 16″
• Bottom Pallet Width at Bottom 10″
• Top Pallet Width at Bottom 3.5″

 

Step 2: Stain the Wood

For this project, we stained each piece green, allowed it to dry, topped it with a wood stain, and then stained it green again. You can see in the picture above how each piece looks after each layer. You have the freedom to choose which option looks best in your home!

Stain your furring strip a dark wood color on all 4 sides.

 

Step 3: Assemble the Christmas Trees

Take your furring strip and lie down your pieces like in the photo above. They overlapped about 3/4″. Continue building up until you’ve reached the height of your tree. Using a pneumatic nailer, nail your pieces into the furring strip.

Step 4: Add the Wood Stars

Paint your wood star and use wood glue to attach it to the top of your tree.

Step 5: Add Snow or Ornaments

Place a small amount of white acrylic paint on a plate. Lightly drip your chip brush in the paint. Carefully flick the brush over your tree to flock it. You could build up the white snow in a few rounds rather than accidentally throwing on too much at one time.

Another option to dress these pallet Christmas Trees up a bit: Stipple on ornaments using different colors of craft paint!

 

 

Step 6: Build and Attach the Base

Cut a base out of some leftover plywood. You could make it a wavy shape or leave it rectangular. Paint it white.

Attach the trees to the base using the Kreg Jig. Aren’t they looking super cute? I added some fun faux snow to soften the base. I thought it looked a bit too bare without it. But definitely your choice. 🙂

Can You Make the Pallet Christmas Trees Different Sizes?

Absolutely. Our measurements give you a starting point for the two trees shown here, but you can easily adjust the size. Before cutting your pallet boards, decide how tall you’d like your finished tree and how many overlapping wood pieces you want to use.

Just remember that the pallet boards overlap by about ¾ inch when assembled, so account for that when planning the finished height.

 

These DIY pallet Christmas trees are an easy way to turn leftover wood into Christmas decor you can pull out year after year. Make the two sizes we used, or adjust the measurements to create a tree that fits your own space.

And if you have more pallet wood left over, use it to make my DIY pallet snowman for another easy Christmas woodworking project.

 

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