Nature has many treasures in store, and very special finds can be found on the beach in particular: in addition to shells, thunderbolts and amber, driftwood in particular is a much sought-after flotsam! The washed-out, pale wood impresses with its unique charm: The barkless surface, the smooth polished structure and the light color make it a real gem as a decoration. With its natural charm and connection to the sea, it always brings that holiday feeling into your own four walls. In addition, driftwood can also be used to make really beautiful things. Whether individual decorative pieces or furniture – with driftwood you can bring the maritime style directly into your home!
Driftwood: a jewel from nature
Driftwood is best found after storms: Whether on the lake or river bank or even on the beach – driftwood can be found everywhere on a long walk. The knots are particularly characteristic, which are already properly bleached and sanded round. All pieces of driftwood are suitable as decoration and for handicrafts: For example, a mural or a garland can be made from the small pieces of wood, while large branches in themselves become a stylish decorative element. The nice thing about driftwood in general: Each piece is unique and inspires you to create your own ideas. In addition, it fits in particularly well in living rooms where naturalness is important – for example, it becomes a real eye-catcher in country house style, maritime style or even shabby chic!
Crafting with driftwood: tips and ideas
- Wet driftwood is best left to dry at room temperature. Newspaper is suitable as a base. Very wet wood can take up to three weeks to fully dry, while thick logs may take months. Note: Well-dried driftwood does not mold! Attention: If a lot of moisture is removed from the driftwood too quickly (e.g. due to direct sunlight or because it is in the immediate vicinity of a heating source), cracks could form.
- Once the driftwood is completely dry, bark, algae and dirt can be removed using a coarse brush removed (do not use a damp cloth!).
- For handicrafts with driftwood are suitable: Fine saw, wood rasp, sandpaper, chisel, wood drill, wood glue, hot glue and nails.
- If you want to treat the driftwood, you can use beeswax and natural oils, for example.
- Driftwood from the sea is lighter in color than driftwood from rivers and lakes because the salt water dissolves more color pigments from the wood.
- If you hang your crafted decoration outdoors, you have to expect that the driftwood will continue to “work”: This means that it can shrink, swell or fade even more when exposed to the weather outside.
Driftwood Crafts: Inspirations from Instagram
Driftwood hanging lamp
Between decoration and design: cables with lamp sockets can be turned into designer lamps with little effort. To do this, the cable is simply looped around a chic driftwood branch.
Make keychains out of driftwood
Even the smallest pieces of driftwood are used, e.g. B. as a keychain!
To table …
Place cards made of driftwood, feathers and wire that are impressive!
Looking for more crafting ideas? Here you can find out how to make modeling clay yourself and how to transfer a photo onto wood. There are beautiful upcycling ideas for the garden here.
Sources used: selbstmachen.de, Lebensart-driftholz.de,