Living landlocked in the Midwest, I can't stroll on the beach collecting driftwood. I wanted driftwood for my beach themed summer mantel, but the cost of purchasing and shipping the real thing was just too much for me. What else could I do except find a way to make it myself? Using my chemistry background, I've developed a simple process for making faux driftwood from sticks and logs found in your yard. Let's get started!
Materials
- eye protection and rubber gloves
- dry sticks and small logs
- hammer, other tools that could be used for distressing the wood
- Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (MSDS)
- hot water
- container large enough to hold the wood
- wire brush
- (optional) oven for drying the wood
- sandpaper or sander power tool
1. First collect dry sticks and small logs. Mine were small logs from a cedar tree we cut down last year. A lot of the outer bark had already peeled off which was a plus.
2. Now take your hammer and beat up your wood. Be sure you wear eye protection. I smashed the ends of the logs to make them look less perfectly cut. I also used a chisel to split off some of the wood.
3. Fill your container with hot water. I just used the hot water in our garden hose that was sitting out in the sun. Put on your rubber gloves. Start adding the washing soda while stirring with one of your logs. Keep adding and stirring until no more will dissolve. CAUTION: The resulting solution is caustic so you do not want to get it on your skin or in your eyes.
4. Place your wood in the solution and let it soak for 12-24 hours. I needed a large rock to hold the logs under because they wanted to float.
5. A few times during the soaking period, pull out the logs and use the wire brush to scrub off the layers of bark which have softened. Make sure you are wearing your gloves and eye protection. I did it twice, but it could take more or less depending how much bark is on your wood.
6. When all of the bark has been removed, rinse your logs very well with water. Now you can leave them in the sun to dry. As always, I am impatient so I put them in my oven at 250 F for about an hour.
7. Once dry, it's time to make your wood look like it has been eroded by the ocean waves. Use sandpaper or a sander to round out all the sharp edges. Completely sand down any small branches that don't look like they would survive a beating in the ocean.
Now go decorate with your faux driftwood!
Are you interested in how this works?
The active ingredient in the washing soda is sodium carbonate. When dissolved in water, it makes a caustic solution (high pH) that breaks down the lignin in the wood. Lignin is a component of plant cell walls which gives them strength and rigidity. Breaking down the lignin softens the bark so it can be easily scraped off. In addition, the components of the wood that give it color are released (you may notice that the water becomes reddish brown), which lightens the surface of the wood.
Oh wow! I didn't know you could do this. I'll have to show my dad this, he loves driftwood.
ReplyDelete(first time here)
- Melanie
http://mailboxjourney.com/
That is an awesome technique! It really looks authentic! I'm going to pin that to my decorating inspiration board.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by The Cozy Old Farmhouse.
Thanks for pinning!
DeleteWow, wow WOW! So awesome!! I featured you today in my Friday I'm In Love favorites!!
ReplyDeletehttp://socialsalutations.blogspot.com/2012/06/friday-im-in-love-dreaming-of-beach.html
XOXO
Jenn @ Social Salutations
Thanks for featuring me on your blog!
DeleteWow, this is cool! They really look like the real deal. Impressive!
ReplyDeleteShared on FJI Facebook and pinned for SNS 139. :)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150992949801141&set=a.192514281140.164586.175378011140&type=1&theater
Donna
Thanks for pinning and featuring me on facebook!
DeleteThese look great, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea!!! We have lots of driftwood beaches close to me but we are not supposed to remove any of the wood. What a great solution!
ReplyDeleteAwesome tutorial! Being midwestern landlocked myself, this will help! I tried to convince my husband to let me bring driftwood back from Hawaii last month, but he seemed to think we didn't have the luggage space for JUNK. How dare he!!!
ReplyDeleteJeannine @ The Concrete Cottage
LOVE!! Thank you so much for telling us the secret to making driftwood when you're land-locked!!
ReplyDelete<3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original Round Up party is open.
I nearly shouted out loud with delight at this- FINALLY!!! I was so, so frustrated... finding all those awesome driftwood projects, but no driftwood- no joy. You made my mothers' daughter a very happy gal indeed!
ReplyDeletesorry, I forgot- obviously this will go straight to my pinterest. Happy days!
ReplyDeleteoh I seriously am going to try this!! I love driftwood and I had no idea you could make your own!
ReplyDeleteI featured this on my blog today:
http://christinasadventures.com/2012/06/sunday-features-77.html
I also pinned it:
http://pinterest.com/christinasadven/20-below-features/
We do this to "barn wood" for projects. That way we have no fresh cut areas exposed.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love a smart project, and this is one for sure. I live by the beach and hardly ever find driftwood. I would love to try this myself. Thanks for sharing your chemistry skills with us. Brilliant! Found you at Lines Across. Hope you'll stop in and visit at Quirky Vistas sometime.
ReplyDeleteLiz
Very interesting! The wood likes like the real thing. Thanks so much for sharing at Etcetorize this week~
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! You did a great job :)
ReplyDeleteHow cool! What a great way to create your own!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I have to pin this.
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC! I'm not land locked, but is is often hard to find just the right piece of wood. Thanks so much for this :o)
ReplyDeleteThis is so neat! Thanks for the tutorial and explaining the reason the washing soda works. My husband had a huge pile of limbs and sticks behind the shed...hmmmm..maybe they'll become driftwood.
ReplyDeleteBabs
Great idea. I have a few pieces of driftwood, but not nearly enough for my tastes or for some projects.
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is by far the most interesting post I have found. ANd more so because I like a bit of science to my project...we are Asian you see! LOVE your work and I am definitely doing this.
ReplyDeleteLOVE
ReplyDeleteWell, now...this is just all KINDS of awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing! This is going to really deplete our kindling pile . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this info for us. I was wondering if regular "land locked" wood could be turned into something that would pass for driftwood and you have gone and done the hard part of figuring out the process for us. I saw your post as it was featured on the "At The Picket Fence" blog.
ReplyDeleteHoly moly! Genius! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thank you so much, I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteDo you think highly salted water could act as the high pH agent to create this look?
ReplyDeleteNo, table salt (sodium chloride) will not change the pH.
DeleteI love this! One of my favorite things to do with my youngest is collect rocks, driftwood, and seashells...you can never have enough.
ReplyDeleteRockin! I was all over the place lookin for places to get driftwood, now i have an endless supply.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing : )
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, I would love to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteI always have washing soda on hand! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteIs there anyway this would work with untreated lumber? (like 2x4's for rustic signs and wall hangings?) thanks!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Just wondering how to get rid of the solution…did you add more water?
ReplyDeleteYes I diluted it with more water, then dumped it slowly down the sink with lots of running water.
DeleteWhere can I buy the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda?
ReplyDeleteI found mine at Walmart in the laundry aisle.
DeleteIncredible idea. Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteI used your technique to great effect on a large pine picture frame from a thrift store. Only difference -- instead of a bucket, I laid it out on a tarp and basted it with a foam brush several times throughout the day to keep it wet. It looks so good. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCan you reuse the solution or is it a one time deal?
ReplyDeleteHi, I love this project but we don't have the washing soda from Arm & Hammer in my little country (The Netherlands).
ReplyDeleteIs there anything that can replace this?
Greetings,
Nicole
Awesome! I have some boards I want to do that to....
ReplyDeleteFor NicciB in The Netherlands, go to this site:http://naturesnurtureblog.com/ttt-turn-baking-soda-into-washing-soda/ to find out how to turn baking soda into washing soda. I haven't yet tried it, but plan to do so today. Good luck to us both! ~Twila~
ReplyDeleteI think one could use household bleach to lighten the wood even more!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteI DO live near the beach - I beach walk several times a week.
Driftwood is very rare on the beach here -
YAY! Now I can find branches and twigs when I walk in the park (also several times a week)
then go home and make my own driftwood!
julsofparadisedotetsydotcom
Wow! Genius! I followed a link from Beach Bliss. I had no idea this was possible. Thank you for figuring this out and sharing with the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteDriving in the Texas backcountry yesterday, I saw so many pieces of fallen trees, and thought to myself, could that be made into driftwood. ? And here you are....so very interesting. Just am going to have to try this at least once and see how it comes out.
ReplyDeleteThank youi, Rose
I posted this fabulous idea on Facebook. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI posted your blog on Facebook. I'm soaking my wood now. I'm so excited. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love this - I will be doing this with boards like pallet boards and whatnot. I also live in the midwest, however where I live, we do have some driftwood (you really have to search) and it is legal to just take at this point - some places, it isn't legal. Also, I absolutely love your sense of humor and your patience level. ...might have to do the oven thing since the snow will be flying soon. :) Thanks again!!
ReplyDelete