Looking for an inexpensive way to create a galvanized tree collar? This 10-minute galvanized Christmas tree collar tutorial will give you the same expensive look for a whole lot less!
A Cheap Galvanized Tree Collar Option
I fell in love with galvanized tree collars a few years ago, but it was never in our budget to spend $60+ for one! But this year, I got the idea to create our own for a fraction of the price! All I can say is all my galvanized tree collar dreams have come true. I am in LOVE. We love our family tradition of watching our favorite Christmas movies and sleeping by the tree on December 23rd, but you may just find me sleeping by the tree every night now that I have the classy tree collar of my dreams.
Want to make your own for $20?
For just about $20, you can create your own galvanized tree collar.
What You Need for your Galvanized Tree Collar:
- Galvanized bucket wide enough for your Christmas tree stand. I originally purchased a 15-Gallon bucket from Lowes, but it wasn’t wide enough on either side. Home Depot sells a 17-gallon bucket which fit great! You can also find these on Amazon here. Before you shop, measure the width of your Christmas tree stand.
- Flat-head screw driver and hammer
- Orbital jigsaw with metal-cutting blade
- Metal file
How to Make Your Galvanized Tree Collar:
Step 1
Measure the width of your Christmas tree stand and purchase a galvanized bucket that is wider than your stand.
For the quickest version, you could just set your tree inside the bucket (if it fits) and skip the rest of the steps, but since most galvanized tree collars get narrower at the top, I’ll show you how to get that look.
Step 2
Take your bucket and turn it upside down. You will be cutting the bottom. But first, take a flat-head screw driver and make a hole in the center of the bucket by pounding down on the hammer.
This step is optional, but it will give you a nice starting place for your saw.
Now, you’re ready to saw! My awesome husband helped me with this step, bless his heart. He started sawing in the small hole we made and kept moving around until we had a nice hole in the bucket.
See this nice hole? ^
You have a choice to make. I originally thought I wanted the entire bottom cut out, but my husband recommended just cutting a hole big enough for our Christmas tree trunk. I’m so glad he suggested this for 2 reasons:
- We have little kids at home. If we were to cut the entire bottom out, we’d be left with a rough edge. You could always hammer the edge down to smooth it up, but that would take a lot more time and still not sure how safe it would be for little fingers! I don’t have to worry about our children cutting their fingers on those rough edges since the hole is just in the middle–far from their reach.
- Because we have littles at home, they are constantly redecorating the tree. If we had a big hole, I’m sure we’d be digging out ornaments and toys constantly. Having a small hole big enough just for the trunk ensures that nothing gets lost down there!
Step 3
If you go with the middle-hole option, you’ll still want to smooth the edge of the hole just a bit.
Step 4
And that’s it! Now You’ll want to place the Christmas tree stand on your floor. Place the bucket over top and then continue setting up your tree.
It’s much easier to set the tree up once the collar is in place so you don’t have to life your entire tree up.
Step 5
Decorate your tree and admire! If you’re like me, you’ll want to stare at your awesome DIY galvanized tree collar all month long! I think the look creates such a nice, classy, clean look!
Just look how pretty that DIY tree collar looks when all the presents are set up around it!
And there you have it! If you create your own galvanized tree collar, tag @sofestive on Instagram. I’d love to feature it!
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