Silver Tree Branch Centerpiece

Crafting a Tree Branch Centerpiece is fun, easy, and looks fantastic in the end!

I was recently at my cousins’ house and was in complete awe of all their cool decorations. One that I was extremely enamored with was a tree branch esq. candle holder on their coffee table. The decoration that they had was not actually a tree branch, but my brain asked, “but what if it was?”

So, I decided to try and make something similar out of a real tree branch. I mean… why not? It took me a while to find the perfect branch but eventually one of the backyard trees delivered. And once I had the branch, and came up with a plan, I was ready to make a tree branch centerpiece.

Check out the Craft section of MCG for more unlimited ideas. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think and how the craft works for you!

Supplies

For this project, I gathered:

• (1) Tree Branch
• (1) Silver Spray Paint
• (3) Wooden Discs, three different sizes
• (3) Screws / Nails
• (2) Sheets Sanding Paper
• (1) Knife

Process

Cleaning and Prepping the Wood

To make a tree branch centerpiece, you need a tree branch. And tree branches are not typically the cleanest and neatest when pulled off a tree. The one I found had many lumps and bumps. I had to pick and choose my battle when deciding what to keep on and what to remove.

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I started by removing any small branches. They were flimsy and did not add much to the look. I also looked at any nubs that extended out in a protrusive way. The whole tree branch needed to be aesthetically please. I used a knife to get rid of any excess that I didn’t like. And I went a little crazy with it but not in a bad way.

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I did end up sanding a few spots down, but I tried to use the knife to add a bit of distress to make the area look natural. There were also a couple places with wood missing so I ended up using glue in those areas.

Adding Platforms

The next step of the project was adding platforms. I wanted to take some steps to hold the candles! For this I decided to attach three different sized wooden discs up the main branch of the piece. What is a tree branch centerpiece without candle stands? Ok… that question is a little nonsense.

Anyway, I could not decide whether to use nails or screws for this part. Nails are easier but I wanted to make sure the tip did not go through the other side of the branch. Screws offer more support but might not work if the branch is too thin. I decided to kind of mix and match to figure out what worked best for me.

All the Paint

The last step of the project is painting the whole thing in silver. Let’s go! I did this in two steps. Covering the top in two layers; and then covering the bottom in two layers. The silver paint looks stunning. I honestly want to use it in other projects because it looks so pretty.

And it really brought the tree branch centerpiece together. I like that the paint was able to hide the screws and nails and prevent any blemishes from showing. The glue I used to spruce up the wood blended in seamlessly.

Reflections

This project was more in the intermediate range because the amount of work to prep the tree branch and fasten the platforms is not joke. It is not necessarily difficult, but it is tedious and a little fiddly. But the result is well worth it. I think the tree branch centerpiece has a great look. While it is a little more rustic than my cousins, it still fits perfectly in my house.

Lessons

Spray Painting in the Winter

Spray painting in winter is not ideal but is possible. Temperature is a key component to spray painting, so it does need to be somewhere relatively warm and with low humidity. And relatively warm in winter is likely to mean not outside.

Spray painting inside has an inherent risk of lack of ventilation. The aerosol in a spray paint can is a chemical and inhaling too much is not good for your health. When spray painting indoors, the area should be sufficiently ventilated, or respiratory protection should be worn.

Quick Recipe