Building The Crowder's

Knock, knock. Who’s there? A diy you are going to LOVE!!

Sorry I could not resist!! Honestly, this will be something you will love. I remember seeing a door christmas tree at some point, in my hours of scrolling, however, I can not remember where. If you happen to know where this idea originated please message me for credit.

Let’s get started learning how to make a Christmas tree from an old door, with what you will need to tackle this diy.

Door Christmas Tree DIY – Supplies

**NOTE: this is for one large tree, adjust accordingly if you want a smaller version**

Door Christmas Tree DIY – Step One

The first thing I did was find center at the top of the door. I then grabbed my chalk box and added more chalk. I was worried the line would not be visible on the dark door. I placed the hook of the chalk line at the center mark I made at the top of the door. I gently pulled the string, as to not drop a ton of chalk, to the bottom corner of the door. I could have made the tree slimmer, but I was NOT going to lose the door handle!! Once I had the right placement, I tightened the string and popped the line. I repeated the same thing on the other side.

Door Christmas Tree DIY – Step Two

Next, the tree was ready to be cut. I had to do the cut without a straight edge because the door panels caused the saw to act like a rollercoaster. The rectangle panels sat lower than the trim, so my saw would angle down going in to the panel and go up coming out. I took each cut very slow, so I would stay along the line and because of the panels.

I had the door cut, but realized, quickly, I was going to have to had glue to stabilize the joints. This door was built with cope and stick joinery, which is great for panel doors. I’m sure whoever built this door did not expect someone to cut it into a Christmas tree, but here I am, and now this tree needs glue.

Door Christmas Tree diy – Step Three

Now it was time to “trim” the tree. See what I did there? HeHe. I took 1×2’s and measured from the top of the tree to the bottom of one side. I had my measurement, but to figure out the angle I need to cut, turned out to be tricky. After many searches on YouTube, I found out that I needed an 80 degree angle at the top of the tree. My miter saw only goes to 50 degrees. So, what’s a girl to do? If you guessed consult YouTube, you would be correct! First thing you must do is a little math. Don’t get scared, it’s not too bad. This is a two step process. The first step, when dealing in angles, you always start with 90 degrees. Since I need an 80 degree cut for the top of my tree, I subtracted 90 degrees – 80 degrees = 10 degrees. Grab a scrap piece of wood and cut it at 10 degrees on your miter saw. IMPORTANT: Make sure to leave the board in the exact place it was cut and clamp it to the miter saw, so it will not move. For the second step, simply move the miter saw to 0 degrees. Place the 1×2 against the scrap wood that is clamped in. To ensure safety, find a way to clamp the 1×2 to the saw, so your fingers are out of the way. Then make the cut and there is the 80 degree angle that I need. If your angle is different, all the same steps still apply. Just replace the 80 degree angle with what you may need. I stained the 1×2’s and then attached them with wood glue and 18 gauge brad nails.

Door Christmas Tree diy – Step Four

Next is the base. I will show you what I did for the base, but since I built this, I found a better and more sturdy base to build. I used Kreg pocket holes to attach 2×4’s together. While this does do the trick, there is still a little wobble with the tree. My suggestion would be to follow along with this VIDEO, it’s not the best instructional video, but you will get the idea. You could also add a cute box around it and have it look like it’s a tree skirt. I thought that would be very cute!

Door Christmas Tree diy – Step Five

Once I cut the main tree out, I realized that I could make two smaller trees with what was left of the door. I couldn’t let any of this door go to waste! All I did was take one of the left over pieces, flipped it over, and laid it on top of the other side piece. I then traced a line, so that, each of the small trees have the same angled sides. Once they were cut, I decided to add some paint, but there is so many options you could choose to do with these trees. Let your mind run wild!!

This is one of my favorite diy’s, by far!! If you decide to recreate this, please tag me on Instagram or TikTok. I would love to see your interpretation of a door Christmas tree!! Thanks for following along, and remember, you can find me on Instagram every week day. That’s where I go more in-depth with all the diy projects!!

Until then, God Bless-

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