If you don’t have space for a Christmas tree, there’s no need to go without one this Christmas. Simply create a wall-mounted one instead! This wooden tree can be used as shelves to hold small gifts and decorations. Plus, the coat hooks on the base are the perfect place to hang your stockings!
This version is painted in a distressed gold effect (read on to find out how this was achieved), but you could make it a traditional green tree, or pick a colour that works with your walls so that it can be used all year round. Cover the tree in tiny wire fairy lights and you’ve got a Christmas tree to be proud of.
What you’ll need
To do this DIY project you’ll need the following tools:
Tenon saw
Mitre box with mitre slots at 45° and 22.5° angles
Or a cross-cut mitre saw
Palm sander
Paint brush
Drill and countersink drill bit
In addition, these materials will be needed:
2 x 2.4 metre lengths of planed softwood timber 13mm x 94mm
White chalk paint
Gold spray paint
1 ¾” x 10 (45 x 5.0) pozi countersink screws
Wood filler
Wood glue
Sandpaper to fit your palm sander
3 x Coat hooks
2 wall brackets and wall plugs
The measurements of the wood will depend on the size that you want your finished shelves to be. The measurements provided in this tutorial create a finished unit that measures 61cm wide x 82cm high x 9.5cm deep.
Cost, time and difficulty
The approximate cost of materials for this project is less than £50. You can access the shopping cart of some of the tools and materials used through this link.
This project is suitable for people with some experience of DIY. This project should take about a day to complete. Allow time for drying, which will be determined by the recommended drying times on the spray paint or paint you use. If you require a second coat of paint, this will require more drying time and extend the length of your project.
Step 1: Measure and cut the wood
Measure out and cut the following pieces of timber:
Longest length 77.5cm with a 45° angle at the top and a 22.5° angle at the bottom
Longest length 74cm with a 45° angle at the top and a 22.5° angle at the bottom
Longest length 61cm with a 22.5° angle at both ends
Longest length 38.5 cm with a 22.5° angle at both ends
Longest length 32.5 cm with a 22.5° angle at both ends
Length 57 cm with straight ends
2 x triangles 9.5cm x 9.5cm with a 2cm return to form the brackets
See photo of the measurements for guidance:
Step 2: Sand the wood
Use a palm sander to smooth off the rough edges of the timber where the cuts were made.
Step 3: Pilot drill the screw holes
Put the pieces into a ‘tree’ formation and mark where you would need to make holes to screw the pieces together. Use a drill with a countersink bit that matches the size of your screw heads to make holes where these marks are.
Line up the pieces and use a fine drill bit to pilot drill through the first hole, into the piece you’re attaching it to. This will prevent the wood from splitting.
Step 4: Glue and screw
Apply wood glue to the joining edges of the wood. Screw all the pieces together using countersink screws. Begin with the outer triangle, then add the shelves.
Step 5: Fill and sand
Use wood filler to cover any screw-heads or gaps between joins. Allow to dry thoroughly before sanding smooth.
Step 6: Paint
Cover the whole unit with a couple of coats of chalk paint, allowing it to dry between layers. To create a distressed effect, begin by spray-painting the shelves gold. 
Let this layer dry thoroughly before painting on a coat of chalk paint.
Once this top coat is dry, use wire wool or fine sandpaper to distress the edges so that the gold glints through the white paint. Alternatively, you can paint gold paint onto the edges, on top of the white paint.
Step 7: Attach coat hooks
Drill pilot holes in the base section and screw in three coat hooks. Attach two brackets to the centre shelf and securely affix to the wall using wall-plugs and screws.
And there you have a finished alternative Christmas tree!
This article was written by Cassie Fairy. You can find Cassie’s blog ‘My Thrifty Life’ at Cassiefairy.com, where she shares daily blog posts about her home DIY projects, upcycled finds, budget recipes and plenty of inspiration for living a low-cost yet lovely life.
