How to Make Your Own Driftwood

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Things You'll Need

  • Aged sun-dried wood

  • Stiff brush

  • Large plastic storage bin with lid

  • Bag of salt

  • Water

  • Rocks

  • Big pot

  • Stove

  • Grill

Driftwood makes beautiful home decor inside or outside.

Driftwood from the ocean is not readily available for everyone. More people live away from the ocean than live on the seashore. You can make your own driftwood from pieces of wood from lakes and streams, or from large dead trees that have fallen down. Large driftwood pieces are used for making outdoor landscape arrangements. Smaller driftwood is used in home aquariums. This process takes two weeks of dedication and some everyday items like salt and water to make driftwood.

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Step 1

Pick wood that will stand up outside and make a statement.

Find pieces of wood that are old and very sun baked. Choose pieces with interesting shapes and limbs. Each piece should be its own piece of art. Remove all rot with a stiff brush. Remove all bark.

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Step 2

Soak the wood in salt, just like in the ocean.

Put two handfuls of salt in a big plastic storage tub with a lid. Fill half full of water. Place your wood in the salt water, with heavy rocks on top of the wood to hold it underwater. Add enough water to cover the wood. The salt will rid the wood of all impurities and living things.

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Step 3

Change the water and salt in the plastic tub every day. The water will get brown for days, pulling out impurities from the wood. Continue this process for two weeks, or until the water stays clear.

Step 4

Your grill will work for sterilizing the wood pieces.

Bake the wood pieces in an outside gas or electric grill on 200 degrees. This will finish sterilizing the wood if you want to put pieces in an aquarium with fish. Check on the wood every 15 minutes to make sure it doesn't catch on fire. Bake for three hours.

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