My family is thinking of having one of our Christmas trees (yes I said trees, as in more than one) flocked this year. Because, funny. Real not artificial tree.
Having never flocked a tree before I am wondering if anyone can share their flocked tree experience. Like, does it rub off like crazy when you brush past? Does it particulate and get in your lungs? Any other hazards or red flags?
We’d go with a standard white flock because sparkle pink got voted down.
Last time I did the snow-in-a-can was like 1976 and things have to be better than then but ------ work outside or drape a lot of old bedsheets around and watch coming through doors until it dries.
Flocked trees were all the rage when I was a kid in the late-'60s/early-'70s. We had them. I don’t recall them being much messier than non-flocked trees. With the latter, you got pine needles. With the former, you got pine needles with white stuff on them.
I remember one year, my parents did the flocked tree in blue, and green, glass ornaments, with those foil ‘icicles’ and blue and green lights. I thought it was quite cool at the time, as opposed to the old-timey look of multi-coloured lights. In retrospect, I think it was kind of cheesy.
After Christmas, when your floor is covered from wall to wall with dying pine needles and loose flock, you’ll want to make like a cleaning lady and get the flock outta here.
I have a friend who gets his family’s tree flocked some years. The nursery down the street does it for a small fee, and it doesn’t seem to be any messier than a normal tree. If anything, the stuff seems to glue the needles on. Plus, you don’t have to water the tree, which is a nice bonus.
Oh, interesting. That alone may decide me against it. While I don’t feel any more guilty about having a Farmed christmas tree than I do eating carrots, just chucking one in landfill doesn’t seem right.
But I didn’t know you don’t have to water a flocked tree. Interesting…
When I was a tween or early teen (so early 60’s) we did our own flocking of a Ponderosa Pine using some attachment to a garden hose. Once it dried, the flock was quite stable and would not come off, and it seemed to hold the needles on too. Instead of our usual decorations (tree lights, ornaments, garland and “rain” or whatever you folks call it where you come from) we just put on large round colored ornaments and lighted it with two rotating color wheels. Very hip for our hopelessly unhip family.
At the end of the season, we covered it in a huge plastic bag and hung it upside down in a corner of the garage. It lasted for 3 years, but it was starting to show its age in that last year.