![]() I mean truckloads and truckloads.”īased in sunny Riverside, California, Peak Seasons starts with paper and a grinder. “I don’t want to share, but we sell lots of flock. Leonard says they're the largest manufacturer of flock in the United States and Europe. The Peak Seasons recipe includes paper pulp as fiber, corn starch as adhesive, and boron as a flame retardant-there’s a safety benefit to flocking.Īnd the company makes a lot of it. So what exactly is flocking? At its core, flocking means attaching tiny fibers to a surface to create texture (the process is also used in fashion, home decor, and crafts). The West Coast, the South, and the Southeast, the vast majority of it is sold in those zones.” The Science of Flocking “Sunbelt states use a lot of it because there’s no snow there,” Leonard tells Mental Floss. Flocking itself, however, has retained a level of appeal. Such home kits are not so popular these days, says Tom Leonard, owner of Peak Seasons, one of the country's largest manufacturers of Christmas tree lots supplies and tree flock. General Mills marketed Sno-Flok home kits, to be applied using a gun that attached to a vacuum cleaner. A 1929 issue of Popular Mechanics recommended varnish, corn starch, and flakes of the silicate mineral mica.īut tree flocking as we know it really caught on in the late 1950s and 1960s, along with aluminum trees and other glitzy (if not natural-looking) decor of the post-war boom. We’ve been trying to get that snowy look on Christmas trees for longer than you might think, dating back to the 1800s using substances like flour or cotton. Here’s how professionals manufacture this Christmas miracle. And yet, when decorated and lit up, there’s something beautiful and warmly nostalgic about a well-flocked Christmas tree. That’s what’s happening when you adorn a tree with artificial snow, otherwise known as flocking. How to store your flocked Christmas tree- the Santa Now Spray will only last roughly 4 weeks- and then will begin to fall off.Of the many curious holiday traditions (figgy pudding? wassailing?), one of the oddest has to be spraying down small trees with a mixture of adhesive and cellulose fibers to satisfy our longing for a white Christmas.The spray actually created a lovely, dull coating that really fit the tree’s vibe! Don’t worry about the lights! We were concerned that the flocking would mess up the lights that were already in place on the tree.This will prevent the spray from coming off, and it’ll avoid an additional mess! Spray your tree close to where you plan on displaying it- since the Santa Snow Spray can flake off, we recommend spraying your tree where it will be for the season.Move your tree into place, and decorate! Tips we learned along the way ![]() It’ll take roughly 2-3 hours for the spray to completely dry. Once your tree is lightly dusted to your liking, make sure you let it dry before moving it. Simply take a damp microfiber rag and wipe the artificial snow off. The Santa Snow Spray will most likely get on your metal stand. Make your way around and up the tree in a spiral pattern. To give it the full “snow effect”, we sprayed at a downward angle and topped the edges off with additional spray. Starting from the bottom, begin slowly and evenly spraying your tree. If you’re working with an older tree that’s been in storage, we recommend cleaning off the branches to remove any dust particles. Better safe than sorry! Step Three: Clean your branches We recommend putting down a drop cloth, or surface protection paper to ensure it doesn’t mess up your floor.Īs an additional cautious step, we also threw some masking film over the couch, and put on coveralls to protect our clothes. Rags to wipe down your stand and any messes!Īlthough the Santa Snow Spray says it produces no overspray, we noticed it does just a bit.Plastic sheetings to cover any furniture, such as Trimaco’s Cling Cover®.Paper® and secured it down with Trimaco’s Easy Mask® KleenEdge® PerfectEdge™ Tape.Surface Protection- we used Trimaco’s X.Faux paint snow- we used Santa Snow Spray.Continue reading to learn how to flock your own Christmas tree without making a mess! Step One: Gather Materials Have an old out-dated artificial tree that needs an update? A flocked tree is the perfect solution. It refers to the process of painting your tree, displaying the illusion that it belongs in a snow-dusted, magical winter forest. Ever wonder how some Christmas trees look like they belong in a snow-covered winter wonderland? Flocking your Christmas tree gives it the same effect.
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