It may not seem like it but Driftwood has many uses, below are a couple I have thought of along with others that customers have told me about:
Driftwood in Flower Arrangements
Driftwood can look very good in both dried and fresh flower arrangements, especially if the arrangement has a nautical theme. Although I do not have any experience in flower arranging I can see two separate ways to use Driftwood and flowers together. The first is to have an arrangement of flowers and then add a couple of items of Driftwood to compliment the piece; the Driftwood could either be a focal point or just to add some detail. The other option is to have a piece of Driftwood and add flowers to it, some of the larger items can even have oasis put in them which allows flowers to be put in place. Air plants can also be used in Driftwood and this has the added advantage that the plant can grow without the need for soil as they have no roots. I have sold many pieces of Driftwood to customers for this purpose, below are some examples of both the ways mentioned above.
Displaying Items on Driftwood
By far the largest use of Driftwood is for displaying items on to help sell something or to create an appropriate background. One of the most popular methods is using Driftwood to display jewellery; this can either be to help sell the piece on a website or used in a shop window to display items for sale. The other option is to use Driftwood to display your jewellery at home and this may also help stop items from becoming tangled together.
Sculptures and Art can also be displayed on Driftwood; this is especially effective if the art has a nautical or rustic theme as the wood adds to the effect. Items that I have sold Driftwood for include glass and silver sculptures, gourd art which is a fruit that is carved into intricate designs and pottery where customers have used Driftwood as a base to hang pottery on a wall. Long thin pieces of Driftwood have also been sold to hang textiles from that had an oceanic theme.
There have been many other unusual items displayed on Driftwood in the past for example crystals and semi-precious stones displayed for sale on a website and a nautical LED product. I have also sold a flat piece of Driftwood to the BBC for a prop in the programme ‘Heston Blumenthal – In Search of Perfection’ the item was used as a place mat for a bowl in the show about the perfect fish pie (hence the nautical theme)!
For your Pets*
In this category Driftwood is mostly used for fish tanks as it makes a great playground for your fish to explore or even make a home in! It can make a tank more interesting to look at as plants can be grown off Driftwood or around it and gives a more natural feel to the tank as well. However Driftwood will need treatment to get all of the salt and any other chemicals off the wood before it is placed in a fish tank. This process does take time but it is very simple and basically revolves around soaking the wood in freshwater then changing the water every so often for about a month. All the pieces on ukdriftwood are sold un-treated however I can supply further information on effective treatments to get the wood safe for a tank.
It is not just fish that can enjoy Driftwood as it can be used in vivariums for your lizards to climb over to get to the different levels of the cage or even in birdcages for your parrots to perch on! I guess it can be used in furry animal’s cages like mice, hamsters and rabbits but because they may nibble on the wood it’s probably best to treat the wood to get rid of any salt or other chemicals. Below is also an example of where Driftwood can be used to entertain crabs in a tank!
*Driftwood and bogwood is likely to require treatment before it is used with pets.
Driftwood as an Ornament
Really unusual pieces of Driftwood can be an ornament on their own and placed on a mantelpiece or shelf to create a talking point or focal point for a room. The wood colours can go really well in many different homes from rustic cottages on the coast to modern white walled flats in the city centre. Driftwood has been requested for table centres at weddings and can look very modern with ornaments in pubs and even on television, notably at the moment in the Richard and Judy studio on Channel 4. Driftwood can also be combined very easily to create even more unusual sculptures like the duck below and also a small model boat, not to mention much larger Driftwood sculptures!
Bigger pieces of Driftwood can also be used in the garden as part of a water feature or as the centre piece in a rockery.
Driftwood Products
Many different items can be made entirely out of Driftwood and still serve a purpose, for example candle holders, mobiles and even items for the bathroom like toilet paper holders and loo brush stands! Products can also be decorated with Driftwood like mirrors and pictures frames to enhance a coastal photo or to create an unusual effect on a wall.
Totally Bizarre
Over the past few years I have had a couple of really bizarre ideas for using Driftwood, like for a Poker chip holder and even for a Design Technology project to make a bench to sit on!
It is always good to hear about how people are using Driftwood in all sorts of ways and I hope that this page has given you some ideas, or at least has been useful in some way. If you have any other ways of using Driftwood please do get in contact, pictures are also welcomed and you may get a mention on the website!
Thank you