DIY Basket Christmas Tree Stand

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I fully planned on hopping on the “tree in a basket” trend this Christmas – so CUTE! That is until I realized that my tree stands were WAY too big for most of the baskets in our home. I quickly went to Google to try and figure out how to make it work.

You know what I found? Nothing. Well not exactly nothing. I discovered that many people are just stuffing blankets in the basket and hoping their tree stays upright. This gave me all the anxiety so I decided to modify instructions for a couple of full sized tree stands to fit my needs. Both options were super easy and relatively cheap.

Option 1: Wooden Tree Stand

Supplies Needed:

• 2 x 4 Board (Length will depend on the dimensions of your stand)
• Drill + Screw gun
• Tape Measure
• 12 x 2″ Wood screws
• 4 x 1-3/4″ Wood screws
• 1-1/4″ PVC Pipe (Length will depend on the dimensions of your basket)
• Level

The first option is a very simple stand made from 2×4’s. I found the original plans on YouTube via Handyverse, and modified the dimensions to fit inside of a basket with a 14″ diameter plus added a 1-1/4″ piece of PVC in the center to accommodate the “trunk” of an artificial tree.

This stand was actually the cheapest of the 2 because we already had some scrap wood and screws in our shop. The only thing we had to buy was the PVC pipe.

Click here for the full tutorial from Handyverse.

The stand consists of 2 tiers (shown above). As you can see I configured the second tier of this stand to fit snuggly around the PVC. (If you have plans to place a live tree in this stand, you’ll want to leave extra space).

Once each tier was constructed, I attached the top to the base with 3″ deck screws set at an angle. (We don’t have one of those fancy pocket hole devices). Be sure to drill pilot holes so you don’t split your boards. Finally, I used 1-3/4″ screws to hold the PVC in place (make sure it’s level first).

She’s not the prettiest girl at the ball, but it fits perfectly inside the basket…no one will ever know it’s there. As far as sturdiness goes – because we had to make this one so small, I wouldn’t trust it to hold a large tree but it will be perfect for the 5’ tree we are putting in our oldest son’s room.

Option 2: Bucket Tree Stand

Supplies needed:

• A Bucket that fits inside of your basket (Planters would work too)
• 1 Bag of Fast-Setting Quikrete
• 1-1/4″ PVC Pipe (Length will depend on the dimensions of your basket)
• Level
• Water

This one was my favorite of the 2 because it was SO EASY. This option was inspired by Ella Claire & Co‘s DIY Concrete Christmas tree stand – just on a smaller scale. For this I picked up a 10 quart bucket and a bag of Fast Setting Quikrete. I also used the other half of the 1-1/4″ PVC pipe used in the wooden stand.

Place the PVC pipe in the center of the bucket, then have a helper pour the Quikrete into the bucket. It doesn’t get more straightforward than that. Be sure to leave an inch or two at the top so there’s room to add water to the concrete mix.

Level your PVC pipe, then add water per the directions on the bag. Thats it! No mixing required. Once the Quikcrete sets you’re ready to go. This stand is HEAVY and should be quite sturdy – more than enough to handle the 7-1/2′ slim tree that I plan on putting in it.

There you have it. Both options are totally customizable to fit your needs. Now all of your tree-in-a-basket dreams can come true…sans wadded up blankets. If you try either of these DIY’s don’t forget to tag us!