In today’s post: Learn how to make a set of patriotic wood firecrackers from a 4×4 – perfect for decorating your porch for the Fourth of July! This is an easy project you can complete in a couple of hours.
These DIY wood firecrackers will look great on your front porch, especially next to a large pot of red or white flowers. You can put them out for Memorial Day and keep them out through the Fourth of July.
Supplies
These porch firecrackers are made from a six foot long 4×4 board that you can find at any home improvement store. Look through the boards and pick one that doesn’t have large cracks in it (knots and other imperfections are just fine). Ask the employees at the store to cut the 4×4 for you. Cut one piece 15 inches, one piece 18 inches, and one piece 21 inches.
Here’s what else you’ll need:
- Sandpaper or sander
- Red, white, and blue paint. You can use spray paint, which will save some time, or craft paint, which is very inexpensive.
- Foam paintbrushes (if you’re using craft paint).
- Wood star shapes. You can find these at craft stores, or order them from Amazon. These are the stars I used.
- Masking tape
- Wood letters “USA”. I found the letters I used at Hobby Lobby.
- Balloon weights from Dollar Tree or other “sparkler” decorations for the tops of the fireworks
- Drill
- Hot Glue Gun, wood glue, or superglue
How to Make Wood Firecracker Decorations
This project will take a couple of hours to complete. It will go a little faster if you use spray paint, but acrylic craft paint also works and it’s very inexpensive. You can speed things up a bit by using a hair dryer to help dry the paint.
If you did not get the wood cut at the store, cut three pieces in the following lengths: 15 inches, 18 inches, and 21 inches. Quickly sand each piece to remove any large splinters – no need to get things perfectly smooth.
Paint the Wood
Start by painting the tallest wood piece blue and the other two wood pieces white. You will likely need two coats of paint for good coverage.
Paint the Stripes
The smallest piece will stay white, while the middle length piece will get painted with red stripes. You’ll use masking tape to tape off the stripes. I painted diagonal stripes, but if you want to keep the project easy you can just do vertical or horizontal stripes.
To create diagonal stripes, begin by placing a piece of tape at an angle near the top of the board. Turn the board, wrapping the masking tape around it, until you get to the bottom of the board. Then measure or eyeball the distance in between the rows of tape and figure out where to start two more pieces of tape. You may need to adjust the tape slightly to try to keep the spaces in between them even. But don’t worry too much about making them exact; no one will notice once you’re done.
Once the medium board is taped off, it’s best to paint along the edges of the tape in white. This seals the tape down on the board so that when you paint in red it won’t bleed. Allow the white paint to dry, then paint in between the tape with red paint. You will need two coats.
Remove the tape to reveal the stripes.
Distress the boards
If desired, use sandpaper to distress each wood piece a little. I sanded along the corners to reveal some of the wood through the paint. Distress as much or as little as you like.
Glue on Stars and Letters
Paint the wood stars white and the wood letters blue and red. Glue the white stars onto the blue board and the letters onto the white board. If you are using hot glue, be sure to use a high temp hot glue gun; a cool temp glue gun won’t hold. You could also use wood glue or another strong glue, such as E6000. I like hot glue because it is quick and dries right away, but other glue options may be more durable.
Add the Sparklers
The last step is to add sparklers on top of the firecrackers. I used balloon weights from Dollar Tree. Unwrap the bottom of the weight to reveal the concrete base. Use snips or heavy duty scissors to cut the sparkler decoration off the concrete. Discard the concrete base.
Drill a small hole in the top of each firecracker. Place a little hot glue in the hole and then push the sparkler down inside the hole to secure it.
Now the firecrackers are ready to display on your porch for July Fourth!
Wood Firecracker Decorations
Supplies
- 6 foot 4×4 board
- Red, White and Blue Paint
- Foam Paintbrushes
- Wood Stars
- Wood Letters "USA"
- Balloon weights or sparkler decorations
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Equipment
- Hot Glue Gun
- Drill
- Masking Tape
Instructions
- When you buy the 4×4, ask the store employee to cut three lengths: 15 inches, 18 inches, and 21 inches. Sand the wood to remove any splinters.
- Paint the longest board blue and the other two boards white. You will need two coats.
- Use masking tape to tape off stripes on the medium length board. Paint over the tape with white paint to seal the edges.
- Paint in between the tape with red paint. You will need two coats. Then remove the tape.
- Use sandpaper to distress the edges of the firecrackers if desired.
- Paint the wood stars white and the letters blue and red. Glue the stars to the blue board and the letters to the white board.
- The balloon weights each have a concrete base and a sparkler decoration portion. Cut right above the concrete base and discard.
- Drill a small hole in the top of each firecracker, then put a little hot glue in the hole and insert a sparkler decoration.
harry brook says
hello there