What Is A Wreath Rail?

Wreaths make any season more fun, and if you’re looking for an easy family project, our easy tutorials show you how to turn an unpainted wood rail into an absolutely magical wreath rail decor.

If you’re looking for a novel or more exciting way to express your creativity, consider making a wreath inspired by any occasion. Many people associate wreaths with the Christmas season, but you can do a lot more with the basic structure—all you need is a wreath rail, decorations, and imagination.

Whether you want to make some spooky Halloween wreaths or touch upon an issue close to your heart, the wreath rail provides a blank canvas fit for any occasion. Browse through our selection of wreath rails when you want to get those creative juices flowing—the sky is the limit.

What Is A Wreath Rail?

The backbone of your wreath is the wreath rail (literally). It has enough space to house all your accessories, and it can also feature a theme, like the shape of a Christmas tree or a fall pumpkin. The most common wreath rail material is wood since it’s flexible, light, and completely customizable.

The wreath rail is only a template—it is up to you to add the color and form with decorations, making the final product shine. Wreath rails are an excellent starting point for any skill level, especially if you need a burst of inspiration.
Many wreath rails double as door hangers, a handy space to hang your keys or dog collars and leads. You can use these door hanger rails as a starting point for amazing and unique wreath decorations all through the year.

Supplies You Can Use To Decorate A Wreath Rail

When it comes to making your own wreaths, the only limit is your imagination. There are a couple of staple supplies that every wreath-maker needs, however. No matter what type of wreath rail you’re using, these supplies will make the creative process simpler, allowing you to focus on the fun.

Pipe cleaners

These may not seem like part of any lovely wreath, but pipe cleaners are an essential supply that will keep your ideas from falling off the wall. Pipe cleaners are exceptionally versatile. It is the ideal product for attaching ribbons and other decorations to your wreath.
Since pipe cleaners are so popular, you can find them in any color imaginable, but stock up on traditional white pipe cleaners because you’ll be using hundreds of these in your crafting projects. Also, consider buying matching pipe cleaners for your color scheme if you’re planning something special.

Tubing

Tubing adds a completely different dimension to your wreath. If you’re making a flower wreath, you can use tubing to represent stems or vines. You might even want to use tubing exclusively for standalone Christmas trees—it is an impressive wreath focal point.
What makes tubing so interesting is that it comes in various textures, sizes, and flexibility. Mesh tubing adds an ethereal, sparkling quality to your wreath, while solid tubing brings a dash of color to the party.
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to make the most of your tubing, watch this Scarecrow Wreath tutorial. It uses plenty of green and orange tubing to bring on the fall feeling.

Mesh

Solid ribbons are often too much in a wreath, but you can break the monotony with mesh and add a whole new textural effect. Mesh also lets light through so that you can experiment with subtler tones.
There are hundreds of mesh types, each with particular colors, transparency, sparkle, and texture. Like other parts of the wreath-making process, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can do with mesh.
If you want to see the versatility of this material, check out how mesh can break or add volume to this Santa Paw wreath.

Ribbon

The staple supply of any wreath-maker is the ribbon, thick or thin, long or short. Ribbons are the single contributor to making wreaths so unique and endearing, whether you want to add a stylish bow or ribbon tails to ramp up the glamor or dial down the rustic beauty.
You’ll quickly find that working with ribbons presents challenges, and it’s great to use the available tools to manage these supplies. For example, if you love making ribbon tails, consider using our ribbon tail board to simplify and streamline the process.

Attachments You Can Add To A Wreath Rail

Apart from the traditional wreath staples, wood cutouts do wonders for any wreath rail. These cutouts enhance the festive flair or create a convenient focal point that will take your wreath to the next level.
The best aspect of wood cutouts is that they are unpainted. Add colors and a paintbrush, and you can make even the most boring cutout into something unique and exciting. If you want to see what I mean, look at flexible a cutout can be in this Halloween-themed tutorial (the main character may surprise you).

Different Sizes Of Wreath Rails

Wreaths come in an array of sizes, and so do wreath rails. If you’re looking at simple door hanger rails, the most common size of wreath rails are 12″, 16″, and 20″. These sizes are ideal for small, medium, or large wreaths, especially when you’re a beginner.
When considering the size of the wreath rail, remember that these measurements represent the rail length. If the rail has extra bits, like cutouts, it might turn out slightly bigger or smaller.

Wreath-making is a fun and exciting hobby that stretches the imagination and is surprisingly cathartic. Sometimes, a blank, unpainted wood rail can be intimidating and frustrating, so themed cutouts can serve as an excellent boost that keeps the ideas flowing.
Whether you’re starting with wreath-making as a hobby or you are a seasoned professional looking for a new avenue to explore, feel free to check out our amazing range of pre-cut wreath rails online. You’re sure to find a structure that will keep you engaged and excited to explore your wreath-making skills.
Why not tell us about your favorite wreath rail in the comments below?

If you need any help with painting your own wood signs or wreath rails and decorating your custom wreath rails, be sure to check out more of our tutorials on Hot Mesh Mom Blog.

We would love to see your amazing wreath rail designs! Please share with us over at the Hot Mesh Mom Facebook.