Vivid Doors Ask a group of people what their favourite Christmas decoration is and you’ll get a group of different answers. Some people like the tinsel, others the fairy lights and the tree itself is of course very popular. My mother’s favourite decoration though was always the wreath. And as I get older, I have to confess I’m starting to agree with her! Nothing welcomes you more warmly to a home at Christmas than a wreath on the front door.
But warm and welcoming as they are, any seasoned wreath hanger will tell you that the process of putting one up is not without its challenges, particularly if you want to hang one safely and without damaging your front door. So today we thought we’d share with you our best secrets when it comes to putting up a welcoming winter wreath: the icing on the Christmas cake!
How to Hang a Wreath on a Door with Ribbon
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Those of us with doorknockers are at a serious advantage here. All you’ll need to do to hang a wreath on a door knocker is simply to tie it on. But don’t use any old bootlace! Instead, find yourself a lovely piece of ribbon, (the most Christmassy of all ties, right?), and create a feature out of the attachment as well.
In fact, ribbons are a great solution to the wreath-hanging problem, even if you don’t have a doorknocker. And if you’re wondering how to hang a wreath on a metal door or a glass door where you couldn’t nail it on even if you wanted to, the idea is to simply hang the wreath over the door with the ribbon.
Get a long piece of ribbon, loop it around the wreath and then pull the two ends of the ribbon up and over the top of the door so that it hangs down against the inside face. With your wreath at the desired height, simply attach a stick-on hook to the back of the door and anchor your ribbon to this so that it holds the wreath in place on the front.
If you have a letterbox on your door, you might find you can use a longer piece of ribbon and anchor it to the letterbox fitting on the inside which will avoid the need for a stick-on hook.
You can use the same trick to hang a wreath on a wooden front door. Just grab yourself a drawing pin and use it to attach the ends of the ribbon to the top of your door. You can use a much shorter ribbon, and you won’t have the ends protruding out to the inside face of the door.
Using Wreath Hangers
Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash
If you’re looking for something that doesn’t hang over the top, you could try a commercial wreath hanger for your front door. That’s right! We’re not the first people to encounter this problem and manufacturers have already responded with various products.
The best of these options in our opinion is the magnetic wreath hanger. Using a magnetic wreath hanger couldn’t be easier. Most modern doors are reinforced with steel (check your door first with a magnet to see if it’s suitable) and your new hook should attach itself to such a door with ease. It will hold the weight of all but the heaviest wreaths and is a really clean and tidy way of achieving that welcoming festive look.
Looking for a wreath hanger for a glass door? No problem, most magnetic hook packs contain two hooks, so you can connect them to each other through the glass pane. These are a great option for a quick and easy wreath hanger for a glass front door, and the fact they are coated in plastic means no damage to the surface of your door either.
Adjusting your plastic wreath hanger is as simple as pulling it off and repositioning. But some of the magnets can be quite strong so you may need a little leverage.
You can also get suction wreath hangers (again, great for hanging a wreath on a glass front door), and metal wreath holders that hook onto the top of the door. The metal option is a useful hanger for a wood door with no steel reinforcement where suction and magnetic solutions won’t work. They are also a good wreath hanger for a thick front door because many are adjustable.
Whether you’re looking for a wreath hanger for a thick door, a metal door, a glass door a wooden door or a composite door, there’s a product out there that will get your frontage festive in no time. But there’s one more aspect we need to cover once you have the right wreath hanger for your door, and that’s how to protect your door from wreath scratches.
How to Keep a Wreath from Scratching your Door
There are two key ways in which you can keep a wreath from scratching your door. The first is to glue fabric (such as felt or foam) to the back of your wreath so that it doesn’t cause any damage when it moves. You can even buy door protecting wreath pads that are designed to be tied onto the frame of your wreath and will offer the same level of protection with a simpler assembly.
The second option is to stop your wreath moving altogether. You can achieve this by using Velcro to stick it to the surface of the door, or some simple double-sided sticky tape if you’ve already applied your fabric. Just be careful to use a solvent that won’t damage any paintwork or finish on the surface of your door.
If you’re using an over the door wreath hanger, it’s also important to consider how to keep your wreath hanger from scratching your door. As with your wreath, you can try gluing felt to the underside of a metal hanger, or alternatively purchase a plastic one with rounded edges that will protect paintwork automatically.
Whatever your favourite Christmas decoration, we hope we’ve given you a little inspiration and a little confidence to add a wreath to your ensemble as you deck the halls this year. And why limit the warm welcome only to the winter months? Add a little nature to your threshold all year round with a wreath for each season!
