How to Make a Simple Wood Flower Press and Easiest Flowers to Press

Learn how to make a simple diy wood flower press to save all your favorite flowers from the spring and summer season. It's simple to make and very affordable option for drying your own flowers.

This beautiful flower press was actually not made by me but was a gift made by my son and husband. As I've shared on here, I enjoy doing the Microwave Flower Drying method but to do bulk flowers, it's best to do it with a press. I had asked for a homemade press from my husband and for Christmas they finally made me one. The plywood they used was scrap plywood from some old bookshelves. They sanded down the sides of it and it showed this beautiful grain design. The hopeful plan is to eventually paint it with some actual flowers on it, but for now I've just been enjoying drying flowers with it.

The make of the flower press is quite simple. They used some long carriage bolts (you can do shorter if you like), some washers and wing nuts. And then your wood. It's actually the perfect project for a 10 year old boy or girl. My son really enjoyed making it because he was able to cut the wood and use the drill. It's a great beginner wood project. I suppose I could have made it myself, but I'm so glad my son had the opportunity to make it. Because my son made this, I'm going to add this to project to the Handicraft Project for kids page. Make sure to check out the other projects there.

Easiest Flowers to Press for beginners

There are so many flowers you can press, but if you're a beginner then there are some that are easier to do than others. Ones that have low moisture content, flatter shape and sturdy petals are good flowers to start pressing.

Pansies — delicate, flat, and colorfu
Violas — small and similar to pansies
Daisies — classic, simple shape, presses well
Cosmos — light, papery petals
Forget-Me-Nots — tiny and dry well
Larkspur — small, flat blooms
Queen Anne’s Lace — natural, lacy texture, dries quickly
Hydrangea petals — individual petals press well (avoid thick clusters)
Geranium petals — separate petals before pressing
Buttercups — small and flat
Lavender - low moisture, small flowers.

And easy greenery to press:

Ferns
Eucalyptus leaves
Dusty Miller
Rose leaves

Difficult Flowers to Press

Level 2 flowers that are slightly harder would be ones that have high water content, thicker petal or complex shape. Such as Dahlias, roses, peonies, sunflowers, etc. These would need extra care such as taking apart the flower and reassembling after it's dried. Also changing the paper every couple of dayds. Microwaving is another great way for thicker flowers becuase it can reduce the risk of mold.

DIY Simple Wood Flower Press

Supplies:

4 - Carriage or hex bolts work too - How long is dependent on how much you want to be able to press in one go. Mine are 8" but you can go shorter

4 - Washers

4 - Wing nuts

2 - 11x11 Scrap plywood; do at least 1/2", we did 3/4" because it is what we had on hand. You can also make a different size. I opted for square, but you can do a 8.5 x 11 to match printer paper.

cardboard

Step 1: Prepare your wood

You decide what size you want your flower press to be. Since we'll be using printer paper, you can cut it to a similar size. My husband/son did a square one for me becuase I wanted the option to do bigger flowers. Cut your wood pieces and sand down the edges and top if needed. Sanding can make a huge difference in how it looks, but totally up to you.

Step 2: Drill your holes

Measure 1" from the edge of the corners and make a mark with a pencil. You can clamp both your wood pieces together and drill at the same time, or you can drill into one wood piece and then place it on the other and use it as a guide to drill the next. Using a drill the same size or slightly bigger, drill 4 holes in the corner of your top and bottom boards. Add your bolts into the bottom wood piece. If you have a hard time getting it through, you can gently hammer it in or maybe try a bigger drill bit.

Step 3: Glue the Washers

There are different ways that you can deal with the washers. I've seen people just keeping them loose and you just put them on with the wing nuts every time you put the wing nuts on. But my son ended up glueing them on for me and I'm so glad. It's one less piece to worry about when I take it apart. They simply used e-6000 to glue them on.

Step 4: Cut the Cardboard

Find some cardboard and cut it to the size of your flower press. Then cut off the corners with an angle cut so they are out of the way of the screws.

Step 5: Flower Pressing

When you go to press flowers. Start with the beginner list of flowers at the start of this post. Place a piece of printer paper under the flowers and on top. Then place a layer of cardboard. Do it again.When you're done, at the top of the flower press. If needed, kneel on your top to help screw it tighter.

See the wood flower press 0in action here:

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