A little while ago, I had some extra time off of work and I was itching to do a DIY project. But I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something and I didn’t really have anything in mind. Then, I remembered I had an old wooden tray that I didn’t particularly care for that just sat in the cabinets. I also had some leftover paint and antiquing glaze so I figured why not. That’s what started this easy tray refresh project!
I gave this old tray some new life and now I am loving how it looks. It definitely goes better with my farmhouse style now. So I thought it would be fun to share exactly how I did it in case you have something similar you want to give a facelift to in your home as well!
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Sand The Tray Down
The first thing that I did was sand the tray down a little bit so the paint would adhere better to it. I just used a piece of sandpaper and lightly sanded it down.
No need for the heavy duty electric sander for this project. I also sanded the bottom of the tray too because I wanted it painted as well to match the top.
After sanding it, I wiped it off with a microfiber cloth to get rid of any debris that was still leftover on the tray. This makes it all nice and smooth and ready for some paint!
Start Painting The Tray
For this tray refresh project, I used Fusion Mineral Paint again. If you have been following me for awhile now, then you know I am a huge Fusion Mineral Paint fan.
Their paint goes on so well and so smooth and it’s perfect for a little project like this. I used the color Sacred Sage and if you remember that is the same color that I painted Toby’s room in too.
It took me a total of two coats and like I said above I had to do the front and the bottom of the tray. So I had to wait a little bit in between coats to let it dry.
But all in all, it wasn’t bad and this really was such an easy tray refresh project to do. Fusion Mineral Paint also dries pretty quickly so I didn’t have to worry about waiting too long.
Dry Brush the Tray
To add in some texture to the tray, I decided to do a dry brushing technique. I did this back when I painted my own pumpkins for fall too.
It’s pretty easy and simple. You just dip your dry paintbrush in some paint, get rid of the excess, and then very lightly brush it on top of whatever you are painting.
I used white paint since it would pop good against the gray color of the tray.
Now, you can either stop here or continue on to my next step. If you like the way the tray looks just dry brushed, then by all means just leave it as is.
But, I wanted to add in a little more texture and dimension. So I decided to do a final step of adding in some antiquing glaze to the tray.
Add Antiquing Glaze to Tray
I love using antiquing glaze. I have used it for several other projects in the past such as my gum ball machine refresh and mirror project.
This stuff is amazing and lasts forever. You just need a little bit to apply so it is awesome to keep on hand to reuse for project after project! I just apply a little bit to a rag and wipe it all over the tray.
And don’t worry if you apply too much and it is too dark. This stuff is vey forgiving and can be buffed off if need be.
After applying the antiquing glaze to the tray, I just let it dry overnight. And then viola! It is done! Super easy and simple.
I didn’t apply a sealer or anything to it because I am just using it as decoration and placing it on a shelf. If you were to use it a lot more than that, you may want to add a sealer onto it too, but again that’s totally optional.
Conclusion
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this easy tray refresh project! I enjoyed doing it and it soothed my creative soul for awhile.
I love being able to find things like this to do around the house that costs me no money! What about y’all? Do you enjoy doing simple and easy DIY projects like this?
I think I just love anything that has to do with painting. For me, it relaxes me and it a lot of fun to transform something old into something new!
It is so pretty, I wouldn’t have thought of revamping a tray like this
Awe thank you so much. I am so glad you enjoyed it too!
I love how you coloured it! It’s so chic!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Wow! I can’t believe how great you made that tray look! You have a real gift! Thanks for sharing!
Awe thank you so much! I am so glad you think so too!
You really do have such a skill of taking some ordinary and making it gorgeous!
Rosie
Awe thank you so much Rosie. I really appreciate that sweet compliment!
This tray looks great! there is not one DIY project that you propose that I wouldn’t try! Just waiting to get some more space and then will come back to this and find something exciting to do! x
Awe thank you! So glad you think so too and I can’t wait to see what you do too when you get the space!
I love the revamped tray, what a brilliant idea! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you Lucy. So glad you think so!
I love upcycling things! What a fabulous way to breathe life into an old tray.
Thank you! I love to upcycyle things as well.
I love the final result of this project! The style matches your interior items so well too 🙂 x
Thank you so much Jenny. I am so glad you think so too!
That’s a great simple project. And the finished project looks great. Thanks for sharing,
Thank you. I love a good simple project
You’ve done such a great job. It looks like it has come out of an expensive homewear boutique.
Awe thank you so much! That means a lot!
I love how you always manage to make something beautiful for your home! Thank you for sharing this project idea x
Thank you! I am so glad you think so. I appreciate it
This is such a fun DIY – I love how easy and handy it is! I have a similar trinket tray for my keys so I’ll have to give this a go x
Thank you! You definitely should! It was so easy and simple to do!
So cool! And it sounds easy as well, I might try this when I do my re-model. Thanks for sharing this neat idea and explaining how to do it.
Giulia, tidbitsofcare.com
Thank you so much. You should definitely try it out if you get the chance to!
I love both the original tray and the finished one. The finished tray fits in beautifully with your style of decor and complements the pitcher, candle, and contrast of the photo frame nicely. 🙂
Thank you. Yes, the finished one fits in much better with my home esthetic I think!
Wow, you’re super creative. Instantly stylish yet simple (and cheap). It matched with your home aesthetic as well which is a plus! Whenever I see this kind of stuff, I remember Bethany Mota for some reason haha. Thanks for sharing!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
I absolutely love your styling! The end result is so amazing. I just love your “before and after” picture. Using simple things and making them pretty is a talent.
You’ve created a beautiful tray Charity! I love how you always provide lots of instruction and photos along the way. Thanks for sharing.
Great post! Thank you for sharing this project! I love the end result and I like how easy it is to do! I want to do something like this!
I love your diy posts and this is the perfect room accesory!
Thanks for sharing, this looks a great idea to refresh things 🙂
Thank you. I love to refresh things as well.
Love the finished tray! This is a great idea to refresh thing – thank you so much for sharing x
Thank you! I am so glad you think so as well!
The tray looks fantastic, you did a great job! I can’t wait to get a few projects done around thehouse. I don’t know where to start. Right now my boyfriend and I are remodeling a truck bed camper. It’s so much hard work but looking at it once little things are done, it is rewarding the see the results.
Oh that sounds like a fun project! It is a lot of work, but definitely worth it when you see the final outcome!
That looks great! It’s been a while since I had the chance to paint anything, and I really miss it. I love all of the different techniques you used to get a look you wanted. The glaze really added a lot of depth.
Thank you! Depth and texture was what I was going for!
Wow that’s such a big difference between the before & after! I love the finished tray!
Thank you my friend! I do too!
How funny but I have the same tray! I was thinking about painting it but didn’t want a solid color. I’ll check out that glaze, thank you!
–Sue
http://www.susanberkkoch.com/blog
That is so funny. Great minds think alike!
Your tray looks so good! I love a good diy project and giving things new life with a coat of paint 🙂
I’ve never used antiquing glaze before so that’s interesting to see and learn about. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I love using an antiquing glaze. It really transforms the piece!
This is such an impressive piece of DIY. The end result is really professional. But you have explained really clearly what steps you took if I decide I want to have a go.
Thank you so much! I am so glad you think so!
Love what you’ve done with the tray. I really want to do something like this with some of my old stuff.
You definitely should! I always love repurposing things!
Wow! That was a BIG difference from what the tray started out as. I love the finished product. There is something very satisfying about a DIY project. Thank you for sharing the steps so we can make one too.
~ Andrea | acaponeconnection.com
Thank you so much! I love a good and satisfying DIY project too!