DIY Tray Decor

On my many “window shopping” trips through home decor stores, I have noticed that tray decor has become incredibly popular. They are such a great way to add charm and warmth to your home!

If you’re looking for a super simple and inexpensive alternative to spending a ton at the decor store, this DIY Tray Decor tutorial is perfect! Rather than paying full price at the store, make one yourself with unfinished or recycled supplies.

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This tutorial is super easy to follow and works for any home style. The possibilities are endless!! It just depends on how creative you can be.

Step One: Purchase supplies

This is where the money saving starts! Head over to your local craft store and pick up an unfinished wood tray. They usually have a few options in stock for you to choose from.

If you’re looking to save even more, you can check at your local thrift store for a tray that just needs a little TLC. Should you go that route, remember it’s more about the bones than the current appearance. If it has a good shape and no physical damage, you can work wonders with the following steps!

If you’re looking for some pro tips on thrifting, check out my post How to Thrift Like a Pro

You will also want to grab any other craft supplies you’ll need. For the trays I’m going to show you, I used spray paint and spray lacquer (pictured) as well as some paper letter cutouts, book pages, and mod podge (not pictured).

Step Two: Clean and paint your trays

Whether they are from the craft store or second hand, you’ll want to make sure your trays are wiped down. The paint works a lot better that way, and you’ll get a smoother, nicer finish.

This step may take more than one round. For my trays, I painted a white base coat on one, black on another, and left the third a natural wood stain. If you’re recycled trays are a weird color or have a heavy pattern, it may take several coats of paint to get good coverage.

If you purchased an unfinished wood tray from the craft store, you can paint or stain it! The raw wood will probably absorb a lot, so you’ll most likely need at least two or more coats.

Step Three: Embellish!

This is where you can get really creative! For the three examples I’m showing you guys, I tried to cover a range of decor styles: rustic, modern farmhouse, and modern glam! haha

The Rustic Look:

I used the tray with the original wood stain for this look. Natural and rustic seemed synonymous!  Next, I used mod podge to apply a few vintage hymn book pages to the top of it. It turned out really well and I was super happy with it!

If you decide to use mod podge, make sure you don’t get too heavy with it because the paper may get soggy and tear easily. I put a coat under the paper and arrange the pages where I want. Then, I put a layer over the top, just to make sure nothing comes apart later.

The Farmhouse Look:

With the white tray, I found some paper letter cutouts in black. I decided to go with “Family” because it seemed pretty universal, but you can do whatever you want! Some options are your last name, an emotionally significant phrase or word for you, or even something longer like a quote or Bible verse.

Pro Tip: Learn from my mistake, spray paint and stencils did not work well for this project at all! It was a hot mess and I ended up starting all over from scratch. So I would definitely suggest using cutouts and mod podge for any letter or word embellishments you do.

The Modern Glam Look:

For the black tray, I kept it super simple and clean. The only embellishment I added was a gold spray paint trim.

The tray I used was designed perfectly for it with an extra edge, but you can definitely apply this in other ways. By using painter’s tape, you can lay out whatever design you can think of and spray paint your secondary color.

Chevrons or polka dots are both super fun options.

Last Step: Seal it

This is a super important step that is often forgotten about. If you are planning to use your trays for anything that would leave moisture on them, you need to water seal them.

It’s pretty simple to do. I just picked up a can of lacquer water seal spray paint, and that did the trick. That way you don’t have to worry about putting drinks or even flower vases on the amazing trays you’ve designed!

That’s it. SO SIMPLE! Now you can have your own unique and personalized tray decor without paying ridiculous prices!!

If you liked this DIY home decor post, hop over to my other post DIY Statement Candle Decor and let me know what you think of it as well!!

 

Hopefully this has inspired you to get a little crafty! If you try out this tutorial, I would love to hear about your designs and how you made yours in the comments below! Or, even how you might add to the examples I made for you guys! Or go on to one of the This Growing Home social platforms and share a picture of your final product! Tag me on Instagram, share on the Facebook page, or comment on this posts pin on Pinterest!