DIY Herringbone Tray

The tray trend isn’t dead yet, and, being my crafty-thrifty self, I chose to make one inspired by my new white and gold iPhone! The whole process took only two afternoons and a few economical crafting supplies.

Here’s what you’ll need to do the same:

tray

sandpaper

paint brush

white paint

painter’s tape

X-Acto knife

ruler

gold paint

clear varnish

I started off with an economical painted tray that I found at HomeSense. I sanded it to roughen up the surface, offering better adhesion for the new coat of paint. If your tray is really beaten up, I suggest filling any holes and deep scratches with wood filler.

On day two (after the three coats of white paint dried completely) I began taping out the bottom. I used two sizes of painter’s tape to get the herringbone effect I was looking for: 1/4″ for the vertical lines and 1″ for the diagonal lines. The essential to a herringbone print is to offset the diagonals — otherwise, you will end up with a chevron print.

Unless you have a razor-sharp eye for detail, I suggest using a ruler for accuracy. You wouldn’t want this print to look off-centre after all that hard work taping it!

I used economical gold acrylic paint — which you can find at any craft or dollar store — as the accent colour. I used a smaller paintbrush for this to avoid making a mess. The gold paint required four coats, but the layers dried extra fast! This step only took an hour.

After delicately pulling off the painter’s tape, I waited a few hours and applied a coat of clear varnish to seal the deal. in some cases economical acrylic paint tends to become a bit tacky with weather changes, so the varnish will avoid any damage or adhesion to the objects you place in it.

Now, all that’s left to do is find the ideal place to display it!

For much more diy ideas, check out our diy section.

Photo credits:
1-4. Reiko Caron