Goodwill Tray Makeover

Back before Christmas I bought this tray from Goodwill for $3.00. It had obviously been the victim of a D.I.Y. gone terribly wrong. Not only was it gold and burgundy, it had an uneven, textured finish.

It had “good bones” but I did not have a plan for it when I bought it. I knew that eventually I would find inspiration.

Fast forward to March.

After spotting several chalkboard trays on Pinterest, I finally knew what the next life would be for this tired tray.

Source: Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss via Claire on Pinterest

Source: CraftOManiac via Claire on Pinterest 

 

Here’s what I did for my Cinderella-ish makeover . . .

First, I sanded the tray with my new Black & Decker Mouse Detail Sander. It was missing a chunk from the edge in one corner so I left this project for my handy husband, Mr. Mechanic. A little wood filler and she (yes, I have decided the tray is a she) was good as new!

Next, I taped off the edges and outside of the tray with painter’s tape so that I could use my chalkboard spray paint on the inside of the tray. Over the course of one evening, I sprayed about 5 thin coats.

After leaving the chalkboard paint to dry and cure for a few days, I seasoned the tray with a piece of chalk. I knew the finish of the chalkboard would not be perfect, but I also knew that this would not show once it was covered in chalk dust (baby steps for a perfectionist).

Then, since I was going for a shabby look, I did not tape off the inside edges to protect them from my acrylic paint.

Using a foam brush and Robin’s Egg Blue acrylic paint, I painted the edges and outside of the tray with one coat of paint.

I used a very small amount of paint and was able to achieve a shabby, distressed look without doing anything else to the tray. Even though the gold and burgundy of her past lives were hideous, they add so much character under the blue.

Now, she can live happily ever after in my kitchen or any other room in my house because she looks so pretty!

I don’t know about you, but I find that Robin’s Egg Blue is one of those chameleon colours that looks great with just about everything!

I know that this makeover is in no way unique, but seeing for myself how easy it was to make this tray pretty again definitely inspires me to go searching for other makeover candidates.

Have you given something a new life with just a little paint and elbow grease?

Today is my 1 month anniversary of blogging!  It has been an amazing month and I am so grateful to all of the people who have commented, followed and/or given me help throughout my first month. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

P.S. Remember to come back next week for details on my kitchen shelving projects!