I saw this tray on Shanty 2 Chic and have been meaning to make it for awhile now but I couldn’t figure out where to put it, so I figured I would just give it to my mom for Mother’s Day! You can see Shanty 2 Chic’s tutorial here: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/12/diy-wood-tray.html.
Hobby Lobby also sells a tray like this but I thought it would be a lot more fun to make one! It really is so easy and cheap! I was able to make it all during nap time and you guys can too, the longest part was waiting for the paint to dry. You guys can make it and use it for breakfast in bed or you can just make one for yourself! The only thing I did different from Shanty 2 Chic are my measurements and the pulls!
I used furring strips for this tray to cut down on the costs but you can use a better quality wood. When picking out furring strips make sure you get a really straight board, they tend to be bent a lot of the times and it can be a pain picking them out but I’m cheap!? Also when picking out furring strips, they can be full of knots and require a lot more sanding than poplar or white boards, so take that into consideration when choosing what wood you want to work with.
Furring Strips will cost less than $2 for an 8 ft board but requires a lot more sanding or a white wood board will cost about $7 for an 8 ft board but requires a lot less sanding. I used a miter saw to make my cuts, if you don’t have a miter saw the guys at Home Depot or Lowes will cut it for you. In the supply list below you will see I included a miter saw but like I said before it is not necessary, the only tool you will need is a drill.
Supply List:
(2) 1×3 Furring Strips @ 8ft long
Pulls 1.98 each from Home Depot
Spray Paint (for the pulls)
White Latex Paint or whatever paint or stain you have
Wood Glue
Hammer & Nails
Miter Saw
Sander or sand paper
Drill
Cut List:
(5) 1×3 Furring Strip @ 24 inches long
(2) 1×3 Furring Strip @ 12.5 inches long
Step 1: Make all your cuts for the longest boards first, after that make sure they all fit together then make the cuts for the short boards (the side pieces).
Step 2: Make the cuts for the short boards and make sure they line up and fit.
Step 3: Glue all the long boards together with wood glue, let that sit and dry for about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Now you can add the short boards on top with wood glue and also let that sit for about 10 minutes to let it dry a little bit, I like do that so when I’m nailing the nails into the boards they don’t shift around so much.
Step 5: Nail 2 nails in the top board, the 3rd board and the 5th board, you don’t need to add them to the 2nd and 4th board because that’s where The pulls are going.
Step 6: Paint the tray, before I made all my cuts I spray painted the pulls and forgot to take a picture, sorry! I used two coats of paint for the tray. The paint I use daily was Behr Interior Matte Ultra Pure White and the spray paint I used was Rustoleum Metallic Sation Oil Rubbed Bronze. I have provided links for the pulls and the spray paint below.
Below is a picture of what the pulls look like after being spray painted.
Step 7: Sand down the tray.
Step 8: Mark the holes on the tray where you want your pulls and drill a hole for the screws (the pulls come with screws) These are the pulls I used, you can find them in the link below:
Step 9: Add your pulls and admire your handy work!?
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As usual, if you guys have any questions or comments please feel free to email me or comment in the box below and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Happy DIY’ING!
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