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DIY for Homeowners

DIY Wood Tray

3/28/2017

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​text by Vicki     ​Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!
For a recent live demonstration of power tools, we made two versions of a wood tray. A pallet version you can see here and this version using purchased lumber. 
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Materials: 
  • 1x3 piece of lumber
  • Two cabinet handles and screws
  • Ryobi AirStrike nail gun
  • Sander and sandpaper
  • Ryobi Drill Driver and bits
  • Wood Glue
  • Kreg Cabinet Hardware jig (Amazon)
  • Forstner bits

  • Distressing Tools
  • Speed Square
  • Tack Cloth
  • Finishing supplies--we used black tea, Amy Howard's Better with Age, and Rust-Oleum Chalked paint
  • ​Plastic stick on feet
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
We used a tape measure and speed square to mark the cut lines. We cut three boards 20.5" for the base of the tray.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Steph used the miter saw to cut the boards--a miter box and saw could also be use as well as a circular saw.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
The three boards were laid on top of the end board and the cut line was marked.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
These two boards were cut to size using the miter saw.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
To age the boards, we used a set of Varathane distressing tools which add a little character. Fire up a little "Beat It" by Michael Jackson and have a little fun! Sand any rough surface at this point.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Our finish consisted of three steps starting with wiping on brewed black tea...
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
...we then wiped on Amy Howards Better with Age distressing product.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
We used a heat gun to speed up the drying process. Don't hold it too close to the wood as it will char it and that's an entirely different look! The tea reacts with the Better with Age product to produce a darker finish than if the Age product would used alone.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
A highly diluted chalked paint was wiped on and then immediately wiped off. Use plain water to dilute the paint.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Once dry, the boards were lightly sanded to further give them a distressed look.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Everything was turned over, the three bottom boards were lined up on the sides pieces and wood glue was applied.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
The AirStrike was used to secure the bottom boards to the side pieces.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
We used a Forstner bit so we could countersink the screw head.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
The Kreg Cabinet Hardware jig was used to make perfectly placed holes for the handles.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
We used a Phillips head screwdriver to screw the screws into place.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
To finish the tray, small plastic button feet can be added to the bottom to keep the tray from scratching surfaces.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.
It's important when buying wood that you get the straightest lumber possible. Take time in the store to look down the piece to see how straight it is as well as laying it on the ground to see if it is warped at all. Keep looking if it doesn't lie flat. The board we used ended up being a bit wonky and not at all straight which we didn't discover UNTILL we started nailing the pieces together. We got it to work, but it's not ideal. 

These trays are so useful. They can be used as breakfast in bed trays, a laptop desk, a fun surface to showcase decor, or even as a chalkboard if you finish it with chalkboard paint and use an easel to prop it up.

How would you use a tray like this? Would you use pallet wood or lumber? 


Please note: We are not sponsored by any of the companies/products that we used. These products were picked and bought by us.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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