Mini-Project: Serving Tray

I was cleaning up my ottoman a week ago and as I was cleaning the tray on it, I had a moment of genius.  This cheap tray, which I've had for 3+ years, could get a new lease on life!  First of all, it just doesn't match anything.

I got this lovely tray at Ikea for about $8 because I got tired of not having a place to set my drink.  Now, it's time to bring it into the style of the rest of my home.  I have dark wood all over.  Luckily, my brilliant idea was that I already had the gel stain (leftover from my oak vanity makeover) to transform it!  

The first step was to inspect it and get a handle on how I could possibly disassemble it.  Since it's simply made, there were 4 screws on each end holding it together.

So I figured, 'Hey!  I can always put it back together if it doesn't actually come apart' and went on with it.

It turns out that it comes apart very easily and it was a solid tray underneath that was in a channel.

Just like staining the vanity, I needed to give this a light sanding to get some of the glossy coat off.  I won this sandpaper from 3M DIY a few months ago and have been waiting for an excuse to use it!  

I used 180 fine because it was the finest grit I had.  I wiped it all off with a damp paper towel, let it dry and started on the first coat of stain.  I didn't have rubber gloves, so I chose to use a foam brush to apply it.  

Misadventure #1:  Don't use a foam brush.  Especially not a cheap one.  Granted, this ended up turning out just fine, but if you're going to be looking at a particular piece closely, use a sock to apply it like I did on my vanity.  It coats without leaving large brush strokes and it's easier.  

I decided to do this on the dining room table, but at least I was smart enough to put the drop cloth down first.  I ended up using bowls as my stands.  Sometimes, you just have to make due!  

After 3 coats of stain (with dry time in between), I coated it with a single coat of gel poly.  Because I didn't want the glossy shine to have strokes, I used a sock.  I'm definitely glad I did.  I eventually plan to redo the bottom of the tray, but for now, I'm quite, quite happy with the results!

Now it looks classier and like I paid much more than I did.  By using something I already had, I saved myself  $30 for a new tray!  

Have you found ways to do simple transformations of things around your house?  Share them with me via email or leave a comment below!