A STEP-BY-STEP ON HOW I TURNED THIS TRASHY THRIFT TABLE INTO A TREASURED TEA TRAY | YOUTUBE VIDEO
Hello creative friends! The last few weeks have whizzed by. I ended up shopping for today’s TTT project last minute and I found something pretty trashy. Today is a great reminder (to myself) to look at pieces not as they are, but at what they can be. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this before and after!
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I’m also joining my TTT crew and sharing links to their projects below. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve created and I hope you join me on today’s tour as well!
For today’s TTT I went to the thrift store looking for the ugliest piece of furniture I could find. This was it.
It was the least attractive piece in the entire store.
And the contact paper and deep scratches weren’t helping it out any either.
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WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Thrift Table – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Shop Towels
Heat Gun
Sanding Sponge
Bonding Boss Primer
Water Misting Bottle
Titebond Wood Glue
Paint Brushes
Blue Floral Sketch Decoupage Paper
Whitecap Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint
Nautical Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint
Satin Clear Coat
HOW TO REMOVE CONTACT PAPER
Even before cleaning, I started removing all this contact paper. I was a little afraid of what I was going to find underneath but whatever it was, I knew it was going to need a good scrubbing. The easiest way to remove contact paper (or anything that has been adhered for years) is by using HEAT. I use my heat gun on almost every project. The heat melts and loosens up any adhesive making pulling up contact paper so much easier.
CLEAN
There was a lot of staining under the contact paper. I used this White Lightening Cleaner to remove all I could and give this entire table a good scrub down. After seeing the original top, it was time to use this table in a ‘different’ way than how it was originally intended to be used.
TABLE INTO TRAY
To turn this trashy table into a tray I flipped it over and used a Sharpie to mark off where the legs needed to be cut off. Making the markings with a Sharpie while the legs are still attached to the table is the lazy girl way – no measuring required. Once all four legs were marked, I used a screwdriver to disassemble the legs from the tabletop. I used my chop saw to make the cut where I had drawn the Sharpie line. Then using Titebond I glued the sides back together again.
Here’s the short step-by-step version –
- The trashy thrift table – Before
- Mark where the legs need cutting off with a Sharpie
- Unscrew the legs
- Remove them from the sides
- Cut at the Sharpie line with a Chop Saw
- Assemble all the pieces for a glue-up
- Glue the new ‘tray’ back together
- Scuff sand to prep for primer and paint
PRIMING
At this stage, I wasn’t sure what paint brand or color I was going to use so I brushed on a coat of Clear Bonding Boss. After two hours of drying time, I added the second coat. Then I left this bonding and stain-blocking primer dry overnight.
PAINTING
Now for the fun part – designing this DIY tray! I looked through my decoupage papers and decided on this gorgeous blue and white rose floral. To match the paint, I picked Silk All-In-One Nautical and Whitecap.
The outside tray got one coat of Nautical Blue and the bottom of the tray was painted in two coats of Whitecap.
APPLYING THE DECOUPAGE PAPER
Applying decoupage paper is super easy especially when using a topcoat as the adhesive. I trimmed the edges off all the sides and decided on my layout on the bottom of the tray. For the pieces that needed cutting, I used my fingers to make the crease and then used a mat and cutting tool to make a straight cut. I applied this Satin Clear Coat over the paint, then carefully laid the paper lining up the edges and corners. Smoothing it down, I added a layer of topcoat to the top of the paper as well. Done! I did the same with the remaining design until the entire bottom was covered. I have a full post on How To Decoupage Furniture here.
THE FINISHED LOOK
Here’s the finished look…
I love the blue with the blue and white flowers!
What do you think? Are you a fan of blue and white?
And a closer look at the decoupaged floral details!
I don’t own a tea set yet I wanted to give you an idea of an actual tea tray… so I AI’ed it. I’m just learning how to do this so I know it doesn’t look 100% realistic but it is FUN to plug in what you want and see what pops up.
Cookies anyone? I input tea and cookies into AI and this is what it generated. They look like dried-out chicken nuggets and chicken fingers to me. 😆 I’ll keep playing around to get the hang of this.
Let’s bring it back to reality. I like my plants much better.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this NEW LOOK! And if you have any other ideas of what I could have done with this table I would love to hear in the comments below.
YOUTUBE TUTORIAL
Here’s the full step-by-step YouTube tutorial for you. Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 46.6K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 🙂
And now for some Trash To Treasure FUN!
You’re going to LOVE what my creative Trash To Treasure ladies do! 🙂 Below are the BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x
1. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER
2. ARTSY CHICKS RULE
3. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)
4. PRODIGAL PIECES
Here’s another look at this thrift table turned floral tea tray before and after.
I’m happy with how this DIY Tea Tray turned out! And I think it’s a great example of how with a little imagination, anything can be turned into something useful… and beautiful! These DIY projects are super fun.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS TEA TRAY MAKEOVER OR FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂
Happy painting my friends!
Denise x
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You are a magician! Love this xoxoxo
Aw, thanks my friend!😘
Brilliant!
Thanks Cyndi! xo
Hi Denise. Beautifully done. I absolutely love how this tray turned out. Blue and white are my fave color combination. As my niece would say, “This should be mine!” Lol
lol, super cute! I’m so glad you like it, thanks Monique! XOXO
Love learning but scared to take a chance on a project.
I hear you Julie. Even after all the projects I’ve done over the years, I sometimes still feel this way. I like the Wayne Gretzky quote “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” It reminds me my project/s may or may not turn out, but it’s okay. The process of trying is what can be enjoyed. And learning (exactly what your doing!) is the very first step.🤗
Oh, how I would love to go trashy treasure hunting with you. 😁 You always find the coolest project pieces. Yes, I love blue and white. 💙🤍 The tray is lovely. xo 😘
I would LOVE to go trashy treasure hunting with YOU Do!!! We’d have so much fun and I’m sure putting both our brains together would result in some creative funky-ness!😂🤣 So glad you like the tray and thanks my friend. XOXO
Beautiful! I’m a big blue and white fan. Great job. Very creative.
Thanks so much Ruth!🤗
Very clever! Great way to salvage an ugly duckling piece of furniture, and the color, oh my, just beautiful with that decoupage paper.
I love the Nautical Blue with the florals as well. 🙂 Thanks so much Candace!💙
I think the paint color goes perfectly with the decoupage paper. What a great to flip the table over! This was a project that a beginner could do.
Most definitely – a GREAT beginners project! Thanks B!🤗
The tray is very pretty. I would like to add one thing, put handles on the two of the sides.
Thanks Donnita! 😊 Handles are a great idea. I would have to order something because I didn’t have anything flattering in my hardware stash. I also thought of routered tray handles as well. A cleaner look but it would probably look great!
That is so creative!! What an awesome repurpose! I love it and I love the blue too!! xoxo
Thanks so much Nancy! Blue and white – a classic combo… you can’t go wrong. hehe 😊
Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we’re pushed to the edge! You went, you saw, you CONQUERED! Such a lovely matching of the blues, Denise. This came out so very pretty! I can’t wait to see the video on Saturday.
It’s amazing what we can do with a little creativity and time, for sure!!!🤗 So happy you like it and looking forward to sharing the video. Thanks Caye!! XOXO
This is such a great reminder to look beyond the obvious fro more possibilities! This turned out fantastic, and the AI is fun lol! XOXO
Thanks Christy and ya, the AI is fun… and funny!😂
I DO love some blue and white. Your tips are great – as always.
Your AI is pretty darn good too ! Always new stuff to learn.
p
I love blue and white as well and thanks for the AI compliment. You’re so right, there is ALWAYS something NEW to learn but I guess that’s what makes life/work so interesting.💙🤗😊
That’s a great save, as the table probably wouldn’t have been purchased & destined for landfill. Now it’s beautiful & useful. Plus you have some spare parts that you no doubt will use your magic on!
Yes, I kept those wood legs for another project! Thanks my friend! XOXO
I love your ideas! Turning an ugly table into a tray! What a great way to reuse it and keep it out of the landfills. I love the blue and white! Great job!
Thanks so much Angie! I thought it was pretty ugly too…lol
Your creativity amazes me! I never would have thought to turn a table into a tray and I love the floral design. Thanks for sharing and pinned!
Thanks Nicki and I’m so happy it sparked some ideas! I appreciate the PIN, thank you!! XOXO
Very clever, great idea! Yes, it was a trashy table, and I like the way it turned out. I will be right over for tea and cookies!
You mean tea and chicken nuggets?😂🤣🤣 Come oooon overrrrr! Thanks so much! XOXO
Beautiful transformation! Love the Blue and white!!
Thanks so much Franny! I’m loving the blue and white too!
I love everything you do! This was genius! I think the only thing I’d have done differently was add handles to the sides. But, of course, it’s just personal preference. It came out beautiful!
Aw, thank you Joan! And YES, I love your handles idea. I tried putting a few hardware handles I have in my inventory up to it but for some reason it wasn’t working for me. Probably the type of hardware I had. I also thought of routering out a oval on each side so you can slide your fingers in and lift. I think that would look awesome as well!
Great save! And love the color too.
Thanks my friend! XOXO