Easy DIY Decorative Tray With Wallpaper And Resin

I used scrap wooden that I already had readily available, and I minimize a chunk of 1/2-inch plywood to about 17″ x 19″ for the underside of my tray. Then I minimize some 1/2-inch wooden, ripped to 1.5 inches huge, for the edges, minimize to size on my miter noticed. I nailed these in place utilizing 1-inch 18-gauge nails.

I didn’t even miter the corners as a result of they maintain collectively stronger once they’re not mitered. At the least, that has been my expertise.

And as you’ll be able to see, the corners weren’t excellent once I nailed the aspect items on. However I wasn’t nervous about that as a result of these corners could be cleaned up within the subsequent steps.

So right here’s what it regarded like as soon as the entire aspect items have been nailed to the underside piece and to one another on the corners. Then I used wooden filler to fill within the nail holes and nook joints.

As soon as the wooden filler was dry, I used my rotary sander with a 150-grit sanding disc to sand the edges and the corners. As you’ll be able to see, the sanding course of actually cleaned up these corners and made them look very nice. I additionally sanded the highest edges of the aspect items in order that they have been easy and flush with one another across the prime.

After which, as is my behavior, I used 150-grit sandpaper and sanded these corners on all sides piece by hand to present the cruel corners a little bit of a softer look.

After spray priming the entire thing with my favourite primer — Zinsser B-I-N shellac-based primer, after which sanding the entire thing easy with 220-grit sandpaper, I used to be prepared to color. I used a darkish pinkish crimson on the within of the aspect items to deliver some colour to the island.

I used to colours for this. The principle colour is Behr Hibiscus Flower.

But it surely was a bit too vibrant by itself, so I added just a bit bit (perhaps two or three tablespoons) of Timeless Ruby to darken it only a bit.

That made the proper pinkish crimson colour to go together with the wallpaper. After which I painted the surface white as a result of I like the white towards the darkish blue of the island. I used my go-to white — Behr Polar Bear — for the surface of the tray.

As soon as I had two coats of every colour on and let it dry, I then added my wallpaper to the underside of the tray. I adhered this with wallpaper paste that I had leftover. As that was drying, I went forward and drilled my holes for the 2 handles.

After which I added gold leaf to the highest edges of the aspect items. I used a steel leaf glue that I had by no means used earlier than, and I actually preferred it!

It goes on white and dries clear. As soon as it’s dry and glossy, you’ll be able to add the gold leaf.

If forgot to take an image of the gold leaf course of, however y’all have seen me gold leaf issues many instances up to now. It’s a reasonably self-explanatory course of. You press the gold leaf onto the adhesive, after which brush away any extra. It’s a reasonably messy course of as soon as all of these gold leaf bits begin flying, however I totally take pleasure in it. There are steel leaf merchandise that aren’t messy in any respect. The leaf comes hooked up to a backing, so that you don’t have all of these extra leaf bits flying round. I’ve by no means tried a kind of, however I’d like to!

After the gold leaf was on and cleaned up, with the entire extra brushed away, I gave the entire painted and gold leafed areas two coats of Basic Finishes Excessive Efficiency Topcoat and let that dry. Then I used to be prepared to complete the wallpapered backside of the tray with resin. To maintain the resin from seeping by way of the joints the place the edges have been nailed to the underside of the tray, I turned the tray over and lined over these joints with steel tape. You need to use caulk for this as properly, however this appeared quicker and simpler since I wouldn’t have to attend for caulk to dry.

After which I combined up two cups of my favourite resin — ArtResin. For my 17″ x 19″ tray, I used one cup of resin and one cup of hardener to make two cups of combined resin.

And right here is my new ornamental tray with the tremendous shiny resin wallpaper backside, a contact of pinkish crimson across the inside, the gold leaf accent and gold handles, and the white on the surface.

I needed to deliver some pink and a few sample to the island, and I feel that is the proper manner to try this.

And I like how shiny that resin is. It provides the proper quantity of glimmer and shine to the island with out being overbearing.

This venture was a enjoyable little diversion whereas ready for paint and clay to dry.