Quick and Easy Tray Makeover

A while ago we told you about our shopping spree to Ikea. (You can read about it here). One of the things that we purchased while we were there was this Klack tray. It’s a great size and at under £5 you can’t do much wrong, our only issue is that it’s just a bit boring.

So, while paining a load of other things (we’ll be sharing them all with you soon), we decided to try to give this tray a makeover, too. The only thing we were a bit concerned about was the base of the tray, as it is smooth fibreboard and we weren’t sure how the paint would adhere to the smooth surface.

I already had some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which I’d bought for a different project. Having read that you can paint almost anything with it and, more importantly that no sanding is required, I thought I’d give it a try for this tray makeover project, too.

This is what it looked like after about two coats of paint.

I shouldn’t have worried about the paint sticking to the fibreboard, as it was no problem at all.

Having decided to jump onto the chevron trend, we started by measuring and marking the tray into equal sections. Then all that was left to do is stick the masking tape onto the tray.

To make sure that the edges are really neat and the tips are pointy, I used a craft knife to trim away any excess tape.

Then for the fun bit – painting. I just used normal acrylic paint that I found at the back of our craft cupboard.

It was no problem at all painting on top of the chalk paint with standard acrylic paint, but it took about 3 coats to achieve the cover I was looking for.

Then for the moment of truth – removing the masking tape.

Make sure you really press the masking tape down well, as I had a few small areas where the paint got under the tape. Also, do not forget to remove the tape before the paint dries, as it can tear otherwise. And here is the result:

We’re not sure how durable the paint finish is going to be, but we are planning on spraying it with a clear coat of varnish just to give it some extra protection. If the finish turns out not to be durable enough we may consider tiling the tray in future.

Here are the side by side before and after shots for you:

We’re really happy with the result, especially as the project didn’t cost us anything (except for the tray of course) because we already had all of the supplies.

What do you think of our tray makeover? Was it worth it? Do you think the paint finish will last? Let us know if you’ve attempted a tray makeover, we’d love to see the results!