How to make a serving tray. DIY wooden tray Mosaic Tray

What could be better than making breakfast in bed in the morning? An integral attribute of such a breakfast is tray. The tray can be wooden, metal or made of plastic, and its purpose is so versatile and varied! With it, you can set the table for a large number of persons, carrying dishes, glasses and cutlery at a time on a tray, as well as being used as a cup holder when serving tea or coffee in the living room.
Trays can also be used as coasters for flower vases or jugs of drinks in order to protect the surfaces of chests of drawers and shelves from liquids. Trays are often used to organize and store all sorts of little things in the bathroom, kitchen or bedroom.

Tray is a small board made of durable material, the edges of the tray are folded up so that the dishes do not slip off and make it convenient to carry.

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Let's look at the most popular materials from which trays are made:

Stainless steel trays. Stainless steel trays look the most solemn. The shimmer of metal is appropriate on a banquet table, so these trays are also used for serving. Fruits, desserts, gourmet products look great in combination with the brilliance of steel. The indisputable advantage of this material is its durability and strength, such trays do not rust and are not afraid of temperature changes.


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plastic trays. V Everyday life plastic trays are very popular. They are very durable, do not require special additional care, practically do not change their appearance during a long service life.
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wooden trays. Wooden trays look best in country or Provas style interiors, especially if there are any other elements in the interior. wooden elements decor. To protect against water and drying out, the tray is treated with beeswax or special oil, so that it will last much longer. 1

Chicken trays. Ceramics remains a relevant material for making trays. Such an element of decor can become a highlight of the interior of the kitchen or dining room.

Rattan trays. Rattan trays are very durable, practical and ideal for country and chalet interiors. The color of rattan can be varied.


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When choosing a tray, it is necessary to pay special attention to the material and shape, they will ensure functionality. In order for the interior, decorated with serving trays, to look decent, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of the trays with other elements in the room, its style and color scheme.

Workshops on how to make trays with your own hands can be found in our article: "4 Ideas for DIY trays"

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Breakfast in bed .., lunch on the veranda .., dinner combined with watching an interesting movie .. - in all these situations, in addition to combining a meal and a pleasant pastime, there may be one that is not too noticeable, but, nevertheless, very useful the character is a serving tray.

Yes, the functions they perform are much more important appearance. But if you are not indifferent to beautiful and original things, this collection of technologies will tell you how to turn a standard factory tray into a spectacular accessory that pleases the eye and fills the heart with the satisfaction that you made this beauty with your own hands.

In this edition for creative natures we have combined 4 ways to update a wooden tray. All ideas are also good for their lightness and ease of execution: to update the selected wooden tray, you do not need to be an artist, decoupage master or an experienced needlewoman.

The height of the tray and its size also do not play a role. An ideal object would be an IKEA Klakk tray made of rubber wood (size 38x58, price 349 rubles), but you can use any other one that seems too boring to you (old, or recently purchased, but banal, or having some kind of defect).

If you have a real serving table (also wooden), one of the ideas will be to update it. However, the rest can also be taken into account, simply by imagining that the serving table is the same tray, but only with legs.

look original ideas, invented by decorators, and create a small masterpiece from your tray!

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No. 1: do-it-yourself serving table "memories":

You will need: serving table (the upper part should look like a tray, the end edges of which are higher than the side ones), burlap (or rattan fabric), processed glass (the length of the glass is equal to the length of the inside of the tray, the width is the outer width of the tray with an allowance for the edges (!)) , wood glue, natural decor (shells, shavings, dry spices, tree bark, pebbles), silk flowers, favorite photos.

Measure inner part tray and cut out the desired area from the burlap, glue it to the inside of the tray. Lay out the decorative little things on the burlap as you like, but not too thick. Flower stems can be cut or left. Cover with glass, place the tray on the legs.

From time to time you can change the "landscape" - depending on the season or your own mood. If there are active children or curious pets in the house, glue small silicone pads on the edges of the glass to add stability to the grip with the tree.

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No. 2: do-it-yourself tray "mosaic of coins":

The idea was inspired by a design find - a floor covering made from 1 cent coins for a bar in the Standard Hotel (New York). We will first present the author's version, and then our own variation on this theme.

You will need: dark wooden tray, 300-500 identical small coins (new shiny ones are best), instant glue, dark tile grout, sponge, water, gloves.

Before gluing the coins, make a preliminary alignment. Start along the narrow (end) edge, placing them at a distance from each other so that the next row shifts and you get a checkerboard pattern (honeycomb). After laying out 3 rows, start working with the long side of the tray (try on 3 rows here as well). Swap the sides of the coins so that heads and tails are evenly present, or stick to only one side.

After making sure that the ornament is uniform, start gluing. After its completion, apply a thick layer of grout, similar to how it is done with tiles. With a damp sponge, remove excess grout and clean the surface of the coins until the shine is restored.

Our editorial:

• the tray can be light, but in this case it must be painted with wood paint in a coffee shade;

• depending on the denomination of coins, you can create a different look.

White coins of 1 or 5 kopecks look good on a blue, green, lilac or pink background, respectively, you need to paint the tray in this tone.

If you use coins of 10 or 50 kopecks (yellow) - there are options: leave them in their natural form or first paint them with bronze spray paint for metal (a thin even layer so as not to spoil the relief) - in this case you will get an exact copy of what you see in the pictures.

• you can take coins from a piggy bank, collect them specially for this purpose, or exchange a paper bill in a bank.

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No. 3: do-it-yourself tray "summer garden":

You will need: wooden tray, dry coloring pigment (powder or blue tablets) in electric color, water, garden-themed vinyl tape, tape measure, scissors, pencil, flat brush, glass or small glass jar.

Dilute the pigment in a small amount of water until completely dissolved. Paint the wooden parts of the tray (except the inner base) in several layers with the resulting paint, making sure that the brush moves in one direction.

Measure the inside of the tray and cut out the desired area from the film. Gradually peel off the protective paper from reverse side, stick the film to the inner base of the tray, starting from the end, taking care to avoid the formation of bubbles.

This material is for romantics who like to arrange surprises and are not averse to having breakfast in bed or just having a snack while sitting on a soft sofa. We have already talked about how from, and now it's time to make a serving tray - and this time from wood. We have selected the lightest and all available ways, so you don't need carpentry talent.

Master class number 1. A tray from a photo frame for 1 evening

The easiest way to make a tray with your own hands is to convert an ordinary photo frame into it.

Buy or remove a wooden photo frame from the wall right size. Well, if you can find a frame with a strong bottom and secure fasteners, then you won't have to change the backing and you can update the decor of the tray according to your mood.

So let's get started. Remove the cardboard backing, remove all unnecessary and put the glass in place.

Now the cardboard from the photo frame needs to be decorated as you like. You can stick or simply apply decor from various materials. It can be: a bright fabric, a piece of wallpaper, postcards, yellowed pages, a herbarium, etc. In our master class, the substrate is simply covered with fabric and glued with a glue gun. Instead, you can use PVA or any other glue. After the decor is ready, put the substrate on the glass and fix it (scroll the photo to the right).

And now you need to fasten beautiful furniture handles of a suitable size. You can screw them either on the side or on top of the frame. To do this, you will need the actual handles, 4 screws, a drill with a small drill and, of course, a screwdriver. First you need to attach the handles to the frame, align them, then mark the holes with a pencil, drill them with a drill with a suitable drill bit and finally screw the handles onto the screws with a screwdriver as shown in the photo below.

Well, that's it, your serving tray is ready! Or… almost ready.

• For reliability and giving weight to our tray (so that it stands exactly on a soft surface), it is better to further strengthen it from below. To do this, you need to take plywood, attach a frame to it, circle it along the contour and cut it out with a jigsaw. The resulting workpiece must be sanded along the edges, and then painted in a suitable color (previously primed). Once the plywood is dry, all you have to do is attach the plywood to the frame with small screws, nails, self-tapping screws, or furniture stapler. Such a tray will withstand even the heaviest breakfast in bed.

Based on this master class, you can make beautiful trays with a variety of decor. For example, you can make such a serving tray with a slate bottom, on which you can write romantic notes with chalk.

• The substrate can be painted with either slate paint or pasted over with chalk wallpaper.

And here are other decor ideas for both the frame itself and the substrate. As you can see, you can come up with the most different designs- v vintage style like provence or shabby chic, classical style or modern, using fabric, photographs, colored paper, wallpapers, pages from books (scroll the photo to the right).

Also, this master class will come in handy for making interior trays for coffee or dressing tables, where candles and books, or jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes can find their place.

Master class number 2. Tray from the door of the kitchen set for 2 pm

You can make a serving tray with your own hands not only from a photo frame, but also from an old kitchen cabinet door, chest of drawers and other furniture. Such a tray is made a little longer, but it will be much more reliable, practical, durable and hold more goodies for breakfast!

The procedure is as follows:

1. Remove all loops.
2. Removing the old cover sandpaper large grain.
3. At this point, the outside of the tray can be brushed with a wire brush, if desired, to remove the soft fibers from the wood.

• this technique will make the surface of the door even more “old” and rough, but, on the other hand, the effect of dilapidation in the style of shabby chic and Provence can be achieved without it.

1. We clean the door from its reverse side, close up the holes from the hinges with wood putty or polyester putty. We also grind the patches a little and clean the entire door again. In principle, this step is not necessary if the holes from the fasteners do not bother you.
2. We cover a clean, dry door with a primer for wood in 1-2 layers. Each layer must dry thoroughly.
3. Now you need to take sandpaper again, but already of medium grain size and walk it over the entire surface.

1. Again we wipe the door clean and dry, and then we begin to paint our future tray. With a small brush (non-shedding!) We cover the surface with 1 layer of paint. And here it is necessary to note a couple of nuances:

• if you want to make a tray or, then the first coat of paint should be dark, and the second and third should be light;
• if you want to paint the bottom of the tray with slate paint as in this master class, then, before applying dark green paint, glue the bottom contour with masking tape (see photo above);
• if you don't have a brush, a clean cotton rag will do just fine.

1. When the first coat of paint is completely dry, cover the door with a lighter finish paint.

• To make a “chalky” tray at this stage (or after it), you need to apply, in fact, slate paint, first in 1 layer, giving it time to dry, and then 2 layers. After the 2nd layer dries, we again seal the borders of the slate bottom with tape and proceed to painting the door with the finishing paint (you can vice versa - first apply the finishing paint, wait until it dries, and only then apply the slate).

1. And now the tray surfaces need to be sanded with fine-grained sandpaper, exposing a layer of dark paint in some places (again, if desired).
2. And, finally, we fasten the handles: mark the attachment points for them and tighten the screws. Voila, your breakfast in bed serving tray is ready!

By the way, if you painted the bottom with slate paint, as in this master class, then the resulting tray can be used not only as a serving tray with messages, but also as a board for menus and home notes.

And here are other ideas for making beautiful DIY trays from old wooden doors (swipe!).

We make a tray table with our own hands.
Actually in appearance it is a tray with handles and folding legs. This table is made using hand power tools. The design can be simplified, instead of gluing parts, assemble everything on confirmations or self-tapping screws.

In addition to being used as a tray, there is another useful function for this table. If you have a regular computer, then you are always somewhat attached to the workplace. Another thing is if you are the owner of a laptop, there are more options for work and leisure. You usually start at the table, then move to the sofa, and then go to bed. So, this table is just right for placing a laptop anywhere. Another option is in the article.

The basis of the countertop is a sheet of plywood in a wooden frame. The details of the frame during assembly are not installed flat, but on the edge, the ends are sawn into a "mustache". The plywood itself is inserted into the grooves on the inner sides of the frame and all parts are glued together. You can assemble this frame on self-tapping screws, while sawing the ends under 45 * is no longer necessary.

Complete table dimensions:

Table top with 650mm strapping. by 400 mm. .

Side rails 60 mm wide. , 650 mm long. and 16-20 mm thick. .

End plates with handles 400 mm long. and width (height) 150 mm. , the thickness is the same as the longitudinal strips. The end parts are sawn off with a jigsaw along the upper edge, handles are sawn inside.

If you want to get strong enough handles, then use dense woods. It can be oak, beech, ash or birch. In addition, all the details of the table can be made of plywood. In this case, only one problem can arise, cut out the parts so that the edges are without chisels, and then everything will have to be carefully sanded.

The tabletop is made from 6mm plywood. , size 620/370 mm. .
Of course, plywood can be taken thicker, only the weight of the table will increase. Plywood is inserted into the grooves on inside binding details. Everything wooden details sag manual router, or the corners are simply knocked off with a large sandpaper.

Please note that the groove is marked in such a way that the countertop is at a height of 35 mm. from the lower edges of the strapping rails. Legs will fit into this recess when they are not needed.

When assembling into a "mustache", plywood is inserted immediately into the grooves, and the entire countertop is glued together. If you assemble the strapping on self-tapping screws, then end strips must be shortened by two thicknesses of the longitudinal rails.

The legs of the table are assembled and glued in pairs. In the version that you see in the photo, the prongs with spikes are glued into the sockets on the legs. Again, legs with prolegs can be twisted on self-tapping screws, just for strength, add one more proleg (tsarga) for each pair.
Blanks for legs and prolegs with a section of 20/30 mm. . One pair should be narrower than the other by 40-45 mm. , this is so that when folding they do not interfere with each other.

To install a narrow pair of legs from the bottom, two small bars are glued from the inside, in the photo above they are on the right. The ends of the legs are rounded at the top so that the corners do not interfere when unfolding. The legs are attached to the axis, it can be bolts or just self-tapping screws.

In the unfolded state, the legs become at an angle and rest against the end parts from below.

When folded, the legs should lock into place at the bottom of the tray. To do this, you can use small round magnets, they look like tablets. Magnets are glued into the edges of the legs, and metal plates are screwed on the underside of the tabletop.

Among the proposals of modern furniture stores there are interesting coffee tables with a soft top, if you can call it that. They look interesting in the interior, but they are never practical. Juice or coffee stains are not as easy to wipe off as from a regular wooden or glass countertop. For all owners of such a miracle and just those who love breakfast in bed, we propose to make just such a tray. It is stylish in appearance and not expensive at cost.

materials

Before you make a tray with your own hands, make sure you have:

• boards from a pallet or box;
• hardwood boards;
• white paints;
• varnish based on polyurethane;
• masking tape;
• saws;
• sandpaper;
• brushes;
• chisels;
• clamps;
• wood glue;
• roulettes;
• self-tapping screws;
• drills;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• pencil.

Step 1. Decide on the dimensions of the tray and, based on this, cut the boards you have from the box or pallet to the length. In this case, I wanted the boards to look like a single whole after gluing, without joints, seams and other irregularities. To do this, the boards had to be adjusted to each other and in thickness.

Step 2. With the help of clamps and wood glue, all the boards should be glued together, carefully pressing them together so that none of them stand out from the row. After the workpiece has dried, all excess glue should be removed, and the surfaces should be carefully sanded.

Step 3. From the boards of light woods, you will need to make the sides of the tray. In this case, poplar was taken.

When cutting wood, consider the perimeter of the base and your desired tray height.

In the side walls, be sure to mark the cutouts for the handles. Consider the height at which the base will be attached so that the slots do not go to the bottom.

Step 4. After cutting the holes, sand them thoroughly. They must be perfectly smooth.

Step 5. Using wood glue and clamps, glue the sides to the base.

Step 6. As additional fasteners you can use self tapping screws.

Step 7. After the glue dries, remove any excess. Cover the holes formed by the fasteners with wood putty. After letting it dry, level the surface with sandpaper or a grinder.

Step 8. Seal the bottom of the tray with masking tape. Apply two coats of paint to the sides. After it dries, remove the tape and leave everything until the surface is completely dry.