In our homes there are many occasions when we have objects that for one reason or another have fallen into disuse, either because time has passed and they look bad or because they are not useful at the moment. Regardless of the reason, wooden trays offer a wealth of possibilities and can be made the most of by crafting.
This time we are going to teach you how to decorate a wooden tray, for which we will use pickling and scrapbooking paper. In a very simple way, as you can see, you can create a wooden tray with a very attractive and personalized design.
In this way, that wooden tray can be used for different purposes, even as a decorative piece that you can place in any corner of your home offering an attractive finish. If you are interested in knowing how to make this craft, keep reading.
Instructions for decorating a wooden tray
As happens every time a craft is done, you should not be obsessed by its possible difficulty, but you should be patient and follow all the instructions that we are going to show you step by step. In this way you can achieve a great result in a much simpler way than you might think.
That said, you must follow the following steps to know how to decorate a wooden tray. However, before starting each of the processes, you must remove any stickers and pass a fine-grain sandpaper all over it to remove any imperfections that may exist. Then pass a rag to remove dust residue and do the following:
- It is usual to give a first coat of primer on the wood. In this way, the paint gets a better grip, thus being able to save a layer of paint. However, on this occasion it is not necessary to use a chalk paint.
- Use this paint to cover the entire surface of the wooden tray except for the bottom, which will be where the scrapbooking paper will be placed.
- Then wait for it to dry and, once it has done so, you must take a candle and pass it through the areas of the tray where you want the pickling. In general, it will be done by marking the edges more, so that there can be a natural wear effect.
- Pickling consists of giving wax to some parts of the surface and then painting another color so that the beta of the background color appears when it is bonded.
- Next we must give it a new coat of paint in a paler color.
- Once the above is done, it is time to use a medium grain sandpaper. In this way, the lighter paint will jump and the lower one will be seen, thus achieving a worn effect.
- When you have carried out the previous steps we will have practically all the work done. Now it’s time to decorate the bottom of the tray, for which the paper will be used.
- To get the shape of the scrapbooking paper that is needed, you must place the bottom of the tray on the paper and trace the outline to cut it out and thus obtain the desired shape. Cut out the drawing and stick it to the bottom of the tray, using decoupage glue.
- To protect the paper, another layer of glue should be given on top.
- At this point you will already know how to decorate a wooden tray, but the last details will be missing. Once the glue is dry, you will have to give it a layer of ultra-matte varnish to protect the entire piece.
- Then cut out some pattern from scrapbooking paper to place on the front of the tray. Using a piece of satin ribbon, stick it at a medium height from the edge of the tray; and to hide the union, the cut-out paper detail is placed on top.
In this simple way you can decorate a wooden tray with a great final result. However, as in any other craft, creativity must be very present in this type of activity. In this way, you can try other techniques and finishes until you get the one that really suits your tastes and needs.
What do you need to decorate a wooden tray?
To decorate a wooden tray, you need to have the following materials, all of which are easy to get:
- A wooden tray. You can choose it in the way you like best, be it oval, square, rectangular…
- Chalk painting.
- Brushes
- Scrapbooking paper. You can choose it with the reason you like the most, so that you make it fit perfectly into the design of the home room in which you are going to place it.
- Decoupage glue.
- Ultra matte varnish
- pickling wax
- 6mm satin ribbon
