Hello, amazing friends! Today, I’ve got a DIY herringbone tray that I fashioned from some Hobby Lobby wall art I picked up at the thrift store.
I knew the large square shape of this piece of art would make a fantastic tray when I found it:
Hobby Lobby was trying to get $50 for this piece originally. Then it had been marked half off at $25, so I guess $12.98 for it at the thrift store wasn’t too bad!
Although I hated to cover the sentiment, it was just cheap hardboard, and I wanted it to look more sturdy and well-made.
I started by grabbing a bunch of stir sticks that I add to my Etsy packages when my customers purchase paint…
These are the more petite 9″ size that I like because they fit into the small jars of paint Dixie Belle makes. However, it took more than normal paint sticks would have.
I think I used around 80 of them for this project.
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Cut
I started by cutting the curved end off with my miter saw:
Then I started laying them in place:
Cut some more
My miter saw worked fabulously for those initial cuts, but it got increasingly more sketchy as the pieces got smaller…
This was dangerous, y’all, and I do not recommend it unless you’re okay if you lose a finger or two. 😳
A small coping saw would work just fine if you prefer to keep all ten digits. (Luckily, no fingers were harmed in the making of this tray!)
I kept going until I had the whole tray filled in:
If you look closely at that photo, I numbered each piece since I now had to take it apart to glue the pieces in place.
Glue
I used wood glue to adhere all the pieces…
Sand
Once the glue is dry, sand everything smooth with 220 grit sandpaper:
Stain
I could have sealed it and left it as it, but I planned to keep this one and that wouldn’t match my decor. It was really pretty though!
For the end result I was going for, I stained with Voodoo Gel Stain in Tobacco Road:
I let that dry before going to the next step. Because voodoo gel stain is water-based, it dries super fast!
Paint
And as I mentioned, I planned to keep this tray for our coffee table, so of course that meant that it was going white!
This is Fluff:
The coverage of this more vintage white is fantastic, so I only gave it one coat.
Sand Again
Once it was dry, I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper once more to enhance the herringbone pattern:
I did touch up a couple of places where I had removed too much paint.
Seal
The final step was to seal!
I did that with two coats of Clear Coat in Satin using the blue sponge:
DIY HERRINGBONE TRAY REVEAL
I love how my new tray looks on our coffee table!
I didn’t do anything to the exterior of the tray since I liked the look of it already.
But the inside is fresh and gorgeous!
Staining the bottom brown allowed a darker color to peek through when sanding, which I love…
Do you remember this little “Things” basket I redid a while back?
I redid that and another basket HERE.
It’s perfect for all the things I like to keep close by while watching TV at night!
That lotion works amazing on dry, winter hands!
I can toss the remotes in there too.
New Handles
I almost forgot that I added handles to the sides also…
These are one of my favorites from Hobby Lobby…
I like that they screw in place from the front, making them perfect for trays.
And that is my brand new fancy herringbone tray! I’m so glad I splurged the $12.98 on it!
One more done yay!
See what I’ve tackled so far below if you’ve missed any:
Whitewashed Side Table
Sewing Basket Makeover
Louvered Door Cabinet Makeover
Painting the Smalls #25 (SIX mini makeovers!)
Shoe Shine Box Makeover
Metallic Vintage End Table Makeover
If you enjoyed this tray, you might like this one too:
See what I did with it HERE! (Our kitchen is the backdrop for this one!)
I’ll be back with the mini Lane cedar chest on Thursday!
UPDATE: This sweet piece is done and ready for its big reveal HERE!
I hope your week is off to a great start so far!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
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Janice Redden says
Christy, Wonder Woman!!! When I’m inspirationally challenged, you always provide a nudge… great makeover.
Christy says
Aww thank you, Janice! XOXO
Elena Stancu says
Hi ,yes, I love everything on this site and everything Christy does, she is a wonderful woman!-great makeover.
Elena
Christy says
Thank you so much, Elena!! XOXO
Carla says
It looks great!
Christy says
Thanks, Carla! XOXO
christine prowak says
Love it!
Christy says
Thank you, Christine! XOXO
Sue says
Great upcycle! The herringbone adds the perfect amount of texture to your coffee table and the basket is the bomb! I am going to look for one in my thrift store, such a great idea to store these needful things.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Sue! Good luck in your basket search! XOXO
Cyndi says
This is one of my favorites! I love herringbone. My dream home would have herringbone wood floors like you see in Europe. 🙂
Christy says
I’m so glad you love it, Cyndi, thank you! We had our tile replaced in our kitchen a few years ago and chose a herringbone pattern in a tile that looks like aged wood. We love it! XOXO
Janice Holt says
You take something cheap looking and make it so expensive looking; I know it was a lot of work but well worth it.
Christy says
Thank you, Janice! It’s always nice when I get something out of it for my own home lol! XOXO
Addie says
LOVE the herringbone!!! Very creative…as usual. Keep going!!!!
We are here for ya!!!!
Christy says
Thank you, Addie!! I appreciate you cheering me on! XOXO
Michele M. says
WOW!! Well that looks absolutely amazing there in your living room, Christy!!! And thank the Good Lord Above for you not getting injured while making this piece. Yikes that’s just too scary!!!!
Really liked your “Things” basket. Wouldn’t it be cool with a chain on it and use as a big bulky fun purse?
Love how you are hiding things like remotes, etc. in such a gorgeous way.
Christy says
Thank you, Michele! And yes ha ha! That little things basket could make a super cute purse! XOXO
Carroll Xavier says
Love it! Can’t have enough trays, I say 🙂 I have something similar that I use on my sectional to hold my must-haves. I started with a small tray, then a larger one, now a very large one. And thanks for the hand cream referral, I’ve been looking for a good one and this one has great reviews! I always learn something from your posts 🙂
Christy says
Thank you so much, Carroll! I love a good tray and have them all over the house. It is nice to be able to corral all the things! That lotion is wonderful…this is the nighttime one, so you put it on before bed, and it is fantastic. I do use it anytime though lol! XOXO
Mary Kaiser says
Oh my it turned out so beauftiful! I am so glad that no fingers were harmed in the makeover of that beautiful tray! It looks fantastic on your coffee table! I has been awhile since you have kept something for your home! That is certainly worth keeping!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary!! ME TOO! I kept thinking…this is not safe to share with my blog family at all lol! And yes, I am so happy to have a new piece for our own home! XOXO
Rose Lefebvre says
So interesting and creative!
Christy says
Thanks so much, Rose! XOXO
Cheryl Atkinson says
Hi Christy! That turned out so amazing!! Did you have measure towards the ends? I love it.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I did have to measure the cut pieces, and I had to recut a few too till I got them all right lol! XOXO
Janina says
You always come up with amazing transformations, Christy! This looks lovely. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen those hand-held mitre cutters. I saw a YouTuber showing her Temu haul and she had a pair. I’ve since seem them elsewhere being used to cut through small pieces of wood. To cut 80 pieces you’d likely lose your hand, lol, but I thought you might be interested to know they exist, on the offchance you didn’t. Sending hugs! 💝💝💝
Christy says
Aww thank you, Janina! Ooh…I’ve never heard of those…will have to look for them! I love a new tool lol. XOXO
Robin says
Personally, I don’t think the herringbone would have been as effective using the larger, wider stir sticks. Glad no fingers were harmed during this activity, lol. The tray goes with any decor. It’s great.
Christy says
Thank you, my friend! I think you may be right on that. Glad to still have all ten fingers too ha ha. I’m so glad this one was a keeper! XOXO