Hello amazing friends! I’m quickly nearing the finish line of my current haul of goodies with just a handful of pieces left. This was the Biggest Thrifty Haul of them all! Today, I’m sharing how to paint a silver tray using this gorgeous, ornate silver tray that I’ve had for a couple of years:
I paid $9.95 and have actually used it in our Christmas decor:
But, it was time to do something with it.
How to paint a silver tray
Clean
The first thing I did was give this silver tray a good cleaning with White Lightning. It is a degreaser and a deglosser and will remove anything you don’t want that may have been hanging around on those old silver pieces.
Prep the Metal for Paint
Then, I reached for Slick Stick. It is specially formulated to help paint to adhere to non-porous surfaces such as metal, glass, laminate, etc.
I applied one coat of Slick Stick and allowed it to dry for two hours:
(I did it at the same time as I was painting this mirror, which had a thick lacquered finish.)
Then, I applied a second coat and left it to dry overnight.
Ready for paint
This silver tray is now ready for paint!
My first choice for painting these trays is usually chalk paint, and then I like to shabby them up. That is by far my favorite look, especially for something that has all this delicious detail!
However, I chose Conch for this piece instead, a beautiful Silk Mineral Paint color, to give it a softer look.
I used my Best Dang Brush to apply the paint to all those details:
This is typically used to apply wax, but the large, flat head works amazingly well on those ornate areas. (Just be sure to rinse it out soon after you’re finished painting for easier clean-up.)
I used a regular brush to paint the underside, but I actually brushed out the rest of the top with the Best Dang Brush also:
I allowed it to dry for two hours and then added my second coat.
Adding some bling
Once it was completely dry, I pulled out my Gold Gilding Wax to give it a little shimmer. I just used my finger to apply it to all the raised areas:
I used a glove since the gilding wax is oil-based. It will be dry in about 8 hours and ready to buff in about 12 hours.
There is no need to seal the Silk line of paints since it has a built-in topcoat, so that was it!
The result
It has a much softer look now…
This would be perfect in a bedroom or even a baby’s nursery, holding all those baby essentials.
The gilding wax adds just a hint of bling…
Do y’all remember this mirror?
I combined three pieces to create it. You can see more of that HERE.
I hope y’all enjoyed this quickie makeover today!
I am enjoying crossing it off the list!!
See any you may have missed at the links below:
$5 Child’s Coastal Chair Makeover
Painting the Smalls #11
$8 Thrift Store Box Makeover & How to Apply Decoupage Tissue Paper
How to Properly Paint a Mirror
Painted Thrift Store Lamps & How to Cover a Lampshade
Cabinet Doors Repurposed
$3 Trinket Box Makeover
Piano Bench Makeover
$20 Thrift Store Desk Makeover
$5 Thrift Store Chair Makeover & How to Use Silk All-in-One Mineral Paint
Unfinished Wood Cabinet Makeover
Cabinet Door turned Shelf
Painting the Smalls, Holiday Edition (Five of these pieces are in this post!)
Kudzu Painted Side Table
REPURPOSED HEADBOARD AND FOOTBOARD
VINTAGE SECRETARY DESK MAKEOVER
$3 THRIFT STORE HEADBOARD REPURPOSED
WALL CABINET REPURPOSED
WINDSOR ROCKER MAKEOVER
DROP LEAF TABLE AND CHAIRS MAKEOVER
I’ll be back on Tuesday with my Trash-to-Treasure Girls sharing what I did with this little magazine rack:
Hope to see y’all then!
UPDATE: See how sweet this magazine rack turned out HERE now!!
Have a fantastic weekend out there. I’m going to try, but I’m pretty sure taxes will be involved, so we’ll see ha ha!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
EMAIL * INSTAGRAM * FACEBOOK * PINTEREST * TWITTER
Petra says
It’s so pretty (especially with that gold wax) and would make the most perfect gift xo
Christy says
Thank you, Petra! It certainly would make a lovely gift! XOXO
Diane says
I like the pink, but NOT the gold!! It’s all a matter of personal preference.
Christy says
Thanks for your feedback, Diane! XOXO
Mariele Storm says
I love it!!! My favorite from you that I can remember. This would look so great on a vanity holding perfume and a lipstick, or powder. 🙂
Christy says
Oh yay! Thank you, Mariele! Perfect for a vanity for sure! XOXO
Mary Kaiser says
Oooh Laa Laa, it is beautiful now! I am so excited you shared this with me because I have a tray like that, and I also have Slick Stick and some Silk paint!! Sounds like a paint party to me, LOL! Yours turned out fantastic!
Christy says
Oh perfect!! Well I guess I know what you will be doing this weekend ha ha! Thanks, Mary!! XOXO
Janice Holt says
The tray is just beautiful. Love the color and gilding. One of my favorite colors. Another great job as usual.
Christy says
Thanks so much, Janice! Have a fantastic weekend! XOXO
Christina says
Christy, I love how the paint and gold highlights really bring out the details in this tray! Another winner! (I was kind of anticipating a transfer in the middle lol)
Have a wonderful, creative weekend!
Christy says
Thank you, Christina! This would have been beautiful with a transfer, but I decided to keep this one simple! Enjoy your weekend also, my friend! XOXO
Cecilia from Georgia says
Christy, I’m thrilled with my gilding wax! I haven’t buffed it yet, but can’t wait to see how it will look with a little softening. BTW–I went to Hobby Lobby in Albany, GA and they are having a huge knob sale! Not sure if it’s national but thought you and your readers would like to know. It’s not in the sale flyer and there are a bunch of knobs and pulls 75% off! I went cRAzY!
Christy says
Oh yay! Gilding wax is awesome for highlighting all those pretty details! And now I guess I need to run to Hobby Lobby ha ha! Thank you for the heads up!! XOXO
Sharon says
So very pretty! Your makeovers are just amazing! I appreciate your tips and I always learn something! ❤️
Thank you!
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Sharon! I really appreciate that and I am so glad the tips are heplful! XOXO
Barbara says
Thanks Christy! Perfect timing, as someone recently gave me an old silver tray that I want to paint for use on my bathroom vanity. I wasn’t sure of the best way to do it. Now I know!
Christy says
Oh yes, what great timing! That will be the perfect use for it! Have fun! XOXO
Stephanie Harris says
Just beautiful. Such vision
Christy says
Thank you so much, Stephanie! XOXO
Paula I says
While the silver tray transformation is remarkable, the total cost per my calculations is over $40 after you buy the cleaner, the Conch paint and the tray (didn’t include the brush as you didn’t mention it’s cost). Not exactly a bargain!
Christy says
The initial investment in the products can be a bit much, but I only used a very small amount of each of the products on this project, and I will use them all on many more projects to come! XO
Sue Mellette says
Lovely makeover! The conch color is very distinctive and the gilding wax does give the tray a bit of bling, like you mentioned! I agree this tray would be a nice addition to a girl’s bathroom or a baby room. Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend.
Christy says
Thank you, Sue! It was fun to work on something girly! Enjoy your weekend too! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
I am always amazed when you paint silver, Christy! I forget that’s an option for badly damaged pieces and it makes them so much more useful.
Christy says
Aww thanks, Marcie! These pieces always have such pretty details! XOXO
Toby Peplow says
Okay, I am in LOVE!
My daughter is getting married this year…and this would so go with her boho theme…I am officially on a mission for a tray like this!!
Woohoo! 🙂
Have a great day Christie!
Christy says
Oh how perfect! Congratulations on your new son lol and good luck in your search! XOXO
Gwen says
Absolutely beautiful! Love the colors. You are such an inspiration ❤
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Gwen, thank you! XOXO
Cheryl r Atkinson says
Hi Christy!! Such a pretty makeover. Does Conch remind you of Tea Rose or is it me? I need to try this Silk paint. I though that brush was a wax brush. What did you really think of it? Again, thank you for all of your inspiration.
Christy says
Thank you, Cheryl! Yes, they are very similar! That brush is meant for wax, but I had one very similar for years that I loved for all those raised details. I’ve shared it several times in older post, but I love it for frames especially. It finally kicked the bucket about a year ago. This one is just the same and truly worked beautifully on this tray. It wouldn’t work for getting in corners and such, but it worked very well on both the details and the flat area of this tray. Have a great weekend! XOXO
Addie says
That tray came out gorgeous!!! It would look great in the nursery…..and so handy to keep that whiskey for the baby…lolol 😉 LOVE it!!!!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Addie!! Ha ha! XOXO
Dianne says
Ok I feel that this tray was made for me for our grandbaby’s room. It is so pretty. I love it and the chair you rehabed last week. I really need to reign myself in on buying for the baby’s room but its so hard when you make the cutest things.
Christy says
Thank you, Dianne! And you are dangerously close to my booth ha ha! It is hard not to buy for the little ones…they are so fun to shop for! XOXO
Stacye says
I’m in love with the paint color and a pleasant surprise to see you use it. Also, adding the gold gilding wax topped off the makeover. I’m about to paint my bedroom in a color a little lighter than Conch so I may have to try out the paint for some accessory makeovers if my own.
Christy says
Thank you, Stacye! It is a lovely color! XOXO
Michele M. says
OOOhhhhh I love that shade – conch! The more I read about this new silk line the more I want to get some. Love the tray. Have an old pantined-to-neglect thrift mirror I have held on to a long time myself. I think I may have to do it in pink! Be so pretty with all the tea parties I have – well not for the last year, but all my life up till these lonely days. Hope to again one day, sure do miss it.
Looks so pretty, Christy!!!
Christy says
Thank you, Michele! Oh I feel your pain, my friend. There are so many things I miss…the simplest of things too! Hoping 2021 gets us back on track! Have a fantastic weekend! XOXO
Paula Iacono says
that’s fine, but for those of us just doing one project, it’s cost prohibitive.
Rebecca Payne says
Simply Gorgeous!
Christy says
Thank you, Rebecca! XOXO
Ruth says
It’s gorgeous. Love the pink and gold. 🤍🌸
Christy says
Thank you so much, Ruth! XOXO
Cara says
I am always so inspired by your projects, they are so beautiful. I often wonder how you come up with many of the ideas you post about.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Cara! Sometimes I immediately have an idea in mind for a piece as soon as I see it, and other times, it takes a little more for the ideas to flow. I hadn’t intended to fill this with flowers until I went to stage it for photos! XOXO
Nette says
I love how you’re expanding your palette. At the same time, I feel bad that real silver got covered up!
Christy says
Thank you, Nette! It is a shame if you enjoy silver pieces for sure. Thrift stores are loaded with them these days, unfortunately. At least this will be able to be enjoyed now again, and it already sold. XOXO
Debbie says
Was this “silver” tray Sterling Silver, Silverplate or plain metal?
Christy says
Hi Debbie! It was silver plate, I believe. XO
Betty Bilnoski says
I love what you did with the silver tray!
I just placed an order that includes the gold gilding wax. I have an old silver tray that I’d like to paint with either Fluff or Cotton chalk paint and use the gold gilding wax too. You used Silk conch on your tray and said it didn’t need to be sealed. So what do you suggest I do if I use chalk paint and the gold gilding wax? Do I seal it before the gilding wax?
As always, I love your makeovers!
Christy says
Thank you, Betty! I would seal it first and add the gilding wax last. It’s oil-based, so it doesn’t need to be sealed. Your box will go out tomorrow! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Betty Bilnoski says
Thank you for the prompt reply, Christy!
Hugs!
Christy says
You’re welcome! 😊
MrsSW says
Christy – you know I love your work but every time you paint a silver tray I cringe – even if the poor tray is beyond silver anymore. I think I probably skipped this post when I saw “paint” and “silver tray” in the subject line. However, seeing it in the tray round-up on 11/23 (I’m way behind in my email) had me clicking over to see that pretty pink paint. The tray is beautiful and I love the pink with the gold – but I still can’t paint a silver tray. :-0
I did pin it though.
How does the paint hold up on the metal surface – does it chip easily?
Thanks,
Sheila
Christy says
Oh ha ha! I get it! If these pieces were family pieces or special to me in some way, they would definitely be harder to paint. I see these silver pieces at the thrift store just about every time I go, and I couldn’t resist bringing some of them home to play with. That particular one was tough to take a brush to and I had used it as is for a few years, but it did turn out so lovely. The Slick Stick I used as a base is excellent for adhesion when painting metal, so starting with that will make the paint adhere perfectly! Have a great rest of your week! XOXO
Marian says
Oh, Christy, this tray is beautiful! I absolutely love the color. It would look so pretty in my guest room. Im sorry I don’t live close enough to visit your store.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Marian! XOXO