Hello, amazing friends, and welcome back! Thank you for all the love on our Halloween display! I’m so glad that so many of you look forward to it each year! I do too! Today, I’m sharing how to update a silver tray. I’ve shared a few of them like HERE and HERE. I just love the gorgeous details on them! And, I couldn’t pass this one up when I learned all green tags were 75% off:

That made it less than $5! Yes, please!

And this is silver plated, by the way. I would never paint actual silver. (It should have a sterling silver marking on the bottom if it is the real deal.)

Clean

Just about every good makeover starts with a good cleaning. I was asked recently if the tarnish on silver needs to be cleaned away before painting, and the answer is no.

I use White Lightning mixed with warm water to give this one a good cleaning and then gave it another wipe down with clean water and it was ready to prime.

Prime with Slick Stick

While chalk mineral paint has excellent adhesion properties, it is a good idea to prime non-porous surfaces like metal, glass, and laminate. For that, I use Dixie Belle’s bonding primer, Slick Stick.

Testing the rules

The instructions suggest applying Slick Stick, waiting two hours, and then applying another coat before allowing it to dry overnight. Then, you can follow up with paint the next day. I’m a rule follower, so I have been using it just like this.

HOWEVER, one coat should work just as well, right? Why TWO coats? I decided to test that on this silver tray.

I gave it only ONE coat of Slick Stick, allowed it to dry a couple of days while I worked on other projects, and then painted and sealed like normal.

And how did one coat do??

Y’all, after two days of dry time, I tried my best to scratch the paint off with my fingernail and nothing budged! If it worked this well on metal, it should work even better on wood, so I can’t wait to try it on a wooden piece.

I am all for less work!!

Paint

The paint I used was Dixie Belle’s Cotton, and it did take three coats for solid coverage.

This Belle Brush is great at getting into all those details easily!

Sand

I didn’t want to distress this one this time, but chalk paint needs to be smoothed out and these fine sanding sponges do that quickly and easily without a lot of sanding dust:

Transfers

Once I had a blank canvas to work with, I had to go to my transfers to pretty this up! I have so many scraps that I decided I would try to use some of them up.

I had these pieces left over from the Pretty in Blue transfer that I used on this desk and this box:

The patterns in this transfer are joined to one another, but you can easily cut them apart with a little strategic cutting.

I cut three pieces to embellish this silver tray and got started:

How to add a transfer

If you haven’t used transfers yet, they are super easy to add to your projects!

• Get an idea of how you want to arrange it first like I did here. Transfers can be cut apart and combined anyway you like.
• Peel off the white backing.
• Lay the transfer onto your surface.
• Use the enclosed stick (or this fancier tool) to burnish (rub with pressure) to release the image from the clear top sheet onto your surface.
• Once the image has been transferred, peel back the clear top layer and remove.
• Then, take your fingers, a clean cloth, or a finishing pad and rub it across the entire surface of the transfer gently to be sure it is adhered well all over.
• If you have trouble removing any air bubbles, poke them with a pin to release the air.

That’s it!

For the other side, I layered these two pieces:

But I wasn’t quite done! Just as I did in the other two makeovers I did using this transfer, I wanted to add some gold bling.

I had one sheet and a few lines from the Somewhere in France transfer:

I didn’t even touch that full sheet I had left…the few lines of text I had were enough.

Seal

I sealed this finished tray with two coats of Clear Coat in Satin and this project was complete!

Update a silver tray…the after!

What a pretty addition it now makes to any table!

The edges got some special treatment too!

Gilding Wax

After sealing, I added Gold Gilding Wax to highlight all those beautiful details:

It really ties everything together.

 

It was easier to stage standing up, but here it is flat also…

It’s almost too pretty to cover up!

And I love how nicely these two transfers work together…

My ironstone has been earning its keep lately…

And that is another way to update a silver tray! It is really so easy to do!

I think I need to start shopping!

Another one done…

See any you may have missed so far below:

Painted Hutch Using Silk Mineral Paint

Update a Plain Box with Paint and Transfers

Vintage Tray/Easel Makeover

Framed Cubby Shelf Makeover

Update a Picnic Basket with Decoupage

Painted Metal Quilt Rack

Vintage Brother Sewing Machine Cabinet Makeover

Child’s Chair Makeover

Painted Console Table

French Provincial Dresser Makeover

If you missed it, I used these two transfers on this desk also:

See how pretty this one turned out HERE!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I’ll be back resharing this beauty:

UPDATE: See how this pretty piece looks now HERE!

XOXO,

 

 

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