Give a Thrift Store Tray a Coastal Makeover

Finding items at a thrift store that just need simple makeovers to fit in with my decor is something I love to do! This tray got a coastal makeover and is both useful and pretty. Home decor accent pieces don’t have to be expensive to look great!

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It’s time for this month’s blog hop challenge. This month’s theme is an upcycled cardboard, paper, or wood project. The participants were challenged to create a project using one or more of those items. I always enjoy our upcycle challenges and I love seeing the creativity of others. 

Meet this month’s group of talented co-hosts!
Please visit and pin the links at the bottom of the post. 

Across the Blvd

Purple Hues and Me

Cookies, Coffee, and Crafts

  My Pinterventures     

Coastal Bohemian   

      Sum of Their Stories        

Stone Cottage Adventures

If you’ve followed me for a while, you already know that I can’t resist those budget friendly wood trays that are always in supply at thrift stores. At my local Goodwill they are priced at $2.99. Trays of all sizes come in handy for lots of uses. I found two identical trays that are just the right size for coffee table trays. Giving this one a simple coastal makeover was both inexpensive and easy.

Give a Thrift Store Tray a Coastal Makeover

Supplies Used for Coastal Tray Makeover

• Thrift Store Find Tray
• Chalk Paint & Brushes
• Thrift Store Find Plaque
• Ink Pad
• Starfish Stamp
• Seashells
• Medium Grit Sand Paper
• MinWax Polycrylic Spray Sealer
• Gorilla Clear Grip Glue

This tray was in great shape and while the the child’s motif isn’t something I need, it came home with me to await its makeover.  

I gave it one coat of white chalk paint to cover the design. Starting with a white base coat works is something I began doing last year and it helps to cut down on the number of coats it takes for coverage. 

I’ve mentioned recently that my new favorite paint color is Agave from Waverly. It’s a perfect shade of blue/green to match my coastal decor. It’s also a great match for the starfish stamped napkins and coasters that I made for our breakfast table. 

Along with the tray, I also found a couple of these decorative plaques. One says monsieur and the other one says madame. I’m assuming this was someone’s diy project for an event. 

I painted the plaque using ivory chalk paint and since I had the starfish stamp and ink pad, I added a pattern of gold and teal stamps over the plaque. 

The plaque is glued to the tray using Gorilla Glue. I didn’t use hot glue for this because sometimes it can be clumpy and I wanted to make sure the plaque set flush against the tray. I also used a small piece of medium grit sandpaper to scruff up the tray a little for a more weather worn look. 

I sorted through my stash of shells to find a couple that were the right size for the sides of the tray. Most of my found shells were too large, so I used two white ones from a package that I bought and had in my craft stash. These are glued in place.

Give a thrift store tray a coastal makeover! It's a budget friendly way to add coastal elements to your home. #coastaldecor #thriftstoretraymakeover #chalkpaint Click To Tweet

The final step was to give the tray a coat of protective sealer. Trays like this can be versatile decor pieces. It makes a great base for flower arrangements. 

I’ll also be used to hold a candle as a decorative coffee table decor piece. 

Or it can be used as a serving tray. The low ball glasses with seashells go well with it. 

Pin Me, Please!

Give a Thrift Store Tray a Coastal Makeover

What’s your latest upcycled project?

Related Products

    I hope you’ll visit the links below for more great upcycled challenge posts!