Turn a thrift store find into pretty coastal decor. Give it a weathered paint look and add a fun quote with vinyl letters for a one of a kind Starfish Design Coffee Table Tray.

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Last year I shared a coastal tray makeover that I gave to an identical tray as this one. I found them both for $2.99 each at my local Goodwill. Both of them now have a starfish design, but I learned a few things when I did the first tray.
Thrift Store Find Tray Makeover with Starfish Design

I’m happy to again join the monthly Thrift Store Challenge group! Each month participants are challenged to:
- Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
- There’s no monthly theme.
- There’s no budget to stick to.

Our Thrift Store Upcycle group of bloggers is looking to expand — and we need your help! Why not consider joining in our thrift store upcycle challenge on the last Thursday of each month? Make some friends while having fun and share your love of DIY with the world. It’s a win-win! Sound like something you’d be interested in? Just leave a comment at the end of this post with your blog name and someone will get back to you right away. We can’t wait to meet you! Let me know what you think. Thanks!
Meet the Hosts!
Angela | Simply Beautiful by Angela
Beverly | Across the Blvd
Gail | Purple Hues and Me
Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home
The most important thing I learned after giving the first tray like this a makeover is that instead of just painting over the designs on the tray, they needed to be sanded off. They were all decoupaged onto the tray and when I painted over them, the surface wasn’t as smooth as it needed to be.

Using a piece of medium grit sandpaper worked well to remove the bears and flowers.

I used a link free cloth to remove all of the dust from the tray after sanding it.

Next, it was time to start on the transformation from a child’s tray to a coastal tray. I gave it two coats of DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint in Everlasting.

There is no one way to create a weathered look. It’s all about paint colors and blending. For this tray, before the white layer was dry, I gave it a coat of DecoArt Chalky Finish Vintage paint, using an old cloth to blend the two colors.

For areas that I wanted more of the white to show through, I used the cloth folded over my finger to wipe away more of the bluish gray paint.

To add more of a weathered look, I used dark wax. I used wax instead of paint because it’s easier to wipe away most of it.

After adding and then wiping away most of the wax, I topped it with more of the Vintage paint, wiping and blending it into the wax.

For the base of the tray, I used a cloth folded over my finger and added streaks of dark wax and blended until I was happy with the look.

Protecting any tray from scratches or water rings is easy to do with a couple of coats of DecoArt DuraClear Gloss Varnish. Allow it to dry before adding any other design to the tray.

I searched Cricut Design Space for starfish and found this fun “Wish Upon a Starfish” quote. After resizing it to fit the tray, I cut and weeded the design. I also found a simple starfish design to use.

I like to use transfer paper instead of transfer tape for my Cricut projects. It’s usually less expensive and it works great.

Supply List for Coastal Coffee Table Tray
- Thrift Store Find Tray
- Medium Grit Sandpaper
- Lint Free Cloth
- White and Blue Paint
- Dark Wax
- Paint Brushes
- Dura-Clear Varnish
- Cricut Machine and Weeding Tools, and Vinyl (or use self adhesive letters and designs)
I added a light coat of DuraClear Varnish over the letters to project them. Now, instead of a cute child’s tray, I have a budget friendly starfish design coffee table tray that goes well with my other coastal decor.

If you’re like me and you love having trays of all kinds, but you want to keep the cost down, you can beat finding them at thrift stores and giving them makeovers. Have a look at some other thrift store tray makeovers.
Pin Me, Please!
Starfish Design Coffee Table Tray from a Thrift Store Find

Now, click below to see more thrift store find upcycles!
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Gail @Purple Hues and Me says
An amazing transformation, Beverly!Love the new look! You could probably go into business creating lovely trays! The coastal community, as well as the rest of us would love to have this in our homes!
Joanne says
That is beautiful!!
Our Hopeful Home says
I’m a big proponent of re-doing trays as well, Beverly. They’re a very versatile item to upcycle and i’ve done the same thing with a bunch of thrift store trays. i Love how you “weathered’ the wood with stain. I’m always afraid to use stain because I’ve found it hard to get the look I want with it. you, however, are a pro:) xo KathleEn
Angela @ sImply BeautifUl by aNgela says
This turned out so pretty! I jist adore the finish!
Allyson says
I love the quote you chose and that you placed it on an angle. Your colors and painting technique turned out great! Pinned.
Donna Reidland says
What a beautiful transformation!
Marie says
Sweet coastal tray makeover, especially with the cute starfish design. Thanks for the transfer paper tip – I’m still learning the ropes of my Cricut Maker.
Pamela @ DIY Vibes says
wow! what a transformation, looks so beachy and fun.
Chas Greener says
I love this one – you’ve done it again Beverly – amazing 🙂
Marilyn says
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
Pam says
that is a beautiful transformation. I need a tray like this for my coffee table, so I am going to start a thrifting hunt. I featured this today at the TFT link party!