Tattered Tray – upcycling with Color Wash Paint

Hello gypsies, Lynda Lindley here! I am always on the lookout for something old that can be made new again with a little work. I was thrifting a few weeks ago and came across this tray that was all these shades of blue and covered in a lot of bits from being well used. I immediately thought this was the perfect piece to try out some of the new color wash paints on to create something that would be perfect for my outdoor dining table to show off my cute little potted plants. So my $1.50 tray project was planned from that point.

I am thrilled with how it turned out and, if I hadn’t taken photos before I started, I would never remember how ugly it was to begin with.

Products used to upcycle the tray:
Tattered Angels Color Wash Paint Faux Finish – Rose Gold
White acrylic paint
hand santizer, spray sealer
paintbrush, sandpaper, toothpick, screwdriver

First remove the handles from the tray, making sure to keep all the parts together.
I placed them all in a plastic sandwich bag so I didn’t lose anything.

Using hand sanitzer, remove any sticky residue or stains from use on the old surface of the tray. This will also remove any oils left from your hands. You want a nice clean surface to work with. Paint the entire tray with white acrylic paint. It may take a few layers to cover darker colors; such as some of the blue colors required a little more work to get a nice even white base to start with. I used a toothpick to run along the slats of the tray to prevent the paint from forming a bridge between the slats. I have also seen someone use dental floss with the same result; a nice smooth edge of color without filling the gap between the pieces.

Add the Rose Gold Color Wash paint.
Paint the entire surface and then check to see if you have the desired color after each layer.

You can see in these photos the changes in depth of the Rose Gold the more layers I added.

I added three layers to get the super rich, but not too dark color I wanted for this tray. I love how this paint lets the white show through, but adds just enough of the wash color to the surface to make it really look amazing.

I then clear coated the entire tray to seal in the color. Re-attach the handles to the tray.

I am so thrilled with how this project turned out. It will proudly sit at the center of my outdoor dining table to show off some of my cute plants and hold other items needed when we eat outside.

I hope this has inspired you to look beyond the color of something you may see in a thrift store to what you can make of it with just a little time and some amazing color wash paint!

Lynda Lindley
blog and Instagram

Sign up to Receive Inspiring Content, Exclusive Offers and More!

Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.