Tutorial-How To Make A Chalkboard Tray

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

Pictured below is a big silver-plated tray my friend Harriette bought for $2.99 on our last thrifting expedition. You may recall this tray from a previous post Treasures-Some Lost, Some Found.  It came home with me. It had a loose handle, which I reattached with a little screw in the back where the old screw had fallen out. 

Today was the first day for a while when it wasn't rainy or windy or both here. I took advantage of the better weather this morning to convert this tray into a chalkboard for "Smokin Stacks." Harriette, her son and her husband participate in barbecue competition in several states and Smokin Stacks is the name of their team. The idea is to use the chalkboard to write down their menus during competitions.

You probably know this, but I will say it anyway. I didn't invent the idea for making chalkboard trays. You may have seen any number of them in different shops and on blogs. That being said, the following is a little tutorial on the how to make a chalkboard from a tray.

The process used for this tray might be a little different, but it is most likely similar to some of the others out there. When I prepare one of these trays, I examine it to see what needs to be done to make it look good. I decide on the best means to accomplish that end, which sometimes might involve some unconventional methods and using things that are on hand. I play around sometimes to see what works best. This tray had a little build-up of gunk on the back, which didn't come off when in my first attempt to clean it. It also had a few little scratches on the front, so before painting began, it was first buffed out on front and back and rinsed and dried well. This was used to do the buffing:

This is a little tub of Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound. It has been in my garage since the time my front fender and bumper collided with a corner wall which juts out into the garage. There was some crazing on the fender and bumper. The compound did a good job in getting the garage paint off the car's fender and bumper and it has been used for a few other projects. It handles a multitude of surfaces and takes only a small amount, so a tub of it lasts forever. It worked great for buffing the crud off of this tray, too! Wonder if the Turtle Wax Company knows this.
Note: Use Good Painter's Tape Or It Will Fall Off Like This Is Doing

Next, an attempt was made to apply painter's tape to the outside decorative edges and handles of the tray. You will note the word "attempt." The two or three rolls of good painter's tape(Duck brand works good) in this house could not be located. A lofty goal of mine is to someday be so organized as to know what is here and where it is! 
So, hoping to find the good and expensive tape later and not wishing to spend yet more money on the good stuff, a quick trip to the Dollar Tree was made and a roll of painter's tape was picked up. Now, I love Dollar Tree as much as anybody. However, a word of warning, do not buy their painter's tape. The only thing it will stick to is your fingers, which it does, all too well. That might be a good thing for you, if body-painting happens to be your thing, but it simply will not stay on a tray. 

These are the paints that were used for painting the tray:
White Krylon Indoor-Outdoor Spray Primer and  Black Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint
Note:  Chalkboard paint can also be purchased in a regular paint container, so it can be brushed onto a surface, but it is my preference to use the spray paint for trays.The spray formula leaves a much smoother and even surface and looks better, as you won't have the brush strokes showing. It is smoother to write on, as well. Chalkboard paint also comes in some other colors as well.

Two even coats of primer were first sprayed onto the surface of the tray, allowing a few minutes between coats for drying. 


Thin layers of Chalkboard paint were then sprayed onto the surface. You can see below that Primer paint was still showing through after the first layer was applied.
Three additional,fairly thin, coats of Chalkboard paint were applied, allowing a few minutes in between coats for drying. When the last coat of paint dried, the painter's tape was removed.
 
 And this is the finished product.
I hope Harriette will like it. She did not know I was planning to work on it today. Harriette, if you drop by my blog, you're the best of friends and I hope you like what I did, especially for you! 

Comments

It is gorgeous Lynn! I will have to remember the turtle wax step...I have never used it to get stuff off of a piece but it sure does the job! Ok and your lines on this tray are absolutely perfect! Goodness! I am going to have to give this a go! Thanks for sharing the steps!!!
lynn cockrell said…
Thanks so much Nicole! This is one of my favorite things to make. I can't wait for Harriette to see it. I hope she will be pleased. I'm heading over now to see what you've been up to.
Lynn, you did an excellant job. I did one for my friend for a Christmas home tour she was in. I used brush on paint because that's what I had. I just let the sponge make the straight line for me. Don't think it looked as professional as yours.
hugs,
Jann
NanaDiana said…
Wonderful tutorial, Lynn. You did a great job!!!! That looks absolutely beautiful. xo Diana
ps. Lynn-Do you know you have double word verification on? If you want to take it off let me know and I will shoot you the instructions-it's easy/peasy to take it off.
That looks awesome....great job!
Unknown said…
This is so unique! Thanks for sharing, xx
lynn cockrell said…
Jann, thanks for dropping by my little space. Your friend probably loved the tray you did for her and I'm sure it looked great. Using the sponge was probably a good idea, as it wouldn't leave the marks like a brush. I took the tray over to my friend yesterday and we went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some Bistro Markers for her to use. I just love those things, I just wish Hobby Lobby would carry the individual.Except for a jumbo marker(white), which I assume makes bolder lines, you have to buy a pack of 4 various colors to get the smaller white marker. Colors are great, but most of us will use more of the white. Thanks again for your comments!
lynn cockrell said…
Diana, thanks for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments. And, no, I didn't realize "word verification" was on. You know how new I am at this, so I don't even remember or know how I did that. It would be most appreciated if you'll send those instructions. Thanks bunches!
lynn cockrell said…
Christine, I started a reply to you earlier but somehow managed to let it disappear into oblivion before I finished. Anyway, I'm so glad you stopped by and thanks so much for your sweet comments. By the way, I am slowly working on a post for Liebstar Award you and Maria nominated me for. I really appreciate your doing that and I love visiting your blog! I've been told by a couple of people that I have comment verification on(double)so I'm going to try to fix that. Everybody is so sweet to try to help this old gal out! Goodness knows I need all the help I can get.
lynn cockrell said…
Thanks, Sarah Jane! I'm so glad you came by. I do love chalkboard paint on just about anything, maybe because I'm a little like Mr. Monk! I am prone to erase and start over a few times.I love that show and I wish they were still making new episodes. Bless you and come back soon!
Lynn you are the sweetest friend! This looks just gorgeous. I'm sure she's going to love it. I've tried this before with horrible results. I didn't know about the primer and I used the brush and got those awful lines! Thanks so much for the tutorial, now I'm off to dig out some more trays!
Hugs,
Patti
lynn cockrell said…
Patti, it is so nice to hear from you! Thanks for the sweet comments. I just know your trays will turn out beautifully and hope you will post about it. God bless you!
Brandi said…
WOW...so classy and gorgeous!

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