TV Tray Table Upcycle

I have no idea how long I have owned these TV trays, but I would venture to say over 15 years.  They have probably been hiding away in a closet for ten of those years.  I think every home has these (kind of like the Monopoly board game), but I’m not sure how often they are used.  I personally, have forgotten about them because they were tucked away, and they were tucked away because they didn’t match my furniture and home décor.  So, instead of selling them at a garage sale I’m planning on having in a couple weeks, I thought I’d do a TV Tray Upcycle instead and do a trash to treasure project.

Here is the before photo.

Materials:

• Wooden TV Tray Tables
• Household Cleaner
• Paint (2 or more colors)
• Stencil(s)
• Spouncer Stencil Brush

Step One:

Clean your tray tables.  Mine were dusty!  If there are tough stains, you can lightly sand them with 150-grit sand paper.

Step Two:

Paint your base color and allow it to dry.  I chose to just paint the top because I like the contrast of the light wood on the bottom.  I think it makes it look more interesting.

Step Three:

Apply your stencils with paint and a spouncer stencil brush.  A spouncer makes your life easier, and reduces or even eliminates bleeding.  I have a ton of stenciling tips on my Burlap Stenciled placemat post.

I worked with all four tables at once, washing and cleaning my stencil and brushes in between.  Allow your paint to dry in between stenciling.  I took my time so it took me a couple days to do this.

Step Four:

If you’re like me, you have some bleeding mistakes, so after I finished stenciling, I used a small paint brush and the base color and touched it up.

That’s it!  Prettier trays = more use.   They are no longer hidden in my closet!