Simple & Inexpensive Farmhouse Tiered Tray
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Ever find something you really, really, really, want but the price tag is just too much for your conscience? Those are the times when my love of DIY projects comes in handy. A few nights ago I was browsing the inter webs for spring home décor ideas. And I came across this beauty on Wayfair. I wanted it…bad. But I simply could not bring myself to spend over a hundred dollars on it. So, I started thinking…and researching…and I came up with a simple solution. Why spend $100 on something when I can make a dupe for a quarter of the price? This was one of those projects where the stars aligned…meaning Hobby Lobby had tabletop décor on sale this week. I picked up this simple black metal three-tiered-tray (regularly priced at $29.99 but I got it half off for about $15) and a can of spray paint and went to work. The one mistake I made during this project was trying a different type of spray paint than I normally buy (no worries, I managed to make it work). Usually, I’m a fan of using the Rustoleum brand of spray paint (check out how well their hammered finish spray paint worked for this project). It just always seems to work really well. This time, I picked up a can of Krylon Chalk Finish spray paint. I’ve always loved using chalk paints for projects, it covers almost anything and has a matte finish that’s great for a farmhouse look. Chalk finish spray paint, however, proved a little challenging. I had a ton of issues getting the paint to spray evenly because the can kept spitting and creating a bumpy finish. For this project it wasn’t really a big deal since I planned to distress the tray after it was painted. But, if I was doing a project that required a smoother finish, this stuff definitely would have created problems. I used a fine grit sandpaper to sand down some of the problem areas in between coats and it helped smooth out the paint finish. It took two coats of paint (and a third in a few places) to achieve the look I wanted. After it was completely dry I used a coarse grit sand paper to strategically remove some of the paint around the edges and in the details, giving it that wonderful shabby-chic look. All in all, I love the way it turned out. The total cost for this DIY dupe was around twenty dollars, making it a much more wallet friendly option to the one I found on Wayfair. (Also, that sign was another item I picked up at Hobby Lobby on sale and I love it so much! Here in the south, everythingis made with butter…no substitutions accepted.)
