Cutlery Tray Makeover

As time passes some things fall apart, and other things look tired and worn as though they are from another era. Sometimes we can transform the broken down and the old into something new and exciting.

My cutlery tray is something I’ve had lying around for over twenty years. In its prime it appeared a couple of times a year for large family gatherings, ecstatically filled with napkins and polished cutlery; taking the lead position at the beginning of the buffet.

Then…I found something else to replace it with…so it made its way to the bottom of my painting stash and there it sat for many years.

So this year I decided to awaken the still dust of the past and make my humble tray useful again and bring on its lustre…

First I filled any imperfections and nail holes with a little wood filler, then I gave it a light sand using fine grade sandpaper followed by a wipe down with a clean cloth.

Next I applied a couple of coats of Americana Décor Chalk Finish- Whisper with the basecoating brush and I let it dry.

Then I brushed on a generous amount of DecoArt Vintage Effects Colour Wash -White over this. I added DecoArt Extreme Sheen Metallic Paint- Pewter and blended it with the Vintage Effects Colour Wash. Next I added a bit more Pewter here and there for an extra streaky effect.

For the pattern I used a couple of stencils; Andy Skinner- Baroque and DecoArt Americana- Café Paris. I only used small sections of the stencils. I turned them upside down and back to front so I can achieve a uniform design around the narrow outer side of the tray. I used Deep Midnight Blue with the stencil brush to apply the design.

 The edges and the mid section of the tray (where the handle is) are painted with a mix of DecoArt Americana Deep Midnight Blue with a little Slate Grey.

Then finally, I applied a couple of coats of DecoArt Americana Soft-Touch.

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Happy painting

Effie