Old Drawer Recycled Into A Tabletop Tray

4 Materials
$3
1 Hour
Easy

Recycle an old wood drawer. It's easy! You can go all out with the DIY or you can make a simple tabletop tray with sisal rope handles like I did.

It would have been easy to paint the drawer but the new paint would have taken away the character.

I've been storing wood spindles, bits and pieces of reclaimed wood, odds and ends, etc. in the drawer. I emptied all that stuff into a cardboard box and started working on the wood drawer.


I sanded it to remove the loose paint and smooth out the finish. After I removed the paint I cleaned the drawer with Simple Green.

One end of the wood had holes where there was a drawer handle in the past. I drilled those holes a little larger then drilled two holes in the opposite end of the drawer.

T0 make the sisal rope handles I pulled the rope through the hole from the inside of the drawer and knotted it. Then I cut the rope to the proper length and knotted that end before pulling it through the second hole. Last thing to do is knot the inside rope pieces and cut off excess rope. (Find more of my sisal rope projects here with video tutorials!)

I used Annie Sloan clear wax to give the drawer a nice patina. Any clear paste wax will do the trick.

I added magazines and my latest turquoise find to the tray and set it on the coffee table which is actually a World War II footlocker on wheels. I prefer using unconventional things as coffee tables. They have more character and make great conversation pieces.

This was a really simple project. I see small drawers and trays at thrift stores all the time. They would be prime candidates for a similar project. See another of my drawer makeovers with new paint here... .Turquoise Painted Drawer Tray

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Kathy Owen | Petticoat Junktion
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  • Kyralee Kyralee on Jun 14, 2022

    I do love an old chippy wood drawer! It's great to see one on display.

  • Leslie Leslie on Jun 16, 2022

    PLEASE, be careful when working with old painted wood. The paint could be leaded. Lead paint was made illegal in 1978. There are inexpensive test kits you can buy to test the paint and scores of online info on how to safely remove old paint.

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