How to Build a Farmhouse Wood Tray

7 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy
In the process of adding some finishing touches to our kitchen I really felt like something was missing above the fridge. I knew some sort of tray with decorative items in it would fit the bill.

Here are my cuts.
I started out by creating the frame for the tray using the four cuts from the 1 x 3. I used a square to align the joints, a clamp to keep in place, applied wood glue to the edges and nailed a long piece to a short piece.
I repeated this to complete the frame.


For the bottom I nailed the 1 x 4 pieces to the inside bottom of the frame. I inserted the 1 x 4 piece and then nailed around the outside of the frame. I did not use glue for this part.
I left about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch gap in the middle of the boards. 
To attach the handles I marked center on the top of the 1 x 2s at 3/4 inch from the top. I used a 7/8 inch forstner bit and aimed to drill down about 1/4 - 1/2 inch depth.
Then I attached one 1 x 2 to the boxed frame using glue and nailed it in place. I held up the other 1 x 2 in place I measured from the inside of each drilled hole to measure for the dowel. Next I applied wood glue to the drilled holes in each 1 x 2, inserted the dowel into the already attached 1 x 2 then I attached the last 1 x 2. 
I filled the nail holes and sanded the tray.  Then I applied Early American stain and Weathered Gray stain. I wasn't super happy with the look so I sanded a lot of the stain off. Then I applied a light brown stain and then I was almost satisfied.  I wanted it to look even more worn so I lightly dry brushed a flat white paint and sanded the high spots.
Finally as a decorative option I added four black 1 1/2 inch corner braces to add some more character. 
I love how it turned out and it looks perfect above my fridge.


If you want to see another project very similar to this tray check out my BBQ Caddy.


If you would like to see more of the dry brushing technique then you will love this Photo Display.
 
Thank you so much for learning about this build. Please let me know if I can answer any questions and come by and say "Hi" on my blog at Dream Design DIY.


Happy Building,
Tiffany
Suggested materials:
  • Wood   (hardware store)
  • Saw   (hardware store)
  • Wood glue   (hardware store)
See all materials
Tiffany from Dream Design DIY
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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