DIY Decorative Tray

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I recently made a 14″ x 21″ table tray for a friend. She wanted something to go on her rustic/farmhouse table for decoration, and she liked the tray I had previously made. It was super easy, so I wanted to share how I did it!

Supplies needed:
-one 10-foot piece of 1×4 wood
-two handles (I got a pack of six 5-inch handles for $14 on Amazon)
-wood glue
-8-16 screws, depending on what is needed for the handles
-paint or stain of your choice

Cuts: I cut the 1×4 into four 21 inch pieces, which would be the size of the length of the tray. I then cut the 1×4 into two pieces the size of the width. Since 1x4s are really 3.5 inches wide, the total width of the tray was 14″.

I wood-glued the four 21” wood pieces together, connected on their sides. I smeared wood glue along the sides of the wood and clamped them together for at least 30 minutes.

Once they were dry, I did a coat of paint. My friend wanted it to be white, so I used my go-to white chalk paint. I then wood-glued the pieces that went across the width of the tray in place, and held them down with clamps to let them dry.

To ensure that these ends were on there really well, I screwed them in on the bottom using four 1-1/4″ screws, one per piece of wood. The handles would be on these pieces, so I wanted to make sure they were secure when the tray was picked up. I painted the whole tray a couple of more coats.

I screwed in the handles, making sure they were in the middle and even on both sides. It was that easy! The 1×4 was about $6, and the handles were $2.33 each. Now you have a cute, rustic tray, all for around $10!