As Good As Gold

As you guys know, I’m a crazy thrifter and deal hunter. I love scouting out that diamond-in-the-rough piece that I can either fix-up and make it my own, or embrace the patina and give a good home. This weekend I came across a deep emerald lacquer tray that was probably pretty amazing in it’s prime, but in it’s current state was quite beat up needed some love. The lacquer finish was heavily scratched and chipped at the corners.

I’d been looking for a new tray to switch out the basket we were using to hold books, coasters, etc. on our coffee table. You can see that basket here. Inevitably, this time of year I get cabin fever and want to rearrange and redecorate our entire place. In fact, this weekend we bought a new area rug for our living room–I’m so excited! It’s being delivered later this week, so stay tuned for pictures!

I digress. So I came across this steal of a deal tray and knew that with a little elbow grease and spray paint I could turn it into a great piece for our home! Here’s  how it came together:

Materials:

• Fine Grit Sandpaper
• Painter’s Tape
• White Lacquer Spray Paint
• Metallic Gold Spray Paint
• 2 Large Plastic Garbage Bags
• Scissors

1. Cut one of the garbage bags down the side and along the bottom to create a “dropcloth” to protect the ground below.

2. Sand the entire surface of the tray. Wash with soap and water, and wipe completely dry.

3. Spray the bottom and sides of the tray (including the handle cut outs with several coats of white spray paint. Let dry. Flip the tray over and spray the flat surface at the top of the tray’s lip. Let dry.

4. Using painter’s tape, tape the entire perimeter of the flat surface on the tray’s lip taking care to line the edge of the tape up to the inside edge of the lip to protect it from the gold paint. Don’t forget to tape off the inside of the tray handles too.

5. Cut the 2nd garbage bag so that it’s roughly 1.5″ larger than the size of the tray. Wrap the garbage bag around the outside of the tray (to protect it from gold paint), and secure to the outside of the tray with painter’s tape.

6. Spray the inside of the tray with several coats of gold spray paint and let dry.

7. Remove plastic and painter’s tape. Place on your coffee table and style away!

Note: The paint is susceptible to chipping, so you may want to seal with a clear acrylic sealer to protect the paint.