DIY: Repaint an old Wooden Tray

There are some projects around the house that are easy to do but that you put off for a long time. I have had that phenomenon occur with an old wooden tray my mom had left in the shed. It was white originally, but the paint had come off and once it was left in the rain and it got all horrible. So we left it. Each day I had it in the back of my mind, so I decided to no longer put it off. I bought some new paint and went at it. This is the result of my (humble) work. I have to say I'm not really into projects or diy, but this was really fun (and easy) to do. So come along.

With some sandpaper i rubbed off the remaining paint from the surface of the tray. Put on your dust mask and make sure you're in a well-ventilated area before you begin sanding. Always sand with the grain of the wood. When removing paint or varnish from wood, start with coarse sandpaper, and gradually shift to finer grits. I actually used only one type of sandpaper since the surface of the tray wasn't that big. I worked on my kitchen island in the beginning and removed as much paint as was necessary.

Now it was time to apply the paint. I used permanent spray by "Edding" in a great turquoise color. With gloves on my hands and a mask on my face, I put the tray on a trash bag which I had secured with cans (of beans, If you must know :) I stood back cca 20 cm and started spraying the surface with the paint. I waited a bit and applied a second coat.

You have to make sure to get every side and every little corner. The spray method works well on small objects like this tray. It's very easy to work with.

After I had applied the paint on the top surface I let it dry for an hour or so. It says that you only need to wait 30 minutes on the spray can but I waited a bit longer. Beni helped with the waiting :D

Once the top surface was done I turned the tray on the other side and repeated the process. It turned out nicely in the end. I am thinking about using a clear coat of paint on the tray so that it can sustain water better, but haven't done that yet. We are using the tray as decoration for now.