Re-purposed Tray Table

I love to re-purpose/up-cycle! Rescuing something that is essentially going to be thrown away, and re-purposing it into something new and useful has always been fun for me. The other day while walking with my little one, I spotted three TV tray tables on the side of the rode. Someone was throwing them away because they were old, scratched up and stained. I immediately saw the potential these tray tables had and snatched them up!

If you want to see what I did with the third table, pop over to this post!

{Quick and Easy Re-purposed Hello Sign}

This project is so easy it only takes an hour or two, and most of that time is spent waiting for the paint to dry! So grab some paint and dive right into this Re-purposed Tray Table project!

What you need for this project

• Rust-oleum Primer Spray Paint (I used Gray)
• Rust-oleum Spray Paint (I used Pink, Teal and Yellow)
• Sander
• Screwdriver or Drill
• Plain paper or newspaper and tape
• Stencil of your choice
• Small disposable paintbrush
• Rust-oleum Gloss Clear Spray Paint

Prepping the Table

First you want to tighten all the screws you can find on the tray table to make it more sturdy. One of the three tray tables I found could not be salvaged as a table, so I took the legs off and will do something different with the top.

Then you will need to sand the entire table. Start with a rough grit sandpaper (40) to get the glossy coat off. After that, go over the table with a finer sandpaper (240) to smooth the wood out.

Give the table a coat of Rust-oleum Primer spray paint, I used gray but white would work just as good. Always, always, always use primer! I love Rust-oleum Primer because it sticks so well and basically eliminated the concern of paint getting scratched off.

Always start painting from the bottom or underside. I still wanted to be able to fold them up so I spray painted them unfolded and simply moved the legs a bit after the paint was dry to get the part that was missed.

Painting

After the primer is dry, which only takes about 15 minutes, coat the table in whatever color of spray paint you have chosen. I chose pink and teal for my two tables. Make sure you evenly coat the entire table to avoid drips. After it has dried, go back and inspect every nook and cranny to make sure you haven’t missed a spot.

Stenciling

Now comes the fun part, stencils! Pick out a stencil you want to use (I got mine from Michael’s on sale). Once you center it on the try table tape the stencil down with masking or painters tape. Now since you will be spray painting the stencil, it’s important to cover any area you don’t want painted a different color. I used plain paper and covered the entire table top except the the stencil itself.

When you spray paint a stencil, you must spray straight down with a quick back and forth motion. If you use too much of a sideways angle you will spray underneath the stencil and it will mess up the edges. Carefully peal the paper and stencils off the table top.

Despite my best efforts, sometimes that spray paint sill get under the stencil!

If the lines are a little to blurry for your liking, it’s easy to do a quick touch-up. Just get out a small disposable paintbrush and the spray paint that you used on the table top. Spray some paint on a piece of paper so you have a round spot of wet spray paint. Dip the brush in and touch-up the lines. I usually use a brush I don’t care about since the spray paint does not really come clean.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect! The best part about DIY is that everyone’s finished project will be unique and different!

Sealing everything

When you have the top looking how you want and the paint is dry, do a final even coat of Rust-oleum Gloss Clear spray paint. This will seal everything and provide a smooth shiny finish.

I hope this Re-purposed Tray Table project has inspired you to see the potential in anything!