Simple Steps For Painting a Wooden Tray with Stencils
Good morning, my handy dandy crafters! We are feeling craft-tastic today at Cutting Edge Stencils. Do you remember our stenciled tray post where we shared these lovely beauts?
Gorgeous, right? Before you say anything, we have more stenciled tray projects that we’ve spotted around the blogosphere…
Chanee, from {me}longings studio, stenciled this wooden tray at the bottom of her bar cart using our Casablanca pattern. She first spotted this 1950s metal, wood and glass rolling bar cart for $20 at a local Habitat ReStore. She decided to paint the wooden tray on the bottom of the cart in Benjamin Moore’s French Canvas and then she stenciled the Moroccan pattern in Davenport Tan to get the perfect look!
We also spotted these knockouts on Pinterest. April had a set of boring wooden trays. She decided to give them a stylish makeover by painting them black and then adding our Brocade No.1 Stencil in white. We love them!
Now we’ve shared some gorgeous stenciled tray ideas, but we’ve never told you exactly how to complete this project. We wouldn’t want to earn a bad rap for tempting you with all this eye-candy so today we’re delivering the step-by-step on a stenciled platter!
Here is the stenciling scoop on how-to stencil a wooden tray (this project comes from House of Fifty):
First you’re gonna need this stuff listed below:
-
A wooden tray
-
A stencil (for this project the Trellis Allover Stencil was used)
- Stencil brush <— We prefer the one in this link.
- sanding pads, medium and extra-fine grit
- Painter’s tape
- Small paint tray or plastic plate
- Paper towels
- Craft paint found at Michaels or JoAnns
- primer
- Miniwax Fast Drying Polyurethane
1. Gather Materials: Start the stencil project by gathering all of the materials listed above.
2. Prepare the Surface: Inexpensive wooden trays have been spotted at Target for $2.50. Most trays like the one found at Target will already have a finish on it. In order to paint and stencil it, you will need to remove the existing finish on the tray. Use a medium-grit sanding pad to sand the tray. This will allow the new paint to adhere. Then apply a coat of primer to the tray and allow it to dry for two hours.
3. Paint the Tray: Next you’re going to apply your paint color to the tray with a brush. You may need two coats of paint, depending on the color you select. If you find a rough spot while you’re painting, be sure to sand it down and wipe away the debris. Let each coat of paint dry for four hours.
4. Secure The Stencil: Position the stencil design on the tray. Measure the placement of the stencil to ensure the pattern is centered. Then you can secure the stencil in place using painter’s tape.
5. Start Stenciling: Pour your craft paint onto a plate or paint tray. Then using your stencil brush, dip it into the paint. Blot off the excess paint onto your folded paper towel until the brush looks almost dry. The key to stenciling is using as little paint as possible. Too much paint will cause the design to bleed and smudge. Next you will paint the design onto the tray with the stencil brush using a dry brush (stippling) technique. Stippling is when you tap the brush repeatedly over the stencil opening.
6. Edges: If you’re using a design that will run up to the edges of the tray, bend your stencil at the edge and hold it in place while stippling. Once you remove the stencil, use a small paint brush to fill in any unpainted sections of the stencil pattern. Let the paint dry for four hours prior to applying a protective finish.
7. Apply a protective finish (like Miniwax Fast Drying Polyurethane) to the entire surface of the tray with a brush and then let it dry for two hours.
Step back and admire your gorgeous stenciled wooden tray!
Tell us: Would you consider stenciling a wooden tray? Leave us a comment below!
Haven’t had enough stenciling fun:
- Shop our stencil collections on the Cutting Edge Stencils website!
- Follow us on Pinterest and Instagram to see awesome inspirational photos!
- Have you completed a stencil project? Come share it on Facebook!
Thanks for reading, and happy stenciling!
Michelle and the Cutting Edge Stencils Crew