Upcycling for Good

Paint an art-deco tray

Give an old kitchen tray a glam art-deco style makeover.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 13

Finished project
Finished project

You will need: Painter’s masking tape, Pencil, Resene Aquaclear waterborne enamel varnish, Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, Resene Testpots in Resene Copperhead, Resene Dawn Chorus, Resene Rascal and Resene Solid Gold, Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer, Ruler, Testpot and detail brushes.

Finished art deco tray
Finished project
Prior to refinishing
Before
Step 1
Step one
For a wooden tray, sand before painting. Or, if your tray is has a smooth surface and metal frame like this one, so can’t be sanded before painting, apply one coat of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer with a testpot brush to prepare it for painting and allow to dry.
Step 2
Step two
Prime the entire tray with one coat of Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat and allow to dry. This step is optional if you have used the Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer.
Step 3
Step three
Apply two coats of the chosen base colour for the tray using a testpot brush. Sarah used Resene Rascal. Always remember to wait for each coat of paint to dry thoroughly before proceeding,
Step 4
Step four
Mask the edges of a wide stripe using low tack masking tape. Paint a wide stripe through the centre in Resene Dawn Chorus in two coats. Allow the first coat to dry, before applying the second coat.
Step 5
Step five
It’s time to create the art-deco pattern. Sarah decided to make this up as she went. Sarah started from the centre of the tray, and used a ruler and a pencil to design a symmetrical design. Mask this out with painter’s tape and paint the design in Resene Copperhead and Resene Solid Gold metallic colours for that extra ‘glam’ factor.
Step 6
Step six
To finish painting the tray, paint the handles and the outside frame of the tray in Resene Copperhead. Use Resene Solid Gold metallic in the inside lip of the frame for a bit of a gold ‘pop’. You will need a detail brush for this.
Step 7
Step seven
Apply two coats of Resene Aquaclear waterborne enamel varnish to protect the paint and give the tray a nice glossy finish.
Step 8

This previously very blah tray is now gorgeous and glam and would look right at home on an art deco drinks trolley. Cheers!