DIY Industrial Serving Tray that Anyone can Make

I made a super easy DIY industrial serving tray!

Here in Maryland, we have been experiencing chilly mornings, which is a sure sign that fall is coming. Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love everything about it – cozy scarves, layered clothes, tall boots, hot coffee, colorful leaves, brisk air, and the pumpkin patch. I can just imagine an afternoon walk in September with my family. We’d be perusing the streets of our local downtown area, strolling between bumpy brick-paved alleyways, and making our way to my favorite, quaint coffee shop. A hot chai in hand, we’d then head to the downtown antique shops, pulling our knit scarves tight as the crisp fall air chills our skin. After inspecting the shops for vintage finds, we’d head home and I’d curl up with a cozy blanket and book. This is my picture perfect fall day.

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With those fall thoughts sifting through my head, I couldn’t NOT tune them in while working on this post. You’ll notice my choice of pretty autumn-colored accents for the photo props. Apple pickin’, anyone?

Despite my fall-theme accents, this DIY industrial serving tray will really be perfect for any season. It is so incredibly simple to make and surprisingly inexpensive. Can you believe Home Depot sells wood rounds for only $5.98? I was shocked. Do you know how many projects I can use a wood round for? I’m imagining a DIY wood clock in the near future!

TUTORIAL

BUY MATERIALS

For this project, you’ll need:

-wood round (I used this one).

-polyurethane (I used this one)

-hardware (I used these)

-sand paper

-wood stain (I used this one)

-old rag to apply the stain

-paint brush to apply the polyurethane

SAND & STAIN

The wood round didn’t need much sanding, so I just lightly sanded it. Then, I used an old rag to apply the wood stain. I only needed a couple coats of American Walnut stain to achieve the color I wanted. I was very careful not to over-stain, as I wanted this tray to remain a light wood tone.

Here’s how it looked after the stain was applied:

APPLY POLYURETHANE

After the stain dried, I applied a coat of polyurethane with a paint brush.

Below is how it looked after the polyurethane dried. If you look closely, you can tell the difference between the dried stain picture and the picture below that has a coating of polyurethane. Don’t skip this step if you want your tray to be functional and not just used as a decor piece. The polyurethane will protect the wood and gives it a beautiful finish.

ADD HARDWARE

I opted for hardware pulls that are a bit on the expensive side when it comes to hardware. I plan on using this tray for a long time to come, so I wanted to invest in nicer pulls. Since the wood round was less than $6, I thought it OK to spend a little more on the pulls. My husband helped me instal the hardware. The hardest part was determining where I wanted the pulls located. Then, the measuring took a little longer than usual because of the round shape.