Footed trays are all over Instagram and Pinterest right now.

For this DIY, I got together with a group of talented bloggers. We each created our own unique version of the footed tray.

I’ve linked all the bloggers and their DIY footed trays towards the end of my DIY.

The Background

I wanted to create my tray without purchasing anything new.

Many lifetimes ago, I owned my own custom drapery and bedding studio. I have tons of hardware laying around.

So, I decided that maybe some of the finials I have would work as legs.

Many lifetimes ago, David lived in Australia. He bought some handmade furniture he shipped back to the States.

I found a remnant from that furniture laying in the barn covered in dirt and grime.

I figured I could use that remnant as the top for my footed tray.

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Materials Used

Steps to Create Footed Tray

First up, I set the tray up temporarily as I had envisioned it in my head.

4 drapery finials - J Dub By Design

drapery finials and cutting board for footed tray - J Dub By Design

Legs of Footed Tray

The drapery finials I used as legs are 6 1’2 inches tall and approximately 4 inches in diameter. They are also made of resin.

I decided to remove the stain and start fresh instead of painting directly over the stain.

You could probably omit the stripping step, but creating this footed tray was an experiment for me.

I wanted to see what was underneath the stain.

Using a foam brush and working on a drop cloth, I painted Citristrip onto each finial.

furniture stripping liquid and finial - J Dub By Design

wiping finial with stripping gel = J Dub By Design

Then I wrapped each finial in seran wrap to keep the stripping gel from drying out.

You do not want the stripping gel to dry out, or you will have to start over and apply it again.

After smearing on the gel, I discarded the foam brush.

drapery finial stripped - J Dub By Design

I allowed the Citristrip to remain on the finials for 24 hours.

Using disposable gloves and working on a protected surface covered in plastic, I unwrapped one finial and discarded the seran wrap.

I sanded the stain off the finial using 03 steel wool to get into the crevices.

rubbing finial with steel wool - J Dub By Design

I repeated this process with the remaining 3 finials.

4 stripped finials - J Dub By Design

Using a new foam brush, I wiped each finial down with mineral spirits so that they would be ready to accept new paint.

wiping mineral spirits on finial - J Dub By Design

I placed the finials, screw sides down, onto cardboard boxes outside.

spray painting drapery finials - J Dub By Design

I spray painted each finial with Krylon Color Master Modern White in a matte finish.

finials after one coat of spray paint - J Dub By Design

It took 3 coats to completely cover the finials with paint so that no dark stain that was left on the finials bled through.

I allowed the final coat of paint to dry overnight.

The Finishing Touches On The Legs

Then, using a microfiber cloth, I applied a very thin layer of black wax onto each finial. This gave the legs an aged appearance.

wiping black wax on finial- J Dub By Design

After allowing the dark wax to dry about 30 minutes, using my finger, I applied gold guilding wax to each leg to bring out even more of the details on each leg.

adding gilding was to drapery finial - J Dub By Design

I applied the guilding wax to the sides of each leg as well.

adding gilding wax to drapery finial - J Dub By Design

Top For Footed Tray

While I was waiting during certain steps on the legs, I worked on the wood remnant.

Several wood pieces had been taped together. I chose the biggest piece (11 1/2 inches X 27 inches) so that it would be in scale with the legs.

I sanded the tape marks off the piece I chose using 80 grit sandpaper and my electric sander.

cutting board with tape marks on it - J Dub By Design

sanding marks off cutting board - J Dub By Design

After I sanded the wood piece smooth, I washed it with soap specifically designed for cutting boards.

washing cutting board with soap - J Dub By Design

After I allowed the cutting board to dry for approximately 1 hour, I placed it on a towel.

Using a microfiber cloth, I applied 3 coats of oil to the top, bottom, and sides of the board.

adding oil to footed tray - J Dub By Design

Then, I allowed each coat of oil to dry 1 hour before rubbing in another coat of oil.

oiled cutting board - J Dub By Design

After I allowed the last coat of oil to soak into the board for approximately 2 hours, I began to apply wax to the board using the same microfiber cloth.

adding wax to footed tray - J Dub By Design

I applied 3 coats of wax to the entire board and allowed the wax to dry for approximately 1 hour between each coat.

wiping oil on board - J Dub By Design

Putting The Pieces Together

After the wax dried on the board, I marked the cutting board where I wanted the finials to screw into the board.

Then, using a pencil, I marked each corner of board.

marks on cutting board to make holes - J Dub By Design

Then, I measured the depth of screw on my finial, and marked that depth on my drill bit with blue tape.

This allowed me to know how deep to drill into the cutting board and not accidentally drill too deep into the board.

measuring drill bit against finial screw - J Dub By Design

Using a 11/64 drill bit, I drilled a hole where I had marked for the legs to attach to the bottom of the board.

drilling a hole into bottom of cutting board - J Dub By Design

Next, I drilled straight down into the board until the tape reached the board.

Once the tape reached the board, I knew that the hole I had drilled was deep enough.

hole drilled in cutting board - J Dub By Design

Meanwhile, I repeated this process three more times, to create four holes in the board for the legs.

Then, I screwed each leg into the hole.

twisting finial into cutting board - J Dub By Design

Once all the legs were attached, I flipped the table over to check my work.

footed tray complete - J Dub By Design

Now, it was time for the fun part!

THE STYLING!

Not only can you use this tray in home decor styling, you can serve food directly off this tray!

Using food safe products, like the soap, oil, and wax specifically designed for cutting boards, is the key to this.

These products allow you to serve food directly off your tray for all of your holiday parties and entertaining.

Here are some closeup shots of the footed tray after I styled it with a handmade garland with dried oranges and tassels.

DIY Footed Tray - J Dub By Design™

DIY Dried Orange Garland - J Dub By Design™

DIY Dried Orange Garland - J Dub By Design™

Now it’s your turn!

Have you ever created a footed tray? Drop me a comment below and tell me what you think of this one.

Click here to create your very own handmade tassels.

Click here to learn how to dry orange slices for your handmade garlands.

Don’t forget to check out all the bloggers and their footed tray creations below!

Other Bloggers

https://thepondsfarmhouse.com/Easy To Make DIY Farmhouse Table Riser

https://www.shopatblu.com/how-to-make-a-table-riser

https://chalkingupsuccess.com/diy-wood-pedestal-tray/

https://www.mtbhomeliving.com/how-to-build-a-rustic-footed-tray/

https://fromfarmhousetoflorida.com/quick-easy-way-to-make-a-footed-tray/

https://americanschoolofcharm.com/scandinavian-decor-as-holiday-table-inspiration/

https://mrscoleman.com/how-to-make-a-footed-tray-the-super-easy-way/

https://www.cottageonbunkerhill.com/christmas-tray-diy/

https://modernonmonticello.com/diy-wood-footed-tray/

https://sydneyandcoblog.com/DIY-decorative-tray

https://www.cottageinthemitten.com/post/5f9b542212eb12001723cfbf/

https://feetundermytable.com/?p=628&fbclid=IwAR0tZc_p5uOyoQdohE4Sv2yP6moZr_jCd2NNxzjwl-8Rg9ZiGZ31Q9yBCm

https://www.sonyaburgess.com/how-to-use-scrap-wood-to-create-a-pedestal-tray

DIY Footed Tray - J Dub By Design™

Looking for more easy DIY’s?

Check out my waxed wood table refresh!

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