Upcycled Cork Board Tray

Hello! It’s been a minute and a half since our last DIY tutorial and I’m feeling particularly crafty today. I wanted to make something quick and simple, that would breathe new life into a old product. In recent months, we’ve made a couple of these tutorials and I’ve been enjoying using them around the house. So, today I’m taking an old tray that has unfortunately broken down on one side and give it a makeover. Here’s how to make an up cycled cork board tray.

Materials:

• Old Tray
• Glue Gun
• Toothpicks
• Cork Mat
• Scissors
• Acrylic Paint
• Thin Brushes
• Magic / Painters Tape

Steps to fix the tray:

This tray had one edge that had broken off at the corners. So to reattach it, I put some hot glue on a toothpick and poked it in the broken edges. Then I held it firmly against the sides to attach. Next, we added thin lines of glue on the outer corners of both the edges to make it sturdy.

Steps to decorate:

1.Start by measuring the inner rectangle of the tray. This will give you the measurements of your cork mat.

2. Draw the dimensions on a cork mat and cut it out. Test it by placing the mat in the tray. It should fit from edge to edge.

3. Take out the mat and use acrylic paint to decorate. I kept it simple with black and white paint dabs using a thin round (white) and thin flat (black) brush.

4. While the mat is drying, place a line of magic tape around the outer edge of the tray and paint the rim of the tray. This will take care of any stains or chips in the wood. Let the paint dry and peel of the tape.

5. Check if the paint is dry on both the mat and the tray and heat up the glue gun.

6. Draw a couple of lines of hot glue on the base of the tray, making sure the corners have extra glue. And place the mat on top of it while it’s still hot.

7. Press the mat to make sure it is flat.

And there you have it, an up cycled cork board tray, you can get good use out of! In fact, it can even double as a cork board for your desk!

What do you think of this DIY tutorial? Is it something you would try? Let us know in the comments below. Happy Crafting 🙂

PS: Did you notice our new Brushstrokes stationery? Find out more about that here.