OK, so this wasn't a trash find, but it was dirt cheap. I stopped in a thrift store at lunch the other day and found this. It was nice that it fit in my car too, ha.
It's a large wooden tray. I'm not sure of its original purpose, if it was part of something else or what, but when I saw it, I knew it could be useful at the farm.
There are some scratches and scuffs and water stains so it is not mint condition. Heck, I'm not even sure if it's old. But it is made from a good solid, sturdy wood and has handles on each side to make it easier to carry.
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| Large wooden tray |
Did I saw it was large? These porch steps are 4' wide so the tray is probably a good three feet.
I'm thinking a paint job will be in order. Maybe cork in the bottom? A mirror? Glass with something decorative underneath? Not sure how we'll end up using it but for $6 (yep, you read that right, only paid six dollars for it!) it's worth trying to do something to it.
Any suggestions?
Awesome find.
ReplyDeleteMany uses for a tray like that. Makes for a great serving tray when sitting on the porch. http://allparenting.com/my-home/articles/971515/diy-repurposed-serving-tray
Paint sand and restain and place on coffee table to use as displaying family heirlooms.
Cover inside bottom with those small sq. tiles.
Link for other ideas:
https://www.google.com/search?q=repurpose+wooden+serving+tray&biw=1536&bih=802&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiyl9fjxJLSAhVLqlQKHRxiCCoQsAQIGQ
https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+serving+tray+ideas&sa=X&biw=1536&bih=802&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwiB-uCXxZLSAhXIq1QKHeZ2CxUQsAQIKA
DeleteWow, some great ideas there. I love it. Thank you!
Deletea huge butlers tray and table? something like this?http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/miafleur/product/butlers-wooden-tray-table
ReplyDeleteI like that!!! Thank you Sol, that's a great idea and practical!
Deleteanother great find! that would make a great meat and cheese platter!
ReplyDeleteNow I like how you think!!! FOOD! Love it. I can imagine it full of meat and cheese and fruits...
DeleteHaving no idea how you want to use it limits my suggestions. I would probably steer away from mirroring the top, because I am inherently messy and well, streaks! There are so many painting techniques you could use, depending on how you want it to function. As large as it is, placed on top of a folding luggage rack it would make a fantastic portable table that you could move anywhere around the farm. That is a great 6 buck find!
ReplyDeleteFolding rack is a great combination to put this on top and make it movable. Great idea and maybe being able to move it around the farm for dinners and such. Thanks!
Delete1st Man,
ReplyDeleteI would paint the entire tray, then line the bottom with coins, and finally pour resin (Envirotex)on top of the coins. This would make a beautiful tray!
Coins? That's neat!!! I'm going to google that. Thank you for this!!
DeleteI'd say that is a find. I would only clean it up. Is it old? From the look of it, I'd guess it was an old writing desk. They used them as a laptop desk.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I kind of think it might be old but then when I look at it, it kind of doesn't seem old in some details. Not sure. A writing desk, hm, interesting use for it portably around the farm. Under a tree or wherever. Thanks!!
DeleteYes, I'd paint it. You can go all Pollock on it and splatter it, or go with flowers. I don't think I'd do glass with something underneath because that would make it even heavier.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I never thought about glass making it heavier and it is already heavy-ish. Thanks! Jackson Pollock, too funny!!!
DeleteAfter I cleaned it up, I would put a layer of glass on top. You could keep old postcards, love notes, photos or concert tickets underneath the glass.
ReplyDeleteNow old mementos and such under glass WOULD be nice. Maybe a thinner glass might not add as much weight. Thanks!!
DeleteLooks like a tray from a steamer trunk or hope chest or cedar chest. Neat find.
ReplyDeleteOoh, never thought about that. Great point. Thank you and thanks for visiting!!
DeleteWhat a lovely find, such pretty wood. Something thay big may be very hard to balance when loaded up, I think it was a trunk drawer or something similar.
ReplyDeleteIt would make a lovely useful small table....have fun making it useful
Yeah a table is a great idea for it. It is kind of heavy but it's not as unwieldy as it might look.
DeleteI think it would be a bit awkward to carry as a tray (unless you
ReplyDeletehave arms like Inspector Gadget). I'd use it as a decorative
corral for something like liquor bottles or fancy glasses.
Ha, good point. It's not TOO bad but it's definitely heavy to carry. I'll have to think about that. Heck, the hard thing is finding a place for it while it's not being used, regardless of what it's used for, ha. Thank you!!!!
DeleteI think I would not paint the tray. It will be beautiful without paint. This will be hard to carry around. I might permanently affix to a base, maybe something you have or will find in the trash. It does not appear to be a solid piece of wood since it appears to have even lines in it where the wood has been glued together to make one piece. The wood on the handle end of the tray is really nice. Nice find. I would not put anything on the surface--glass or mirror or anything else.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that suggestion. I will have to study it up close in more detail. Thanks for the info!!!
DeleteWhat a beautiful piece! I'd use some Restor-a-Finish on it first and see what happens before deciding whether to paint it. It's just lovely.
ReplyDelete"Restor-a-Finish", never heard about that but I will DEFINITELY look for it now. Thank you very much!! Don't be a stranger, come back soon!
DeleteI saw something similar on another blog. It was used for rolling pastry and dough. I'm sure it saved quite a mess, and kept the flour in one spot!
ReplyDeleteCheck out the pic on oldfashionedfamilies.com
DeleteWOW!!! That looks like the same kind of tray. Hmm, I should show this to 2nd Man, he'd decide that's how we'd use it, ha. Thank you so much and thanks for stopping by to comment, we appreciate it!
DeleteI'm seeing it carrying a big pitcher of iced lemonade, tall glasses, and a plate of cookies. And you're heading out to a nice shady spot on a warm sunny day, where friends and family are visiting and will enjoy a bit of refreshment to go along with the conversation.
ReplyDeleteI like how you think too!! I really like the idea of lemonade or iced tea and cookies carried out. It's heavy but I think it would work. Thank you!
DeleteHello, I bought an identical tray at an auction years ago. It came with folding wooden legs (similar to hotel room luggage racks). The Auctioneer called it a portable tea table. I use the tray on top of my coffee table in the family room as a portable desk and it holds my laptop, notes, pens, etc. If company arrives, it's easily slipped under the couch or can be carried off and put out of the way! I rarely use the folding legs that came with it and I never painted mine as I like the old wood.
ReplyDeleteOooh, you know what, the idea of using it for the laptop is a great idea. I've thought about roaming to a part of the property and writing with the computer and then having this as a desk of sorts. And it would disappear under a bed (or even the couch I think). Thanks!!
DeleteThe wood is nice!
I just saw a tablescape where a similar old tray but not quite so large was used to hold flowers. All the daffodils were in pint jars. Even if you used different flowers, the tray would be unifying instead of having random jars sitting around. I was thinking about the storage issue, too. Leaning seems to be the best bet. Do you have a counter shelf or table sitting against a wall. Probably a shelf would work best. Maybe a piece of molding could be set and glue to a shelf in order to keep it from crashing to the floor.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for the flowers. Love it. As for leaning we really have no wall space left at the farm. I think under the beds or couch would be best. Thank you!
Deletethat wood is too beautiful to paint, it looks a bit like walnut, maybe have some fun doing research of different wood grains. as soon as I saw it I thought, little table on the verandah, or might be a useful extra serving space when you set up dinner under your party tree.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks. I'm not sure if it's a solid or veneer. I do need to do some research on that. Dinner space under the tree would be great too. Thank you!
Delete