DIY Wooden Tray with Handles

I keep seeing these awesome DIY wooden trays on Pinterest, and when I was in Lowes a couple weeks ago I randomly came across a circle piece of wood. I instantly thought it would be fun to do my own version of these trays, and share how easy it was with you guys.

Here’s what the outcome is, and if you like it then keep on reading to see how easily I DIYed it…

Here is what it looked like when I bought it. About 14″ in diameter, a pretty decent size. It was about $6, which I thought was a great price.

It is also 1″ thick.

I had this waterbased wax in the color Espresso from Michael’s. It works like a stain, but dries much quicker and barely has a smell. This is my new favorite stuff, it works great. I did two coats and it came out perfect.

I saw these handles at Lowes also, I love them and their industrial vibe, and the detailing in the center *all the heart eyes* AND they were less than $2/piece. And as you can see I didn’t stain the entire piece of wood. To make it pop a little more I painted the sides with a bright white acrylic paint.

To add the handles to the tray, I honestly thought it would be easier but it took a little muscle. I learned from my mistakes to make it easier to explain to you guys, so here’s the best way to do this that I didn’t read on any other tutorials (every other tutorial made this seem like the easiest thing ever: “now add the handles!”…but, at least for me, it took a little effort) First of all, the screws that came with the handles were too short, so I got a pack of the same screw, but just 1.25″ long instead of 1″ long (since the board is 1″ thick, of course 1” screws wont work). So I marked where the screws would go in, and with a thicker drill bit, drilled all the way through the board. I then took a wood screw and drilled it all the way through, and then took it out. This made it easier to get the screws for the handle to go in. I did this on both sides and it worked great. Maybe there’s an easier way to do this, but since this was my first tray, it was trial and error. Let me know in the comments if you have an easier way!

After I added on the handles, you can of course leave it as is, but I decided to add on a decal using my Cricut.

And that’s all there is to it! Now go and create your very own tray! This would make an amazing wedding gift or Christmas gift!

Did you like this DIY and want to save it? Thank you! Use the photo below to Pin and save for later.