How To Paint A Tray
We have been loving painting and decoupaging our small and large scallop trays! Along the way we've worked out our favourite way to paint them and thought we'd share - anything to make painting easier :)
Tip One:
Use Velvet Luxe! If you're wanting a smooth finish on your tray we highly recommend using Velvet Luxe. With self-levelling properties and no need to add a top coat, it's a great way to get a professional looking finish.
Tip Two:
Brushes do make a difference. We've found that the Angled Detail Brush is great to cut into the edges and scalloped details. And then we use our 1.5 inch Flat Brush for all of the long flat areas.
Read our Brushes Guide here for all our tips on our fave brushes.
Tip Three:
If you want to decoupage the base, paint it white (or another light colour) first. Once you've done your decoupage and sealed it, you can then paint your main colour around the rest of the tray.
The reason we like to decoupage before painting the main colour, is that some of the decoupage papers don't fit exactly so this allows us to paint out any gaps without having to come back again.
Tip Four:
We know we said that you don't need to seal with Velvet Luxe. However, we like to do a top coat of Matte lacquer on the inside to provide that extra level of protection.
This is especially important if you want to use your tray for food or drinks as it will make the surface more durable.
Lacquer is also a great way to add extra sheen as Velvet Luxe is a matte finish. Paint two coats of Satin or Gloss lacquer for a wonderful sheen.
Tip Five:
Have fun with the trays! Paint them in two different tones, add some gold to the scalloped rim for extra detail, use a glaze to finish, use a decoupage paper of transfer on the inside. The options really are endless and they're a great way to make a very personalised tray that works for you and your home, or as a gift for a loved one.
Themed trays are always fun, we love having special Christmas themed trays to bring out for the season!
We have created a Decorative Tray Pack that has everything you need to create your own unique tray, or get in touch if you would like to learn more.
Further Information:
- Read our range of Decoupage blog posts here for more information on how to decoupage.
- Watch our How To Decoupage Coasters video tutorial for the basics of applying decoupage papers to a flat surface.
- Read our range of Chalk Paint blog posts here for plenty of information and tips & tricks on chalk painting.
- Watch our Chalk Paint Basics video tutorial.
- Watch our How To Use Lacquer video tutorial.
- Read our blog posts on using the Metallic Alchemy range here.
- Watch our How To Mix Metallic Alchemy video tutorial.
- Learn all about using different Transfers in our range of blog posts here.
- Watch our How To Use White Cloud Transfers video tutorial.
