Marsha's Creekside Creations: DIY galvanized tray

I saw a tray the other day in a Pottery Barn ad. I was ~~visiting~~ looking at the 3-tier galvanized stand when I noticed that they were also showing a round tray. I thought to myself, "I can make a tray like that." I moved on with my day and then at sometime thought...hummmm....I bet they have something galvanized at my local hardware store I could use to make a tray. Never once did I think....hummmm....do I need a galvanized tray??? The hardware store is an old-fashioned store where you can go in and buy one sheet of sandpaper or one nut or bolt. So I stopped at the store the next day and began my hunt. I like to walk up and down the aisles and look at all the items they have there. Some are familiar and some are not. I always try to decide if I can make something from the items I find there. It is a really good way to keep your imagination sharp!

So here's my version of a galvanized tray.

Here's how I made the tray.

I got this round (whatever-you-call-this) at the hardware store. It cost $4.95 and it was a little dusty. I marked it in quarters with tape (since I couldn't see pencil marks).

I got out the drill and the bits. I had purchased handles at another store and I checked to see if the bit I chose would fit in the hole where the screw would go. I decided to use a bit that was a little on the small size knowing I could make the hole larger later if I needed to.

These are the handles I bought. I couldn't decide, so I bought these that weren't too shiny.

Now you don't know me, but I don't always measure the way some people do. I got an index card to mark the distance between the screw holes.

I then folded the card so it would be the distance I needed between the two holes I would drill. I thought that the card would conform to the side of the tray better than it would be for me to try to measure with a ruler.

I drew these arrows for you. You can see where I'm going to drill the holes. I also folded the card down the distance down from the top where I needed to drill the holes. The arrow pointing up is lined-up with one of the quarter tape marks I did at the beginning.

I took it slow and easy (and I wore protective eye ware). I didn't want the drill bit to dance across the surface of my tray. It did great! I substituted the screws that came with the handles for some that were a little shorter. The substituted screw fit through the hole and into the handle perfectly! I drilled the next hole and attached the first handle. On the other side, before I drilled, I measured again and tried to make sure the second handle was directly across from the first handle. I also decided to apply one piece of clear tape on each of my marks. It was perfect to help keep the end of the drill bit in place so it wouldn't skim across the side of the tray as I began to drill.

I found these little "collars" in with the nuts, bolts and screws. I decided to try them with the project.

They looked nice when they were used with the screws.

I think they gave the tray a more "finished" look.

Well, what do you think? I'm pretty happy with the results!

One of the neatest things I discovered was that the round place mats that I have (standard size) fit perfectly into the tray. I have several colors already and can change up the look of the tray in a flash.