Houndstooth TV tray
I had a plain boring TV tray on hand and adding a stencil pattern on the top was calling my name…
Well, hello there TV tray I’ve had in my stash since… actually, not that long!
I decided to go on a little thrift store shopping spree awhile back, challenging myself to pick up solid wood pieces that would be fun to revamp. And this solid wood TV tray find landed in my cart pronto!
What to look for in a TV tray
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Collecting TV trays has become sort of a thing lately. If you can land one in solid wood for a good price, they revamp beautifully, are easy to customize, and are so useful!
Watch for:
- solid wood
- sturdy (it doesn’t rock back and forth)
- how it’s currently treated
The only thing I don’t like about a TV tray is they tend to be pretty boring… like the picture above.
But thanks to that, TV trays are an epic choice to upcycle and make it your own!
So, the entire time I eyed my current TV tray, I kept thinking a rustic houndstooth pattern would look really cool!
Let’s make a Houndstooth TV tray easily using a stencil!
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Houndstooth TV tray
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About the Houndstooth stencil
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Houndstooth is a pattern stencil that resembles a fabric stitch, offered in two sizes, fun for both small or large projects!
Large Houndstooth is on a 12″ x 24″ sheet, with each houndstooth measuring 1.7″.
Small Houndstooth is on a 12″ x 12″ stencil sheet, with each houndstooth measuring 1″.
I did debate on painting the entire tray for more of a classic black and white houndstooth look.
However this round, I decided why not create a rustic wood houndstooth pattern instead?.
Supplies I used:
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Houndstooth-Large stencil HERE
Wood TV tray or desired furniture piece
Black paint of choice – I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Coal Black HERE
Stain of choice – I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Stain & Finishing Oil mixing Golden Pine and Cappuccino
Fusion Mineral Paint’s Beeswax
(Find a local Fusion merchant near you HERE)
Palm sander (I prefer my variable speed)
Sand surface
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1. Sand the surface of the TV tray to remove the original or existing finish.
I used a medium grit sandpaper in a variable speed palm sander.
How to stencil a houndstooth pattern
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View Houndstooth stencils HERE
2. Centre Houndstooth – Large on your surface.
3. Tape off any design parts you don’t wish to stencil.
I chose to create a ‘wood frame’ around my design, so I taped over design elements I didn’t wish to show.
4. Stencil on pattern in an uneven, more transparent look.
- Wet the brush in water, then dry.
- Load brush with paint, then offload most onto a cloth.
- Ensure your brush is very dry to the touch, then gently swirl over the stencil unevenly.
To continue pattern towards the edges:
- Wait until the back of the stencil has dried.
- Reposition stencil, and overlap like-minded pattern.
- Stencil until your entire surface is covered.
Scroll below to watch this tutorial in a video!
You can learn more about how to stencil HERE
How to distress
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Isn’t the houndstooth stenciled TV tray gorgeous already? The images turned out super sharp! And of course, you could continue to finish it with this ‘new’ look.
But here’s how to get my own distressed finish…
5. To get the look of my distressed finish:
- Dial to #1 with a variable speed palm sander.
- Sand unevenly along the painted areas.
Adding stain
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6. Stain over top of the stenciling.
Brush Stain & Finishing Oil on, wait a few moments, then remove with a soft rag. Repeat if you desire a deeper tone.
What I love about this particular stain is the fact that there little to no smell. You can do this indoors without issue!
The staining process is shared in the video below this post.
7. Paint the base of the TV tray with Coal Black.
8. Once stain is dry, lightly sand the top with fine sandpaper.
9. Top with Fusion’s Beeswax if desired, although not necessary.
I found the wood grain on top to the TV tray could probably have used a wood conditioner first, as my finish was a little shiny in spots and dull in others. The Beeswax evened everything out, and added a deeper lustre to the wood tone. It turned out AMAZING and smooth as butter.
The finished houndstooth TV tray
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Then… enjoy your delightful new – old Houndstooth topped TV tray!
This pattern makes rustic ‘ol me feel a little fancy. It’s like a hip antique.
And I whipped up an Antiques arrow sign in about 30 seconds as well for this shoot!
How-to:
1. Cut tip of board in two 45 degree angles to create the point.
2. Stencil on Antiques and EST 1901, then lightly hit the lettering on #1 with a variable speed palm sander to distress.
3. Cover the board with Beeswax to bring out the lustre of the wood and enhance the lettering.
Video
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Watch the stencil process in the above short video!
Music: Sunny by www.bensound.com
Well now, that was fun!
What would you add a houndstooth pattern to?
What would
View Houndstooth stencils HERE
See other houndstooth projects HERE
Check out other unique TV tray revamps HERE
Visit many other unique patterned projects HERE
I love it! Can’t wait to get the stencil!
You never stop amazing me. I love, love, love this post. I have four of these card tables, and I hope to create this look before Thanksgiving. Thank you!
I love the rustic charm of the houdstooth stencil Donna!
Thank heavens there is only one of you in this whole wide world Donna. Every time I pop in for a visit I want to make what you made and if there was another one of you somewhere I would be totally bojangled. It turned out beautifully. Love your new stencil and your purr baby looks so relaxed:D Not a care in the world
Love the houndstooth stencil and how you update this tv tray with it!!
I love this! Such a fun project. I have a whole set of these in my basement just waiting to be refinished.
Sounds like a fabulous opportunity to try some new techniques! They are easy revamp projects!