Properly, y’all, my chandelier isn’t completed, however not for lack of attempting. To say that the climate isn’t cooperating can be an understatement. This has been a really unusual July with a great deal of rain and ridiculous humidity, so nothing is drying prefer it ought to. My clay flowers are taking eternally to dry. The spray paint that I used to color the chandelier and the flower “stem” body is taking eternally to dry. The entire thing has been so irritating, however there’s not a complete lot I can do about it. It’ll get executed when it will get executed. So whereas I’m ready for issues to dry, I made a decision to make an easy DIY ornamental tray to go on my closet island utilizing wooden scraps and different gadgets I already had readily available. The one gadgets I needed to buy for this tray had been the handles.
Ornamental trays are such a simple and enjoyable venture, so when you’re a starting and on the lookout for one thing to construct, otherwise you’re eager to attempt your hand at artful issues like gold leaf or resin, a tray is an ideal option to begin.
I used scrap wooden that I already had readily available, and I lower a chunk of 1/2-inch plywood to about 17″ x 19″ for the underside of my tray. Then I lower some 1/2-inch wooden, ripped to 1.5 inches extensive, for the perimeters, lower to size on my miter noticed. I nailed these in place utilizing 1-inch 18-gauge nails.
I didn’t even miter the corners as a result of they maintain collectively stronger after they’re not mitered. Not less than, that has been my expertise.
And as you’ll be able to see, the corners weren’t good once I nailed the aspect items on. However I wasn’t anxious about that as a result of these corners can be cleaned up within the subsequent steps.
So right here’s what it appeared like as soon as the entire aspect items had been nailed to the underside piece and to one another on the corners. Then I used wooden filler to fill within the nail holes and nook joints.
As soon as the wooden filler was dry, I used my rotary sander with a 150-grit sanding disc to sand the perimeters and the corners. As you’ll be able to see, the sanding course of actually cleaned up these corners and made them look very nice. I additionally sanded the highest edges of the aspect items in order that they had been easy and flush with one another across the high.
After which, as is my behavior, I used 150-grit sandpaper and sanded these corners on either side piece by hand to present the tough corners a little bit of a softer look.
After spray priming the entire thing with my favourite primer — Zinsser B-I-N shellac-based primer, after which sanding the entire thing easy with 220-grit sandpaper, I used to be prepared to color. I used a darkish pinkish crimson on the within of the aspect items to convey some shade to the island.
I used to colours for this. The principle shade is Behr Hibiscus Flower.
Nevertheless it was a bit too vivid by itself, so I added just a bit bit (perhaps two or three tablespoons) of Timeless Ruby to darken it only a bit.
That made the right pinkish crimson shade to go together with the wallpaper. After which I painted the surface white as a result of I like the white towards the darkish blue of the island. I used my go-to white — Behr Polar Bear — for the surface of the tray.
As soon as I had two coats of every shade on and let it dry, I then added my wallpaper to the underside of the tray. I adhered this with wallpaper paste that I had leftover. As that was drying, I went forward and drilled my holes for the 2 handles.
After which I added gold leaf to the highest edges of the aspect items. I used a metallic leaf glue that I had by no means used earlier than, and I actually appreciated it!
It goes on white and dries clear. As soon as it’s dry and glossy, you’ll be able to add the gold leaf.
If forgot to take an image of the gold leaf course of, however y’all have seen me gold leaf issues many instances up to now. It’s a reasonably self-explanatory course of. You press the gold leaf onto the adhesive, after which brush away any extra. It’s a reasonably messy course of as soon as all of these gold leaf bits begin flying, however I completely get pleasure from it. There are metallic leaf merchandise that aren’t messy in any respect. The leaf comes connected to a backing, so that you don’t have all of these extra leaf bits flying round. I’ve by no means tried a kind of, however I’d like to!
After the gold leaf was on and cleaned up, with the entire extra brushed away, I gave the entire painted and gold leafed areas two coats of Normal Finishes Excessive Efficiency Topcoat and let that dry. Then I used to be prepared to complete the wallpapered backside of the tray with resin. To maintain the resin from seeping by means of the joints the place the perimeters had been nailed to the underside of the tray, I turned the tray over and lined over these joints with metallic tape. You need to use caulk for this as nicely, however this appeared sooner and simpler since I wouldn’t have to attend for caulk to dry.
After which I blended up two cups of my favourite resin — ArtResin. For my 17″ x 19″ tray, I used one cup of resin and one cup of hardener to make two cups of blended resin.
I poured that over the underside, used a small spatula to easy it out over the underside, ensuring that it fully lined and met the entire sides and corners, after which used my Bernzomatic propane torch to do away with the entire bubbles. The important thing with utilizing a propane torch on one thing like that is that you just need to make very quick actions over the resin. In the event you transfer too slowly or maintain it in a single place too lengthy, you’ll burn the resin, or worse, catch the wooden on hearth. So making very quick, quick actions over the resin with the flame is essential, and you may goal any bubbles that you just see within the resin. My propane torch is type of large, however when you’re eager to attempt your hand at a resin venture, I’d really advocate one of many little propane torches which are for kitchen use for caramelizing sugar. These are a lot simpler to manage. Additionally, I usually do the preliminary torching proper after I get the resin unfold out, after which I let it sit about quarter-hour and are available again and torch it once more since just a few new air bubbles at all times appear to seem throughout these first couple of minutes.
And right here is my new ornamental tray with the tremendous shiny resin wallpaper backside, a contact of pinkish crimson across the inside, the gold leaf accent and gold handles, and the white on the surface.
I wished to convey some pink and a few sample to the island, and I believe that is the right manner to do this.
And I like how shiny that resin is. It provides the right quantity of glimmer and shine to the island with out being overbearing.
This venture was a enjoyable little diversion whereas ready for paint and clay to dry.
I checked on the chandelier and flower stem body this morning, and I believe these are lastly dry sufficient to put in them in the present day. However the flowers nonetheless aren’t dry sufficient to prime and paint. If y’all have any tips about easy methods to get air dry clay to dry sooner with out it cracking, I’d love to listen to it!
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Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You may be taught extra about me right here.
