Who doesn’t adore being pampered with breakfast in bed? Instead of trying to awkwardly balance your coffee, croissant and book on your nightstand and risk a spill, craft this classy breakfast tray with, of all things, a spare window shutter.
By cutting and attaching a front panel and side panels, you ensure that your dishes, silverware and food will stay put in transit to the bedroom or the couch. You can coat your tray with a simple white chalk paint or pick a color you’re drawn to. Adding this item to your kitchen's collection means that breakfast in bed, a rainy day tea and reading break, or dinner in front of the TV can happen easily, but style will in no way be sacrificed.
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Materials
-Window shutter
-2 wooden boards, each 1 inch thick by 4 inches wide and long enough to be cut to make three upper panels for the breakfast tray
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Jigsaw
-Orbital sander
-Bottle of Gorilla Wood Glue
-Set of four furniture legs, each between 8-9 inches high
-Bottle of chalk paint
-Pair of thin rubber gloves
-Round chalk paint/wax brush
-Electric drill
-Drill bit
-Flathead screwdriver bit
- 2 decorative drawer pulls to use as tray handles, with screws
-Window shutter
-2 wooden boards, each 1 inch thick by 4 inches wide and long enough to be cut to make three upper panels for the breakfast tray
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Jigsaw
-Orbital sander
-Bottle of Gorilla Wood Glue
-Set of four furniture legs, each between 8-9 inches high
-Bottle of chalk paint
-Pair of thin rubber gloves
-Round chalk paint/wax brush
-Electric drill
-Drill bit
-Flathead screwdriver bit
- 2 decorative drawer pulls to use as tray handles, with screws
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Lay the shutter on your work surface.
1. Lay the shutter on your work surface.
2. Measure and mark the wooden boards using the ruler and pencil, so two of them match the length of your shutter and two match its width.
3. Cut the boards along the marked lines with the jigsaw.
4. Use the orbital sander to smooth the sides of each of the boards.
5. Brush any sawdust from the sanding process off the boards.
6. These three pieces will serve as the side panels and front panel of the tray, while the tray area that has no panel will allow the user to access their food and drink.
7. Position the two side panels and the top panel on the side of the shutter that has only louvers, not the side with the tilt bar. The side with the tilt bar will be the bottom of the breakfast tray.
8. Apply wood glue to the bottoms of each of the panels.
9. Reposition the panels, and affix them to the shutter.
10. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
11. Apply glue to the ends of the furniture legs that will be attached to the bottom of the tray.
12. Affix each leg to the tray bottom, and allow the glue to dry.
13. Put on the gloves.
14. Apply one coat of chalk paint to the tray legs.
15. Allow the paint to dry.
16. Flip the tray right-side up and paint the wooden panels and the top of tray. Coat it well, and make sure to move the louvers slightly, if necessary, in order to completely cover them with paint.
17. Remove your gloves.
18. Place one of the decorative drawer pulls on one of the tray's side panels.
19. Be sure to center the pull and make a pencil mark where each screw will go into the side panel
20. Using the appropriately sized drill bit, drill the holes for the screws with the electric drill.
21. Repeat steps 18-20 on the other side panel of the tray, with the other pull and screws.
22. Now swap out the drill bit for the flathead screwdriver bit, and drill the screws into the side panels from the inside of the tray.
23. Attach the handles to the screw ends that will be protruding out of the holes on the outer sides of the side panels.
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24. You can now use your breakfast tray for a much-deserved breakfast in bed.