Easy DIY 4th Of July Serving Tray
Easy DIY 4th Of July Serving Tray
Make this simple American flag serving tray, perfect for 4th of July and Memorial day celebrations
Is it lame that the thing I look forward to most on the 4th of July is the sparklers?
It’s true, I just love them and I am a true believer that they should be a year-round item.
Besides the sparklers, I also love BBQs with friends and family, but I don’t like to ever show up empty-handed. We were taught you always bring something, even if they say not to…
So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a fun 4th of July serving tray as a hostess gift!
This American flag serving tray is the perfect hostess gift and will add some fun festive color to any party or bbq.
Wood Serving Tray Supplies:
- 15″ Edged Glued Panel
- Red/White/Blue Spray Paint
- Frogtape
- Star Stickers or Vinyl
I love using these precut edge glued panels for quick and easy projects. They already come pretty smooth so no sanding is required for paint projects.
They are great for making serving trays, lazy Susans, and can easily be made into a cake stand.
This panel is about $8 at Lowes, but if you have a bunch of scrap wood laying around you can use my easy round tray tutorial instead.
Painting the Base Color
The first step is to paint the tray white, two coats should be plenty of coverage.
After it dries completely, apply star-shaped stickers to one of the corners. You could also use a Cricut machine to cut star-shaped vinyl out.
Painting the Stripes
After the stars are pressed firmly onto the tray, spray the entire wooden tray with red spray paint.
Two coats will give you the right amount of coverage.
This color is Apple Red by Rustoleum and it is the perfect bright red color for the American Flag stripes.
Once the paint is completely dry it’s time to start taping. Use a spacer in between each stripe so that they are uniform, I used a thick wooden ruler.
Apply tape all the way down to the bottom of the tray minus the star corner.
Press the tape down firmly with the edge of a credit card or scraper. This will eliminate most of the bleed through.
After the stripes are taped off, spray the entire tray with blue spray paint.
Each spray paint I used had a glossy finish, this is just preference but a glossy finish will be easier to wipe clean.
After the paint is dry remove the tape and star stickers. I used a Cricut weeding tool, but if you don’t have one of those I recommend tweezers.
If the spray paint bled through to any of the white areas use a Q-tip or craft paintbrush to touch up the areas with white paint.
I used the same white touch up paint on the edge of the tray. The white gives the tray a nice contrast and really makes the flag colors pop.
Attaching Hardware to the Serving Tray
After all the paint is completely dry you can seal the tray with a food safe sealer. This will project the colors from fading or wiping off with cleanings.
Once the sealer was dry, I attached two metal handles to both sides of the serving tray. If you are worried about the wood tray splitting, pre-drill the holes with a small drill bit before installing the handles.
DIY 4th of July Serving Tray Reveal
Something about this serving tray makes me want a hot dog real bad (if you know that movie reference we would definitely be friendly IRL).
This fun 4th of July serving tray is perfect for drinks, desserts, or coffee table decor.
Creating this tray was so simple and budget friendly I even made an extra one for myself.
Let me know what you think of our festive serving tray and what your favorite 4th of July tradition is.
Want More Summer BBQ Ideas?
- Easy 4th of July Tablescape
- Budget Savvy Red, White, & Blue Decor
- How to Make a DIY Charcuterie Board
- How To Build a Bar Cart: The Easy Way
