Game Board Trays

Home and Family 4034 Final Photo Assets

Now that I'm bringing dinner to the table for 5 people, I have a new found appreciation for large serving trays.  The kind of trays where you can bring a stack of plates, cutlery, 3 sippy cups, and 2 glasses of wine to the table at the same time.  Oddly, they are not easy to find and if you do find them, they're not easy to store.  So my solution, of course, is to make my own and to make them attractive enough to hang on the wall when not in use by using old board games!

MATERIALS

Board game

1/2" plywood

1"x2" trim

Glue

Paint

Sandpaper

Polyurethane or Mod Podge

Nails, screws, or a nail gun

Coffee (optional)

Saw (optional)

STEPS

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Start by cutting out the bottom of your tray.  Simple place your board game on the 1/2" plywood, trace and cut.  If you're not comfortable with a saw, you can probably get the nice guy at the hardware store to do the cuts for you - just be real sweet.

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Next, cut two pieces of the 1"x2" to fit 2 of the sides of the plywood.  Go ahead and use some wood glue and nails, screws or a nail gun to attach those.  Now measure for the other two sides and repeat the process so you have your basic tray.  Again, if you're nice enough, they'll cut all these pieces for you.

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Give the sides and bottom a coat of paint.  I chose to pick a color from the tray so that everything tied together.  Once your paint has dried, go back with some sandpaper to antique it a little.

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Glue the board game to the tray. I used wood glue, but any glue will work.  Weigh it down until its dry as the edges will want to curl up.

Adding drawer pulls for handles is an option at this point, I did on the Monopoly and the Scrabble, but didn't on the Ouija board. Just get standard drawer pulls, mark where they should be attached, drill small holes and attach with the provided screws.

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Now, you'll need to seal the board game to protect it from moisture.  You can use regular polyurethane on the board and the tray itself if you want it to remain bright.  If you want it to be more antiqued, mix some coffee in with Mod Podge and use that instead.  It will dry clear except the coffee will leave a slight antiqued look.

To hang your tray, drill a small hole into one of the side pieces on the back of the tray and slide it onto a nail in the wall.

Home and Family 4034 Final Photo Assets