I have been loving the look of these trays for some time, but to buy one they are rather expensive…I think! A few days ago my new IG friend Jennifer of @downshilohroad posted a tiered tray she had DIY’d. 

She inspired me to make one of my own!….

I bought my wood chargers and finial at Hobby Lobby using my 40% off coupon (I was too impatient to wait on them to go on sale) I bought the spindle and the feet at Menards. The home improvement stores have a few different options for parts, porch spindles, furniture legs, dowel rods, stairway ballisters. So let your imagination run wild and think outside the box!

I chose to screw my pieces together. (Partly because DH always wants things built like a tank…) so I used 1/4″ x 2″ plain dowel screw (that is a screw with threads on both ends) between the finial, top charger and top of the spindle. Then a 1/4″ lag screw between the bottom charger and the bottom end of the spindle … 

I did however use gorilla super glue for the feet and they seem to be attached securely. So if you don’t want to get the drill out and buy the special screws try some super glue! 

We drilled pilot holes in all the pieces before screwing the pieces together for a ‘dry fit’ . 

After I was happy with the configuration I took it apart to make it easier to paint. I just used some old white flat paint we had leftover and did a couple thin coats.

After the paint dried overnight I distressed the edges on all the pieces. 

After they were all distressed I topcoated it with a walnut stain making sure to really rub it in on the distressed areas. 

After the stain dried I put it back together, then had some fun styling it!I really am happy with the way it turned out. I think it has a Restoration Hardware kinda feel to it!  Plus I have less than $20 in mine!!! So don’t be afraid to make yourself a tiered tray and you can paint or stain it any way you want to fit into your home! 

Would love to see your tiered trays if you decide to make one of your own! Post a picture in the comments or you can find me on Instagram @karen.says