Pizza Tray Magnetic Board Tutorial

Yesterday I wrote about the clean up and organisation of my hall cupboard.  You can read about that here. While that area of my home is now spanking clean and neat, my dining table has become a bit of a standby zone for all the craft projects I had neglected and stored in the recesses of that once messy cupboard.

Riding on the high of organising one area of my home, I have jumped head first into a collection of projects and today I can share with you one of my favourites.  It is so easy and looks so effective I know you will want to do it too.

I stumbled upon the idea of turning metal pizza or biscuit trays into magnetic boards months ago.  It was long before I had pinterest and during my pregnancy brain days so unfortunately I have lost the link to the original project I admired.  Sorry.  Fortunately it was so simple there was no way I was going to forget how to replicate it myself and here is the process for you to make your own.

Step 1 – Choose your would-be magnetic board.

You can use any size or shape metal tray for this project.  I used a pizza tray that cost a few dollars in Kmart – sorry I forgot to photograph this!  Keep an eye on the sales or the discount variety stores and you will be sure to pick a tray up for next to nothing.

Step 2 – Gather your supplies

You will need the following

• paint primer
• paint in your choice of final colour
• coordinating paper or card big enough to cover your tray
• Craft knife or scissors
• paintbrush
• craft glue

Step 3 – Prime the tray

Using a paint primer, prepare your tray to be painted.  You don’t need to cover the whole tray.  I used a can of paint primer I had left over from another project and did not bother to paint the very back of the tray as it was to be attached to a wall.  I only primed the edges and some of the base of the tray’s top side.  You will see why soon.

Step 4 – Paint the tray

Top your primer coat with as many coats of your final colour as you think you need.  I used two coats of white spray paint, also left over from another project.  While you could use a paint brush to apply your colour, especially if you have a speciality colour in mind, I prefer the  ease and neatness of spray paint.

Step 5 – Apply your paper

Cut the paper to fit the inside base of your tray.  This will leave the painted edges of your tray exposed, hence the reason why there is no need to paint the whole tray.  Using a paintbrush  apply a thin layer of craft glue to the base and lay down your paper.  Smooth out any bubbles and allow your tray to dry.  For this step I used a piece of scrapbooking paper and the cardboard label that had been attached to the inside of my tray, acted as a template to cut out my circle with a craft knife.

Done!

This board looks great.  No one would guess it was destined at one point to be a pizza tray.  I could imagine that a whole display of these in varying sizes, and even shapes, in coordinating colours and papers would look effective.

As for my magnetic board, it is destined to complete my command centre which I hope to share with you soon.  I would love you to follow me via email or my Facebook page so you can see the board hanging in relation to the rest of my completed centre.