15. Sun-Drenched Gingham Checkered Tray
What This Idea Means
Gingham brings charming country cottage energy to your kitchen and dining spaces. By layering translucent paint strokes, you recreate the classic woven look of gingham cloth on wood.
Supplies Needed
- Rectangular wooden tray
- Off-white base paint
- Accent paint (like sky blue or sage green)
- Painter’s tape
- Matte sealer
How to Make It
- Paint the entire tray surface off-white and let it dry completely.
- Apply evenly spaced vertical strips of painter’s tape down the tray floor.
- Paint over the exposed wood strips with your accent color mixed with 50% water or glazing medium to make it semi-sheer.
- Remove vertical tape and let the paint dry completely.
- Apply evenly spaced horizontal painter’s tape strips across the tray.
- Paint over exposed areas with the same semi-sheer paint. The overlapping squares will naturally become darker, creating the classic gingham pattern.
- Seal with a matte spray coat.
Tips and Variations
- Tip: Glazing medium works much better than water to make acrylic paint translucent without breaking it down.
- Variation: Use yellow for a bright lemon-gingham picnic style.
