DIY Bar Tray

February 17, 2014
DIY,Entertaining

I’ve been dreaming of owning and dressing up a bar cart for awhile now and just haven’t found the right one – either it was too pricey or the aesthetic just wasn’t right. Inspired by 18th century campaign chests, with their protective brass corners and charming drawer pulls, I decided to make my own bar tray. I’m pleased with the way it turned out and more importantly, I love that I can make my guests a cocktail right in my living room!

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You’ll need:

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Start by marking the center point along the length of the rectangular tray. Putting a piece of painters tape down makes it easy to mark with a pen.

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Then find the center point along the height of the tray.

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Measure the width of the backside of the campaign drawer pull, from screw to screw. Divide by two and measure out that amount from the left and right of the center point.

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Make sure your marks are centered and aligned. With a power drill, gently press down with the drill in reverse. After it makes a slight indent in to the tray, drill forward until you pierce a clean hole.

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After the two holes have been drilled, use a screwdriver to screw on the drawer pull. Repeat on the other side.

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Squeeze a dollop of E6000 onto a small piece of cardboard. With a toothpick, apply a thin layer of glue into the inside of the brass corners.

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Press into the corners of the tray and allow to dry for at least 2-3 hours.

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Voila! Your bar tray is complete . . .

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Add a few of your favorite bottles of liquor, an ice bucket, and some glassware.

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I used a really inexpensive restaurant tray stand to turn the tray into a bar “cart.” It doesn’t have wheels but I think it’s as good as it gets given the price and accessibility. Besides, it’s nice that it keeps the tray stable!

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Cheers!

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(images by HonestlyYUM)

Conversation

Wow, this is very cool and classy. I’m going to try my hand at making one. Thanks for the breakdown how to make it. -Jason

Hi David

i could be wrong…so the owner of this please correct me…but the Ice Bucket looks like a George Briard vintage ice bucket. It should be signed on the bottome. If you look on Etsy or Ebay you can find fabulous George Briard vintage ice buckets for every decor. I own 2 of them and have seen this exact or almost exact one. They are really affordable and gorgeous. George Briard glassware and decor is timeless…and vintage.

Good Luck!

I saw this on a search and did not realize it was DIY. It is amazing. I am returning my bart cart as it had too many defects and been searching for a butler tray and stand. I found one on West Elm …there is a site on Etsy Tres Suzette that has amazing finds. I bought a gorgeous Chanel inspired champagne bucket. My apartment is super tiny and the butler tray is the right size fit. You did a more than fabulous job and I thought it was bought like this. Thank you for your inspiration.

Hey, this looks awesome? Just wondering where you got the ice bucket and if the flowers are real or artificial?

Best regards

David

I love this, what a fabulous DIY! Can’t wait to try i will link back here. Love your place around here. New fan!

Hi! do you have the link to the exact tray stand you used? When I click on the Webstaurant link, it just takes me to the home page. I love the way your looks and would really like to replicate! Thanks 🙂

Oh God, I LOVE this!!!! I am going to attempt it. Can anyone tell me where to buy one of those stands? I’m OK for the tray and the trim, but I have no idea where to get the stand. Thanks!

Love this, it is absolutely GORGEOUS! 2 questions: (!) it looks like the campaign drawer pulls stick out quite a bit…is there a way to set it so it is flush with the outside of the tray, or is that just insane sorcery? (2) How stable is the tray on top of the stand? I’m super uncoordinated and bump into things all the time so I’d be terrified to bump into it and have all my precious booze come tumbling down… I wonder if there might be a way to sort of have it “hook” together kind of…hmmmm. Thanks for the inspiration!

PS Obsessed with your ice bucket!!!

This is gorgeous! Great job! I’ve been trying to find a bar cart for AGES and think that this might be the way to go at this point!

I’ve used the brass corners and found itty bitty nails to nail into them but they were a challenge to nail in because they were very small and super delicate!

Cheers- Melissa

This has got to be one of the best DIYs I’ve come across lately. It’s genius! The gold corners add so much. Well done!

What a gorgeous diy bar tray. I love the black and gold look; so regal and uber chic.

I love this! This could definitely fit in my small space as a side table.

Oh gosh, the chicest bar cart on world wide web.

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