Restoring A Vintage Surfboard Tray

I love a good thrift store upcycle, making a project over is the best part. But sometimes pieces are best left alone. Like this one.

Here are a few quick tips to get those wood pieces looking their best.


When I was little, I loved garage sales. That's what they were called in my neck of the woods. Certainly not glamorous, but truly, the name fit.

I would ride my bike to the sale, with a pocket full of quarters and spend tons of time, browsing, looking for treasure.

Among my greatest finds were a Sonny and Cher album and a macrame pocketbook.

What can I say, it was the 70's and I was ten.

As I got older however, I lost interest in used items and street side wares. I had real money to spend and the bus went straight to the mall.

It wasn't until my 20's, when I got married, that the allure of second hand items and estate sales - as they were now called - caught my attention again.

Mainly because we were poor, just starting out and had to furnish an apartment. Things were cheap and with a little paint, they did the job.

This chair is a perfect example.


However, somewhere along the way, that need to find second hand items turned into a love and respect for anything old with good bones or a good story or gave me a good feeling.

And thankfully, my guy felt the same way.

Over the years we've furnished not one, but two homes with treasures we've found on weekend outings. Vintage pieces, curbside finds, thrift store and antique shop items that we just couldn't pass up.

We never pay a lot and we usually spruce them up or customize them, turning them into cottage style showstopper for our tiny cottage style home.

Let's face it, that's part of the fun.

But every now and again, we find something that's perfect just the way it is...even if we didn't think so when we bought it.


I was alone when I found this tray. It was sitting on a shelf in my local thrift store and it caught my eye.

Right away, I knew I had to have it. It had great lines, was solid wood and priced to sell.

It was a little too mid-century modern for my decidedly older and more rustic taste, but I knew I could make it over in some fabulous way.

And on my way home, that's what I thought about...my other tray makeovers. Ones with white paint and stencils or wall stickers, pumpkins and apples or snowflakes and stars.

It was going to be great.

When I got in the door, I put it in the kitchen, ready to get to work and then the whole world shut down.

My family was here 24/7, we were scrambling for food deliveries and paper goods and that tray just wasn't a priority.

Of course, neither was putting it away. So it sat in the kitchen, getting moved about from here to there, always in view, although never on display, for over 6 long months.

Then this week I remembered that it was time to share something for our Do It Over Designers hop and I thought, ah ha, it's tray time!

As I prepared to get creative, pawing through my supplies, I kept catching a glimpse of that tray from the corner of my eye and I suddenly realized maybe it didn't need anything at all.

Hmmm...it was an odd feeling since I'm usually all about the makeovers, but thinking about how that warm wooden piece looked so at home in my kitchen for all those months, I decided to leave it alone.

Project done, right?


Well, not quite. You see that tray is old, so it was a little beat up.

And it had a nasty thrift store sticker on it that just wouldn't budge.


Thankfully, I remembered my friend Ann's peanut butter trick. It took that gooey mess right off. Perfect.


Next up, the wooden feet were off kilter. They were slipping and not tucked into place.


A quick tap with a hammer fixed that problem.


The next issue was also an easy fix. It was very scratched in one particular area. I didn't want to have to sand the entire tray, so I used my trusty furniture markers (<---these are the ones) to cover them up. 


They worked like a charm. SO well that I recently used them to repair my wood floor.

I just "drew" over the scratch marks with the marker and then rubbed in and wiped away the excess with a paper towel.


When all the scratches were covered, the last step in the process was to shine it up with a little olive oil/ vinegar mix.

It's my go to furniture polish.


In the end it looked brand new and fabulous in my fall kitchen.

The wood is just gorgeous on its own and its mid century styling takes on a cottage air when surrounded by my country accents.


An added bonus? I googled this little piece and found out that they are actually quite sought after.

In good shape, some of these vintage teak or maple surfboard trays are selling for quite a pretty penny.

Mine is not the brand in the ad, but even those were selling for much higher prices than the $4 I paid for it.

I'm not planning to sell, but it's nice to know that my decision not to do it over leaves that as an option. 

Fabulous!

Hey before you go, it's time for another fun hop full of more crafty DIYs. This month we have some new friends joining us and I know you won't want to miss what they have to share.

So go for a visit, gather some great ideas and inspiration for fall.