coffeetabletraywithdrawer thumb1

I am so excited about this project.  This tray is perfect for a coffee table because it has a little drawer to hide things like magazines and remote controls.  Another idea is to put school supplies in it for a homework station or have it on a kitchen table and store things like extra silverware and napkins.  It is rather heavy so it won’t really work for a serving tray.  But it is nice to have where it will stay in place and be able to serve as some hiding place organization.

coffee table tray with drawer

This is also a prefect scrap buster project.  If you create DIY wood stuff like I do -a nice little stash of wood pieces are left behind.  I actually had all the wood in my scrap bins so the only expense was the cabinet pulls.  However, if you don’t have scraps all supplies (1”x3”, 1”x 2”, 1”x6” and plywood) can be purchased at Lowes and were made with all stock wood pieces.

coffee table tray 

I partnered with Rayan from The Design Confidential on this project.  I told her what I wanted and she designed it and showed me how it was done.  For the full plans click here to learn how to make a coffee table tray with drawer.

In addition to the supplies Rayan listed I used some Minwax stain with Charcoal Gray mixed in.  It was the first time I tried a colored stain.  Even with pre-wood conditioner (put this on the bare wood first) it seemed splotchy and not like a stain at all – probably because Lowes added pigment to it which made it more paint-like than stain-like.

tray with drawer

So I decided to sand some of it down and put a Minwax Special Walnut over the top of it.  It didn’t darken the colored stain but on the places where I sanded it darkened and made it look much better.

DIY tabletop tray 

I then followed that with two coats of a wipe-on poly (sanding between coats) and it was done.  On the right you can see the inside of the drawer that has just the colored stain on it.

coffee table tray

I purchased some pulls from Lowes and drilled them in place. (Brainerd Copper Highlights Bar, and Gatehouse Aged Bronze Pull).

handmade tray with drawer

diy tray tutorial

It kind of looks, grayish, blueish, brownish.  It is a weird color but I kind of like it.  I wanted to do something other than paint or stain which is why I opted for this finish.  What do you think?

tray with pulls

tray with drawer

I love how it looks like a vintage crate with the space between the drawer and the top piece.  However, if you wanted to cut a drawer front to have no space between that and the top 1” x 2” you could certainly do that.

coffee table tray 

Fall Badge Rectangle 

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Disclaimer:  As part of the Lowes Creative Ideas Creators & Influencers I am challenged each month with a project from Lowes.  They compensate me for my time with gift cards to Lowes.

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3 Comments

  1. I really like this project but have a question…doesn’t the bottom drawer scrape on the table when opened? Also, I think this would be great for a craft table but add another drawer or two. Perfect for storing “up” and getting some of the stuff off the table!

  2. Yes, I love how it utilizes vertical space and hides away some of the junk. 😉 It does not scrape the table because there is a bottom on the tray. The drawer fits inside just like any drawer does.

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