Check out how I turned some dollar store pans into a Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray!
If you’re a lover of being seasonally festive with your decor (like me), then you gotta get yourself a tiered tray. Or better yet, make one!
This Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray is soooo easy, cheap, and quick. It’s exactly what I needed to make cute holiday and seasonal displays.
I can’t believe this can be made for about $5. This is why I’m so obsessed with Dollar Tree home decor hacks 😆
Let’s get started with our super easy Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray!
Supplies
For your Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray, you’ll need:
- Dollar Tree pie pan
- Dollar Tree plastic platter
- Dollar Tree candle holder
- White or cream chalk paint
- Black paint
- Paintbrush
- Hot glue
- Finishing spray (I used a glossy finishing spray)
Paint your pans
The first step in creating your Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray is to paint your pans and candlestick holder. I used a cream chalk paint for this step. Chalk paint has excellent coverage and gives farmhouse vibe finishes (I use it for so many projects!!).
The chalk paint I used was Folk Art Chalk Paint in Sheepskin. I’m alwayssss using Sheepskin because it’s the perfect off-white color. I try to avoid overly white paints for most of my projects because it can be a little abrasive sometimes.
My pie pan and platter needed about 3 coats of paint in order for me to deem them ready for the next step. It probs could’ve been okay with 2 coats, but I thought I saw a hint of silver coming through. The candlestick holder needed about 2 coats.
Dry brushing
After my platter, pan, and candlestick holder were dry, I tried a painting method called dry brushing. Basically, I dipped the paintbrush into paint, then dabbed it on a paper towel until most of the paint was off of it. Then I used the brush to paint in areas to give the tray more of a farmhouse enamelware vibe.
When you’re dry brushing, you’ll want to paint the higher points on your candlestick holder, not so much in the crevices. You’ll also want the outer rims of your plate and pan to look darker.
On my first Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray that I made, I might’ve overdone it a bit with the dry brushing. With the second one I did, I eased up a bit.
Hot glue your tray together
It’s time to secure your tray by gluing the pieces together. We’ll be pretty much finished with our Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray after this!
I used hot glue for my tiered tray. That’s just what I had around my house already (and this Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray is supposed to be cheap and easy!). I’ve seen other people use super glue or E6000, but hot glue worked for me.
It might be a good idea to use a ruler or tape measure to measure out where the middle of your plate and pan are. That way you have a target for where to glue your candlestick holder.
You’ll want to glue your candlestick holder upside down so that the top part is being glued to your lower tier. I made the mistake of doing it the opposite way on my first Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray and it didn’t look as good. I fixed it for the second tiered tray I made and it was much better and looked more connected.
Here’s how I glued my candlestick holder on my first tray:
Here’s how I glued the candlestick holder on my second Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray:
I think the second way looks soooo much better with the candlestick holder upside down.
Finishing spray
All of the hard parts of our Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray are complete! We’re now ready for the finishing touches.
I had a matte finishing spray and a glossy finishing spray at home, and at first I could not decide which would be best for this project. I still wanted the rustic vibe, but I also wanted it to look like something I would buy at a store. Ultimately I decided that a glossy spray would be best to make it look more professional and finished.
I took my tray outside and gave it about 2 coats of my glossy spray. I let it dry outside for a while before bringing it in.
Here’s the final product of my first tiered tray:
And here’s how my second smaller tray turned out:
Show off your Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray in your home!
Our project is complete! Find an adorable place for your Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray so you can show it off and create some cute seasonal displays. The one above is my Halloween display!
I love how this simple DIY tiered tray can add so much to your home decor. I can’t wait to decorate mine for allllll the seasons. You know me, gotta stay festive!
How did your Dollar Tree DIY tiered tray turn out? Did you have to try it a second time like I did?? 😆
Let me know in the comments!
