Affordable DIY faux marble bed-tray

I’ve always loved the idea of bed trays. Not only are they functional, but they really can add a little extra something to a room. There is something about a styled bed tray that I really love.

I spent a while searching for the perfect bed tray when I was re-designing my bedroom, but everything I found I either didn’t like or it was too much money ($60-100+) and I couldn’t justify the price. That’s when I decided to make my own!

I made this faux-marble tray only using three items and it cost me under $30. 

I picked up a an unfinished wood tray,  similar to this one from my local craft store for under $10. I have seen similar items ad the Ikea and the dollar store as well.  The first step was to paint it.

I used some  white chalk paint that I already had at home from a previous DIY. I painted the entire tray white and it took about 2-3 coats to completely cover it. I wanted it to be solid white, but if you’re looking for a white-washed effect 1 coat should be fine.

Once the paint was completely dry it was time to add the marble design to the tray. I already had some of this marble vinyl/contact paper on hand, as I use it as a backdrop for my blog/Instagram photos from time to time (#LifeHack). I measured out the inside of the tray on the back of the sheet and cut it to size.

Next, it was just a matter of carefully sticking the vinyl sheet onto the tray and smoothing out any air bubbles. I’m not so great at cutting straight lines, so there were a couple of spots where the vinyl sheet was slightly too large. I just used an exacto knife to trim away those spots.

Easy peasy, am I right?

I really do love how it turned out and the best part is, (aside from the cost of course) that there isn’t another one like it! I have a fair amount of marbled items around my room, (including some storage boxes that I fixed up using the same vinyl) so it matched everything perfectly.