World's Easiest DIY Mirrored Tray

Kylie from Absolutely Arkansas created what she calls “the world’s easiest DIY” when she made this pretty mirrored vanity tray.

All Kylie did was glue drawer pulls onto a five dollar frame from Wal-mart. Yep, it’s that simple (and cheap)!

Kylie says, “I absolutely love how many uses you can get out of this simple project, from a coffee table tray… to breakfast in bed! This simple mirrored tray adds a little glitz to any decor!”

Sure, it doesn’t get any easier than this. But if you’re the least bit skeptical you might buy that it’s a fast and easy DIY undertaking, but may have visions of the handles breaking off.

You know, right when you’re about to set down a tray full of scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice… You’re loved one sitting up in bed for breakfast only to have their food delivered literally all over their lap!

Let’s not have that happen. Let’s do this right.

What Glue to Use

It’s almost not fair to refer to gluing in this DIY tray endeavor. It’s not entirely a “glue and through” deal. This is because a tray like this needs more than just glue.

What are we talking about then?

The answer is epoxy. This is a two part adhesive that forms an incredibly durable bond. It contains a resin and a hardener to work its magic.

Its final consistency has a gap-filling quality so you can join two surfaces together that are uneven. In this case, it’s the textured mirror frame that’s uneven. You need epoxy to fill in these grooves.

Epoxy is great too because it sets up fast, but not too fast. You usually get 3-5 minutes, which is ample time to reposition parts as needed before it begins to really set up.

Two-part epoxy also usually dries clear, making it pretty unforgiving when it comes to how neat you really have to be when joining pieces together.

Which epoxy to get?

By far, THE most popular brand of epoxy these days is Gorilla. We’ve all heard of Gorilla Glue, and their Gorilla Epoxy is serious stuff. At less than 5 bucks for what you need for this, it’s your cheapest epoxy solution too.

Aside from drying completely clear for a no-mess finish, Gorilla epoxy bonds well with many materials. This includes metals, aluminum, glass, wood, plastics, and ceramics.

If any of these are painted, the bond will be just as strong.

So, bottom line… get Gorilla epoxy and “glue” the handles for your carrying tray on the right way. This will assure the handles are strong enough to hold and pull their weight so to speak.

As for the mirror, it’s not meant to take a lot of weight. So, over time just check the backing and see that it stay strong secured to the frame and that the mirror doesn’t begin sliding through.

Again, a disaster waiting to happen.

Other than that, you’ll have yourself one nice chic decor item to add beauty, interest and functionality to your home.

Kylie was inspired by Anthropologie’s Mirrored Vanity Tray.

Head on over to Absolutely Arkansas to read more about Kylie’s project. Honestly, there isn’t much more to this. You gotta love that!