One of my favorite projects to do recently is take old casserole holders into cute trays and or caddies.
When thrifting, look for casserole holders that have a bit of “lip” at the inside rim. You’ll be fitting a wood round inside and it needs to be able to rest on that (so it doesn’t fall through).
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This rectangular holder has a rim inner edge all the way around the inside; perfect to sit a wood piece on.
Cute details
Fitting a wood piece inside is trial and error.
To start, I turn the casserole holder upside down and trace the inside onto a piece of wood.
Wood about a 1/2” thick works well. I use my jigsaw to carefully cut on the outside of my traced line. Then, trial and error to get it to fit just right inside the casserole.
These rectangular shapes are a little more challenging than the rounds.
If you choose to paint (the metal) or not paint is up to you. When I do paint, I use chalk paint and then a clear spray like Krylon to set it.
Using a clear spray topcoat is an easy way to seal it if you painted.
How you decided to paint or finish your wood is up to you. You could stain, paint or simply give a good clear seal with wax or polycrylic.
On this one, I added a pretty rub-on transfer. In the previous example, I painted using a stencil with repeating design.
On this one, I chose not to paint the metal. It was a deeper holder so I imagined it would work well as a caddy for condiments, or a fun plant stand/holder.
You may need to glue the wood piece into the casserole. This one fit very snug so I did not glue. However, if I wanted to, I could use hot glue for a quick non-permanent option or e6000 for a stronger long term option.
This is the paint I used for one makeover. I like this brand paint; fusion.
And I decoupaged the pretty flowers on top, followed by several coats of polycrylic (brushed on).
For this one, I freehand painted the design.
❤️
This is one I’m currently working on. The way the metal bows out like a doughnut means I’ll need to glue the wood inside.
I decided to give it a paint wash to look like a stain. Work in progress!
Hopefully seeing these has given you your own idea for a casserole tray makeover!
