How to personalize Gladom, the well-known and very inexpensive tray table?
Ikea hacks have been arguably the most sought after and accessible DY’s for years. And it’s true that with a few simple interventions, it’s often very easy to create a personalized object, with an accessory or piece of furniture from the big Swede.
After our home renovation, our wallet has shrunk quite a bit so all decorating ideas on a small budget are welcome. This is why I fell for the Gladom tray table from Ikea (it only costs €14.99). With the remains of materials from other post-renovation DIY’s, I upgraded it to my taste and I wanted to share this easy idea with you.
The Gladom consists of a base and a top (the tray), both metal. For this simple DIY I chose to remove the tray to replace it with a wooden one.
I had some wood left over from a small project making a desk in the guest room and luckily it was pretty oak wood. I spray painted the base which was already assembled as described by the great Swede. I used the spray paint I had bought earlier for the Svälnas wall system we installed in the living room.
What you’ll need:
- a Gladom tray table (14,99€ at Ikea’s, there are other stores that sell similar tables))
- spray paint in the colour of your choice
- a wooden board of 45 x 45 cm (do not hesitate to go and see leftovers in the cutting section of your DIY store)
- a jigsaw
- a finish for your wood (lacquer, oil, varnish, sealer or glazing)
Étapes:
- Remove the tray from your Gladom and, if you want, you can seal of the tips of the feet (which are not metallic) with tape.
- SPray paint the base in a regular way, without getting too close with the spray can, to prevent the paint from dripping. If you have never used spray paint before, I recommend that you practice on a piece of cardboard or another disposable object.
- Use the Gladom original tray as a template to draw the circle on your wooden board. This is the only ‘difficulty’ of this DIY, you have to correctly direct your jigsaw to make the cirle perfectly round.
- Sand your new wooden tray and then treat it to protect it. This will be according to the finish you prefer and the wood you use. For my oak board, I used oil. In time I’ll see if it will be necessary to add a layer of transparent varnish.
There you go, your Gladom is transformed and personalized. Its appearance is a little ‘warmer’ because of the wood.
You can obviously also paint the new tray in a colour and create the look that matches the room you’ll use it in. Anything’s possible!
Depending on your mood and wish to change your interior, you can choose to put the original tray back every once in a while. It might be nice to be able to change it around like that. I rather chose to do something else with the original metal tray.
I just took some cord and a few lovely wooden beads to hang it on the wall. This way, the tray is also transformed, it’s become a board with magnets to hang pretty postcards, photos, labels, etc.
Photos:
by Interior Crisp, unless mentionned otherwise
