DIY Hexagon Serving Tray Set

If there are two things I really love, it’s hexagon shaped woodworking projects and food. So, with Thanksgiving coming up around the corner, I decided to combine my love for both and create a trendy hexagon serving set for our next holiday gathering! Even cooler, I was able to stain them in their own coordinating and custom stain family with the help of HANDy Paint Products!

How To Make A Hexagon Serving Tray Set

This project is sponsored by HANDy Paint Products.

I love spending Thanksgiving with family and friends. But, what makes it really special is being able to not only share the holiday spirit, but also be able to incorporate handmade items into the festivities as well. That’s why I was so excited when my friends at HANDy Paint Products asked to be part of the festivities this year with a custom serving tray set!

Here’s how I made this serving set come to life!

What You’ll Need:

Tools
HANDy Pro Pail
Miter Saw
Clamps
Sander & Sand Paper
Paint Mixer
Painting/Staining Tools
Tape Measure
Pencil

Materials
1×12 Boards
Various Wood Stains
(I Chose Plant-Based, Organic Options)
Wood Glue

The Steps:

1. I wanted to create two bigger platters, which required me to glue some pieces of 1×12 board together into larger boards.

2. After letting the boards dry overnight, I began to measure them into the final size of my hexagons. I chose to do four – large, medium, small, and smaller. The dimensions were as follows:

Large: 11″ Sides
Medium: 8 ½” Sides
Small: 6″ Sides
Smaller: 4 ½” Sides

3. Next, I set my miter saw to 30 degrees and began to cut my sides.

4. In order to make it easier, I made my first cut at 30 degrees and then used my measuring tape to measure the next side to the exact size of the first side and cut again. You can see this in action on my other Hexagon Serving Tray tutorial on YouTube!

5. After my shapes were all cut, I sanded them down to 220 grit, wet the grain, and then sanded again.

6. I used a hand sander to knock down the edges of the trays and round them over for a cleaner look.

7. Next, it was time to stain! I used four different stains for this project in gradually darker shades to help make a gradient of colors. I started with a clear polyurethane as my base (polyurethane is considered safe to put food on as long as it appropriately cures – I just wouldn’t recommend using the surface as a cutting board) and added an ample amount to my HANDy Pro Pail to start.

8. Next, I added my first color which was a light brown. I mixed it into the poly and tried the color on a scrap piece of wood before staining my first tray.

9. Once I was happy with the first color, I stained my first tray using a brush and then wiped away the excess with a rag (side note, it was really helpful to have a magnetic space on my HANDy Pro Pail to hang my brush when wiping away the excess stain).

10. Once I was happy with the first color, I added the next color to the batch I just made. This allowed the next tray to still have the same base and be in the same color family, but still be a shade or two darker.

11. I then repeated these same steps two more times (for a total of four colors). It was really helpful having a larger mixing pail for this, as I did use a lot of stain when experimenting.

12. Once the trays were stained, I hung up my brush and then finished them all off with a clear top coat. I also made sure to bottle up what was left of my final stain color (because I loved it so much).