How To Paint Buffalo Plaid on Thrift Store Find!

Learn how to paint buffalo plaid easily on wood with some chalk paint and painter’s tape. Watch a video tutorial on how I updated a thrift store find! 

I have a little confession…  I have hopped on the buffalo plaid train big time!  I love it and have decided to turn my family room into a buffalo check themed room. 

One of the first things I learned to do was how to paint buffalo plaid on wood and I wanted to show you how easy it is!

I found this tray at Good Will so the best part of this buffalo plaid decor project is that it was super cheap.

A tip on strolling through a thrift store… you need to have an open mind of what things could be, not what they are. 

You can throw some chalk paint on almost anything to spruce it up, all you have to do is have some imagination.

We have a pretty big Goodwill here in town that I like to visit every month or so.  I found some pretty great hidden treasures this time.

I ended up putting a few of these things back, but I’m so excited about the projects I have going on with the others. 

Pillows are a great find at thrift stores!  They are so much cheaper than buying pillow forms at craft stores.

Trays are another amazing find.  You can do so many things with trays and I was in luck on this trip.  I found this wood tray for $3!

How to Paint Buffalo Plaid Tips

Chalk paint is perfect for this thrift store makeover!  Chalk paint works on everything without having to sand or prep.

A few tips before we get started:

• I ended up painting three layers of white chalk paint on to coat it completely.  Make sure to sand it in between coats.  I forgot to sand after my last one and I think that was one of the causes for some of the bleeds.
• Make sure to press down the tape firmly down.  Use a brayer or scraper to make sure it has fully adhered.  This will help to get crisper lines.
• I didn’t have any black chalk paint, so I used black acrylic paint for my last layer.  It sticks great to chalk paint!
• If you want the tray to have a distressed look, you can sand the edges to get some of the white paint off.  Sand as much or little as you want!  No rules for this part.
• I touched up all the colors with small paintbrushes if the lines weren’t crisp, but that is optional.

Since taking pictures while I’m painting is not easy, I decided to make you a video on how to paint buffalo plaid to show you better. Make sure to check it out at the top of the post.

I’ve also made some buffalo plaid ornaments and burlap and buffalo plaid stockings to go with the buffalo check room motif!

If you like printable directions, I have you covered!  Click on the print button in the card.

How To Paint Buffalo Plaid on Thrift Store Find!

Active Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Learn how to paint buffalo plaid on wood easily and without a cutting machine!

Print

Materials

• Wood Tray - I got mine at Goodwill for $3!
• Chalk Paint and/or Acrylic Paint
• Painter's Tape - 1.5 inch
• Ruler
• 1.5 inch wood board (optional)
• Chalk Paint Wax

Tools

• Paint Brushes
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Paint your entire tray with white chalk paint.
2. Let dry an hour. Lightly sand over whole tray. Paint on another layer. Repeat if a third layer is needed.
3. Tape off the inside edges of your tray.
4. Measure your board (one way) and make a mark in the center of the board. I used 1.5 inch painter's tape, so after I marked the middle, I marked 0.75 inch on either side.
5. I used a board that was 1.5 inch or alternatively if you have a ruler that is 1.5 inch to draw straight lines. I placed the board in between the two marks and drew lines up and down the board.
6. Place a strip of painter's tape in the middle of the two lines. Place the board up against the tape and draw another straight line. Again line up the tape against the line and press it firmly in place. Keep doing that all the way across.
7. Paint over all the white paint with gray paint. Carefully remove the tape, set it aside to use later (leaving the tape on the inside edges) and let the paint dry for at least an hour.
8. Once it's dry, measure the center of the board going the other way. Again, place a strip of painter's tape directly in the center. Either place a board, ruler, piece of tape, or measure 1.5 inches away and place another strip of tape. Continue both ways until you get to edge.
9. Paint over the white with gray paint. Leave tape ON and let it dry for at least an hour.
10. Once it's dry, put the strips of tape you set aside back on the board exactly where they were before. So, they will be covering up some gray lines. It can be a little tricky to see edges!
11. Paint the squares that are not covered by tape with black paint. I used acrylic.
12. Once everything is painted, remove all the tape!
13. Let it dry and then touch up any pencil marks or bleed through marks with a small paint brush. If you are a perfectionist like me, this might take 5-10 minutes using white, gray, and black to make sure the lines are pretty straight.
14. Once it's all dry, apply a layer of clear wax or polyacrylic sealer. Let fully dry. Sand edges or any part if you want a distressed look.

Notes

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Not too hard, right??  I love how my tray came out and especially love that I can use it all year round, not just for Christmas.

Perfect spot to put my remotes that always seem to get lost!

As part of my buffalo plaid decor for Christmas, I made some pillows out of the ones I told you I got from Goodwill.  I made a few with buffalo check fabric that I picked up at Joann’s.

If you’d like to read my tutorial on how to make your own Rae Dunn Christmas pillows plus get my FREE SVG cut file, click on the link!

Or if you want to make your family or friends a family mug set or matching PJs with this free deer SVG set, click here to download. 

While you’re at it, make sure you check out my roundup of 60 Hot Chocolate recipes to fill the mugs with (click on link)!!

If you love making Christmas decorations, make sure sure to check out my ultimate guide to DIY Christmas decor.

If you’d like to save this idea for later, hover over the top left of the image below and PIN it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a creative day!