Where to find an unfinished wooden tray in Minneapolis/St. Paul?

July 28, 2008 10:53 AM

Where to find an unfinished wooden tray in Minneapolis/St. Paul?

I'm looking for a decent, unfinished wooden tray so I can lay mosaic on the surface and then finish it to match my mother's kitchen. I want a decent sized tray (about 17" x 14" or more)

I already have checked JoAnn's craft section and Michael's (In Apple Valley/Burnsville if that makes a difference), but the ones they had were too small and the wood used was very thin and balsa-like (far too weak to support tiles), and seemed strictly for decorative purposes. Whereas I want one that can actually be USED to carry things.

I plan to check Mosaic on a Stick tomorrow and Clay Squared doesn't seem to sell wooden surfaces, just tiles and whatnot. Are there any stones that I've left unturned locally?

I already found some shops on the internet as a last resort, but I have a thing about touching and holding stuff before buying (personal quality control).

posted by deinemutti to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Have you looked at any of the unpainted furniture stores like The Unpainted Place or Woody's Unfinished Furniture? I've had a look at the websites, which show only the big furniture pieces, but they may have accessories as well.
posted by triggerfinger at 11:12 AM on July 28, 2008

It should be fairly easy to make one if nothing else. Some project board and some pre-carved or routed trim that you can have mitre-cut at a home improvement store if you don't have the tools.

Outside that all you need is wood glue and some nails.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 11:30 AM on July 28, 2008

Post a request using CL. There are hundreds of workworkers out there who would be happy to make something to your specs...
posted by unixrat at 11:33 AM on July 28, 2008

Ikea's got a couple that might work for you:
Klack & Skala
posted by Floydd at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2008

Response by poster: I looked at Buck's unpainted furniture and they only had, well, furniture.

Ikea sounds like a possibility.

What is CL?
posted by deinemutti at 1:14 PM on July 28, 2008

It sounds like you're describing a large wooden cutting board. Maybe you should check the kitchen accessories aisle. (btw: www.CraigsList.org = CL)
posted by klarck at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2008

I haven't lived in the Twin Cities for years but I remember going to the Unpainted Place many times with my mom when growing up. If memory serves me they didn't only have furniture and also did custom jobs.
posted by jk252b at 2:52 PM on July 28, 2008

Hate to piggyback on the question, but I'm curious about The Unpainted Place and can't find a website. Triggerfinger, do you know where I could find out more info?
posted by bristolcat at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2008

Also try Etsy.com, a great online marketplace for independently sold hand-made goods. Most woodworking items are pretty inexpensive. You can also use the Alchemy feature to request specific items and allow different sellers to bid.
posted by kenliu at 3:59 PM on July 28, 2008

bristolcat - sorry, the websites that I looked at were Woody's and Buck's (mentioned above by the OP). The Unpainted Place doesn't seem to have a site. I've been there before (many years ago) and FWIW it is what it says it is - unpainted wooden furniture - and looks pretty similar to what Buck's and Woody's have on their sites. The contact details are:

The Unpainted Place
3565 Wooddale Ave S, St Louis Park, MN 55416-2308
Phone: [phone]
posted by triggerfinger at 1:54 PM on July 29, 2008

Thank you, triggerfinger! I couldn't find the address, either, so this is extremely helpful.
posted by bristolcat at 4:36 PM on July 29, 2008