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

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

deinemutti — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:53:00 -0800

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).

By: triggerfinger

triggerfinger — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:12:56 -0800

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.

By: WinnipegDragon

WinnipegDragon — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:30:38 -0800

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.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:33:19 -0800

Post a request using CL. There are hundreds of workworkers out there who would be happy to make something to your specs...

By: Floydd

Floydd — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:20:35 -0800

Ikea's got a couple that might work for you:
Klack & Skala

By: deinemutti

deinemutti — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:14:11 -0800

I looked at Buck's unpainted furniture and they only had, well, furniture.

Ikea sounds like a possibility.

What is CL?

By: klarck

klarck — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:07:11 -0800

It sounds like you're describing a large wooden cutting board. Maybe you should check the kitchen accessories aisle. (btw: www.CraigsList.org = CL)

By: jk252b

jk252b — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:52:25 -0800

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.

By: bristolcat

bristolcat — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:52:26 -0800

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?

By: kenliu

kenliu — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:59:03 -0800

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.

By: triggerfinger

triggerfinger — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:54:37 -0800

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: (612) 285-5555

By: bristolcat

bristolcat — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:36:19 -0800

Thank you, triggerfinger! I couldn't find the address, either, so this is extremely helpful.