Urban Sign Serving Trays

Dimensions: Length 19.5 inches; Width 13.5 inches, Outside edge of tray sides 1.5 inches; Weight 9 pounds. One ubiquitous artifact of urban life is various signs telling you where and when you can’t park or even stop. Washington, D.C., is famous for them—and infamous for the hefty fines you’ll be charged if ticketed for violating the posted notifications. These serving trays each features one such sign. They also feature a 1/8-inch-thick glass top, so you’re not putting anything directly on the sign; also, the glass is removable (and has smooth, polished edges), to facilitate cleaning. Serving your guests with one of these trays may prompt some interesting stories about parking rules and tickets in D.C. And if you keep it out on display—such as on a table or in a hutch—the bold, graphic design will be a nice piece of urban art. 

Samples shown here, full set of available models shown below. The story behind all the trays appears at the bottom of this page.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Idling $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking Anytime, Left $125. Click here to purchase.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking Anytime, Left or Right $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking, Hotel Loading Zone $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking, Metro Bus Zone $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking, Rush Hours $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

Urban Sign Serving Tray: No Parking School Days $125. Sold at a neighborhood art show.

The Story

First of all, I did not steal or remove these signs. I found them all either off their original poles, or on their original poles but the poles had been replaced by new poles and new signage. Nearly all of them were together in one set, where a long stretch of a street was being updated. The signs had been discarded and replaced with new ones. If fact, for many weeks they were literally in the gutter, in a construction staging area, and several of them had been splattered with concrete. I scraped away the concrete and scrubbed both sides clean with Comet and a rough sponge. In some cases, I had to hammer out a dent or file down a burr, so they’d lay nicely. I bought the glass from Columbia Mirror & Glass (now in Springfield, Virginia, formerly in my Glover Park neighborhood of D.C.); each piece was $25. I bought the stainless steel handles (roughly $7 each), the 1 x 2 pine boards, and the ½-inch medium density fiberboard for the backing piece from The Home Depot. To make the tray frame, I used my router to create a notch that would hold the backing piece but leave a ¾-inch boarder around the sign. I cut the side pieces to length with mitered ends. I assembled the frame with a screw at each corner, then used glue and nails to secure the backing piece in place. I drilled the holes for the handle screws, then applied one coat of primer and two coats of semi-gloss black paint. I glued the sign down with Loctite Premium Construction Adhesive and screwed the handles into place.

Related Items: Permit Parking Sign End Table with Black Pipe Legs, One Way Road Sign End Table with Black Pipe Legs.