In December 2023 my cousin brought me an old disassembled MDF table that was no longer needed in her home. I asked her to save it for me thinking if nothing else, I could break it down and use the pieces in some artful way.
It sat in our garage for about 6 months until I decided I should look it over. I discovered not all the hardware was with it but also the legs had split where the connections to the base of the table would go. It's not easy to repair MDF once it's split. It will always split again at some point even if you don't use the original holes to put things back in place.
My father was a woodworker all my life and although he worked with actual wood and rarely with MDF the rules are basically the same. You can repair it but it might not look like it originally did especially with MDF pieces. He repaired antiques and you'd never know there was a crack or a leg missing once he finished his magic. MDF isn't wood and I'm not comparing what I did here with what he did. However, I felt his guidance from above as I worked. He was definitely helping me decide how to take what was and make it new once more. He passed in August of 2024 so didn't get to see the result of my labor but I know he was with me, just the same. And I feel he'd approve of my efforts.
I primed all the pieces in early 2024 and as I did, I thought I'd try to use the legs in a different way and put them on the base. I wasn't successful ... no matter how I thought they'd go, there was a gap or a tilt or a whole section of just basically air from point A to point B.
So ... it sat. And I stared at it and kept thinking.
And it sat. And I thought some more.
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| The arrow is a reminder that the other side of this panel needed a hole fixed. |
Until one day in September of 2024, I bought paint called Tibetan Turquoise made by Behr. In February 2025, I purchased hairpin legs through Amazon, making the decision to add new legs instead of trying to use the old ones. The old pieces shown in the photo above are in the mosaic pile to be used to make wall art. Like I always say, nothing goes to waste.
Eventually, I felt strong enough physically to paint and add the legs. Plus a little bit of mosaic magic to it. It felt great being in the Purple Palace again working on a small mosaic!
This is similar to what it looked like when it was brand new. Legs were on an angle and not straight up and down, but basically this is what it looked like.
Adding the paint was a true joy. To see it coming together was an amazing experience. I don't usually do makeovers like this. I definitely want to do something more at some point. It was fun!
Finishing mosaic touches make it truly my style.
I love how this turned out and will continue to be useful for years. Please think before you decide to toss out something. There's always a way to reuse or revamp so many things and save them from the landfill.
Thanks to my cousin, who used the original table from 2012 to 2023 and saved it for me, I was able to give it new life. Huzzah!!
What do you think? Leave a comment if you'd like and consider some inexpensive makeovers you can do. I'm no expert but if you have a questions about how to do something, please feel free to reach out. I'll help you if I'm able or direct you toward someone who can.
Until next time ... Enjoy the journey.
Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics
https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com
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