Monday, May 26, 2008

Recycling a Coffeetable


After who knows how many years (it was used when I got it) and much abuse, the legs on my coffee table could take no more. I wasn't about to buy a new one, and I really didn't want to buy a used one. I considered going without, but realized that the kids would leave drinks on the floor, which would lead to extreme mess.



My mother-in-law had an old coffee table that had made it as far as her storage building, but it had been there so long that the elements had ruined the laminated top. The foundation was still strong, if not beautiful.


I removed the wonky legs from my table, and the top from hers. I also had to remove the frame underneath my tabletop because it was smaller than the foundation of hers.



A bit of carpenters glue. Actually, a LOT of carpenters glue!



I added bricks to weigh it down (not shown) and let it dry overnight.



The finished product (after I cleaned the glue and paint from the tabletop) is nothing to write home about, but it's perfectly serviceable. Sure beats buying another piece of furniture!



Oh, the frame I removed wasn't discarded. The kids are using it to frame their flower bed in front of the playhouse.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Kid! Great Idea! I love to re-use things as well. It makes a lovely coffee table. I think more people should do more things like this, making one-of-a-kind furniture that could be a family treasure.