MDF Sanding - Is It Possible - Fish Tank Stand Repair - Water Damage

[robtherevelator1969]

Hi Guys

I just bought an ex display black Red Sea Reefer 450 (5ft/1.5m) fishtank and cabinet for a bargain price. I knew the cabinet and doors had bad wear and tear but i thought i could tart it up a bit. When i got it home and looked under the cabinet i could see the bottom of the end panels were badly swollen due to water damage, the lower front and rear strap is also badly swollen and needs replaced. The panels all look like veneered mdf and the doors look like painted mdf. I intend to screw the panels back on and not use camlocks.

Sample pic my unit is all black

1) End Panel - With regards to the end panel that is the worst end, the edges are burst and you can see the swelling on the bottom 150mm. I took my time and peeled back the black veneer about so it would expose the high areas of mdf. I put a straight edge across the surface and there could be about 3mm to come off at the higher areas. How can i get the mdf flat so i can glue the veneer back down and it will look better. Will a sander work or should i use a rasp, i dont have either so i would need to buy.

end panel pic before peeling back

2) Rear Panel - The rear panels are veneered and it is in 3 sections, why i dont know, maybe for flat pack reasons, they are all fitted on using camlocks. This panel could do with being replaced as the sump (tank inside cabinet for filtering) goes in there and it has also made the back panels badly water damaged. I cant just replace this with mdf as this sump tank goes in there i need this to be waterproof. Is there a way of making a panel that is highly resistant to moisture and water splashing (like veneer)? Would sealed and painted mdf work?

back panel in 3 sections

3) Lower Straps - These are laminated mdf and are 60mm x 20mm. This area is going to be safe from water in my house so i can seal and paint mdf to replace these with 18mm thick straps. How do i seal and paint it satin black?

swollen bottom straps

 

[big-all]

simply wasting your time really mdf and water a difinate no no
all effort will give you a short term bodge that will come back to haunt you
if you can gtee no water in the future then replace damaged panels and seal well and keep dry

 

[robtherevelator1969]

simply wasting your time really mdf and water a difinate no no
all effort will give you a short term bodge that will come back to haunt you
if you can gtee no water in the future then replace damaged panels and seal well and keep dry

Thanks for your reply. It wont get this bad normally, usually these units should last a long time if kept dry, this was a display unit and it was not looked after. It would cost too much money to replace the panels and make it not worthwhile buying this bargain. So yes i will need to fix it how i can and it wont get wet again.

 

[big-all]

it will still look rough to some extent
i dont think it will look good
best you can do is sand as flat as you can and hope
dont forget its not only visual its lost strength
but will let others comment as i am off up the wooden hill

 

[foxhole]

Probably easier to replace using the existing as a template, get mdf cut to size at point of sale and screw it all together.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Cover it in black sticky back plastic.