Upcycled Mouse Pad

Let’s just say our computer mouse pad had seen better days. It was never anything special to look at, just a plain red pad with an Apple logo on it. The fabric cover was beginning to peel off and it was a real eye sore. I was on the look out for a one that was a bit more funky, but honestly, wasn’t seeing anything I liked. I found a blog post that outlined the steps for re-surfacing an existing mouse pad. This allowed me to use my own fabric and update our current pad to be more consistent with the decor of the room.

DIY Mouse Pad Upcycle:

I basically followed the steps outlined in Bridget’s tutorial.

  1. With your fabric facing down, trace the shape of the mouse pad onto the back of it. Cut out the traced shape using your line as a guide, but my suggestion is to cut slightly outside of the line to avoid the possibility of it not fitting properly. It can be trimmed at the very end of the project.
  2. My pad was in pretty rough shape, so I had to Mod Podge (or glue) the curling fabric prior to re-surfacing it. I let this dry thoroughly before proceeding.
  3.  I applied a thin coat of Mod Podge to the “wrong side” (bottom) of my fabric and let it dry completely. Bridget suggests this helps to prevent fraying and stiffens the fabric, so that it’s easier to adhere “wrinkle free” to the top of the mouse pad.
  4. Take the dry fabric and apply another layer of Mod Podge to the bottom of the fabric as well as a layer to the top of the mouse pad. Ensure both surfaces are completely covered with podge.
  5. Carefully lay the new fabric over the existing pad and smooth out any wrinkles.
  6. Let the mouse pad dry completely and then trim the edges as needed.

This is actually where I stopped. Not on purpose, but my son was tired of trying to make the mouse work properly on my make shift magazine mouse pad and stole the mouse pad from the work bench. It seems to work fine, so I haven’t snuck it away to finish it and am not sure if I will proceed with the last two steps. It seems to be working well and standing up to the use without the final two coats. This is a super easy project, but you do have to wait patiently between the coats for the Mod Podge to dry. Here are the last two steps from Bridget’s tutorial.

  1. Apply a generous coat of Modge Podge to the pad and once again let it dry completely.
  2. Bridget suggests spraying the dry pad with a coat of Krylon Matte Finish to give it a smooth surface for the computer mouse.