So, life is all about new lessons, huh?

So running screaming into the night isn't an option? There have been soooo many times ....... How 'bout I just crawl under a sofa pillow like I did when a bat got into the house. Did I ever tell that story? It's a lesson in cowardice. And a lesson in sofa pillows not being effective when hiding from bats.

But I digress.

I learned a new furniture lesson or two. The first was: Don't assume you can easily figure out how to do something you have had no experience with. Second: Go over a client's piece of furniture before taking it home. Be like the guys at the car rental: walk around and check off all the dings and places where the veneer is looking for a chance to escape.

I'm sure a lot of people are doing a big eye-roll right now. "It took her THIS long to figure that out?" Yes it did.

So what am I blathering on about, anyway?

Well, someone took a table like this:

And did this to it (the folded fabric is mine):

My job was to remove the tile and paint the table. No problem. Off I went, home with the gossip table.

I googled mosaic removal.

" ......Thinset concrete attaches mosaic tiles to concrete, concrete boards or other backing material, and grout seals the gaps between the tiles. Removing mosaics involves breaking the bonds between the tiles, and between the tile and the backing material. Mosaic removal requires a significant amount of time and effort and is not a task that should be underestimated."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/remove-mosaic-99285.html

".......When you pry up glass tile that has been glued down, sharp pieces can break off and go flying across the room. (I try to keep my leather work glove over the tile to prevent this possibility.) You should wear safety glasses with side shields. You may even want to wear the plastic safety shield masks that are made for working with power tools. You also want to make sure anyone else around your work area has proper eye protection.

http://blog.mosaicartsupply.com

(There was another website that warned tile removal pretty much always broke the furniture but I can't find the page now.)

Then, WHEW, my client mentioned saving the mosaic. Oh thank God.

Now, I'm not a mid-century modern kinda girl so the table didn't speak to me right away. Then I thought, just go with the age of the table, so I did a mock-up of a faux zinc finish. I was thinking 50's space age.

Nope. Didn't fly.

Next, I sent her these festive mock-ups:

Nope. not white. My client sent me a beautiful fabric for the seat and I worked from that.

Then the surprise: tile removal was back on. She had warmed up to my idea of tile removal right about when I was feeling relief from NOT having to remove it.

Thinking cap, thinking cap......

I have had a lot of success sculpting new parts onto furniture with wood filler so I thought, oh what the heck. I used joint compound and a super strong sealer to cover the tile, both on the table top and the chair back.

Now, some color choices.....