Terrazo Table Makeover

This is a metal garden table which has been outdoors for the last 3 or 4 years. It survived the winters OK but I think it was the bad summers got it!Rust spots were showing through parts of it and in some areas the paint was peeling showing rust underneath. It did get a wire brushing and a quick coat of metal paint for the wedding but the paint had begun to peel again.
This is the before photo today and the after one is taken as the light is fading a little so the colours are not very bright.The few days of warm sunshine meant the shed got its annual clear out, things were pulled out and left out so the air could circulate around the inside of the shed.These sheets of mosaic tiles were left over from various jobs inside the house and were put into the shed in case they would come in 'handy'. They have been in and out of the shed for a number of years but this year is finally their 'handy' year!
Aldi were doing DIY specials this week and I got a big tub of tile cement and grout for 14.99e so lots of odd jobs lined up, this was one I was not too sure about starting but it was easier than I thought.The table was brushed down with a wire brush and given a coat of UPA glue and the tile pieces were laid starting from the centre out.I am very pleased with the finished effect, of course it will not be left out in the rain now!
I spent the weekend in Robert's Cove enjoying the sun and solitude.The beach was absolutely destroyed with the 'sea lettuce'. This is a vile green algae which comes in on the tide and covers the beach with a bright green slime which smells vile and is dangerous to animals.It breaks down eventually and releases a chemical reaction which turns the sand underneath black as in an oil spill.
It has been getting worse over the last few years but this year has finally prompted people to demand action be taken to clear it up .The County Council were cleaning the beach once a week over the summer and taking the sea lettuce back out to sea!
I did not have my camera with me to take photos of it, in some places it was drifted up to 18 ins high and was at least 15 ft out in the water!Lots of families came down on Sunday afternoon but the beach was inaccessible to them, Robert's Cove is a 30 minute drive from the city and so people head down if the weather is good.
It seems to be only affecting the beaches around the south coast and at last some investigations are ongoing into the cause and effects of it.

Comments

Paddy Furlong said…
Well done on the table makeover Peggy. Smashing job!
I wonder would that Sea Lettuce be any good as a soil improver?
Ann said…
Fab job with the table Peggy!!!

We're hoping to go to our caravan in Norfolk soon, haven't been since May/June and there's not much of the season left.
Ann said…
I meant to say, the lemon/marrow filling was nicer than the conventional homemade lemon meringue filling because it didn't have that sharp 'after taste' that I don't like.
Thats a great makeover on the table it looks completley new again!what a shame about roberts cove, i am having an algae problem of my own here in my small pond that never before gave trouble its full of blanketweed i think its called, a green slimey covering that you cant remove fully and my one and only lily that was purchased this year is ready to flower and now this, i think its since the hedge was cut down and a cordyline topped that too much light was coming into the pond surface! A job for another day!
The table looks lovely, Peggy - you are so clever ! The 'sea lettuce' sounds awful though, I must say ... I've never seen/heard of anything like it.
Latane Barton said…
That table turned out beautifully. You are just so talented, Peggy. Maybe your cleaning out your storage area will encourage me to do the same!! Maybe.
Jo said…
Peggy;) what a wonderful makeover of your table. Regarding the sea lettuce, my first thought was, pity you can't add it to your compost - but if it's dangerous to animals... Thanks for popping over to my blog. You wondered about the fact that I couldn't blatantly take photos of structures in Khartoum. I read a warning about it on the internet and then while travelling with my husband (and he knows how I ALWAYS take photos!) he warned me pointing out the police patrol at each end of every bridge. One day he will stop the vehicle and I will get out and ask the police if I may photograph them and then the bridge. There is a huge gun rigged on the cab of their police vehicle while 4 men lol, laze, snooze on the back of the pick-up (LOL!)
Linda said…
Good idea on the table. We have almost exactly the same (certainly the same chairs) and the rust is a real pain.
a very nice and good looking table indeed! ~bangchik
Evening Peggy,
Just a flying visit to say a quick hello. Eventually got the broadband sorted. Talk to u soon
Barbarapc said…
Excellent table - I never would have thought of tiling one - but it's marvelous. I'm sort of sad I gave away my old table after seeing your fine craftwork. The sea lettuce sounds appalling - we've got a bit of an algae bloom on Lake Ontario in Oakville - it held off until now because of our cool cloudy summer. The stink is beyond the imagination - do hope they're able to fix this problem.
Anonymous said…
The table looks fantastic...your work is well rewarded...I've boiled my marrow (for marrow cream)....but forgot to get lemons at the grocery last time I was there...so that's the next step...hope something can be figured out about the Sea Lettuce....I can remember a time years ago when the sounds between the Outer Banks (NC/USA) and North Carolina proper were filling up with something called Milfoil...sort of a brackish water seaweed...awful stuff.
Peggy said…
Paddy: Too much chemical content in it!

Ann: Enjoy every minute you can before the season ends completely.The Marrow cream captured everyones imagination!

Talesfromagarden: that is probably the reason too much sunlight,try Google for some answers on it.

Lynda, thanks and the sea lettuce only seems to be on our immediate southern coastline for the moment.

Latane: thanks and cleaning the shed is a job for the long finger usually until it becomes a job that must be done!

Jo: thanks for explaining about the photography,dont fall foul of the police especially if they are armed!!

Linda, table and chairs were purchased in B&Q so you could certainly have the same set.

Bangchik; thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.

Veg and flower time, I wondered where you had got to!

Barbarapc: I had the table and I had the tiles ,otherwise who knows where it would have ended up?

Annie:Could be the same thing with a different name on this side of the water.Algae by any other name still smells vile!
Anna Bee said…
Beautiful job on the table - very inspiring!

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