I once had some commercial equipment removed from a cafeteria. After seeing the 1/4-3/8 inch thick grease buildup on the sides of the fryer, my appetite for fried foods disappeared for a time. We actually started by scraping with a 2 inch putty knife. Then, we tried everything we could find. For places you could cover, we sprayed with oven cleaner and covered with plastic which was the method used for the company's candy production equipment. They sprayed everything on Friday night and let it sit for the weekend and cleaned it on Monday. The best product I have ever found was "grease control" from the Odo-ban company which is actually an emulsifier so much more green than the toxic chemicals found in some of the cleaners.

It's not the *desk* that needs to be interactive and fun; try ditching the chairs and getting stability/yoga balls :) http://www.philly.com/philly/health/kidshealth/Teachers_ditch_student_desk_chairs_for_yoga_balls_.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/exercise-ball-classroom-desk-chair_n_2206743.html http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/kindergarten-classroom-has-no-chairs http://newadventuresinfirstgrade.blogspot.ch/2011/09/where-it-happens-wednesday.html

Upholstery and egg crate type foams will not be rigid, and may not be flame retardant. EPS and XPS construction insulation foam are lighter weight, more rigid, and could be covered with batting and fabric. They come in 4'x8' sheets, but can be cut with a utility knife into smaller sizes. They are available from a big box home improvement store like HD or Lowes. Not sure if they are flame retardant. Depending on how large a piece you are mounting, I would think they may be light enough in weight that they could be mounted to the wall with 3M removeable hangers of some sort.

Yes, JudyG that's exactly the way people were using the taller table. Sort of a café look, or casual bar setting. One home had a beautiful huge kitchen all done in white with dark wood floors and RH style fixtures and hardware. Where you would normally think would be a traditional dining room, they had made it up with a large high table and 6 barstools. It almost looked like an extension of the island. Another one was in a very open and light kitchen. It was smaller and where you might think of putting a breakfast nook they had a round café-style table with four barstools. I liked it because it gave a more casual appearance. If people were sitting at them, they were on the same level as those working in the kitchen. Almost like a bar at the island for that effect, but with some separation.