September 17

Cabinets Before

Beginning to Prime Cabinets

 The living room rugs were a bit mildewed, so I started by mopping the floor with a light bleach solution. Next I set to the task of removing any staples and nails left after the rugs were removed.

After the doors and drawers were removed I used TSP (a de-greasing solution) to clean the grease off the cabinets. The grease was so thick it required a scraper, wire brush and scrubbing sponge. Then I used e a de-glosser to remove the shiny finish and to prepare the cabinets for painting. Once all of the cabinets, doors and facades were de-greased and de-glossed,  Sigo put the first coat of 123 primer on the walls, the cabinet frames and doors.

As he primed the kitchen, I began to remove the glue from the living room floor.  I used a product called Krud Kutter. It was a three-step process involving spraying the solution,  letting it sit, then scraping and wiping using a scraper, scrub sponge and LOTS of paper towels. It was a three hour job, but well worth it!!

September 16

We started the day at Home Depot.  Such a long list of things to get!!!

After dropping off our two shopping carts of stuff at the House on Ridge we then went to get our new refrigerator. I found a used one on Craig’s List for $150! A lovely couple, Abena and JR, who are working on a gut renovation of a five floor building in Boerum Hill, had 5 fridges to choose from! We also procured a microwave - dirt cheap. The first glitch was getting the fridge out of the kitchen of the apartment. The demo had already started in the building – Abena said it looked like Chernobyl! We scrambled to find tools to take the doors off just to get it out of the room.  JR was a big help and Abena threw in a sideboard table for free!  Then we raced to drop it at the House on Ridge so we could get Seamus to lacrosse on time. I stayed at lax practice while Sigo continued to remove the hardware from all of the cabinets.

September 15

Today we set out for a long weekend of work. Sigo began by pulling up the rugs on the first and second floor.  We were happy to discover beautiful floors in the living room and dining room. The living room floor is in exceptional condition, save for a long strip of carpet glue that ran from wall to wall.  The dining room floor is covered in paint and also has a band of carpet glue, but is generally in good condition.  Upstairs the floors are a simple pine. They are painted a muddy brown and need some repair, so after we fix them we will apply a fresh coat of paint.  Perhaps we will include a simple design.

Sigo has been taking all of the hardware off the cabinetry and removed some unnecessary cabinets in the desk area from the kitchen this gives a lot more space as you enter the room.  The walls behind the desk require a lot of repair, which Sigo will address after the first coat of primer. He also removed the paneling covering the brick chimney.  We’ll need to look into a junk removal service as the backyard pile is growing rapidly!!