Two days ago, I popped off all of the 1950s yellow plastic tile that made up the backsplash. This revealed a thick layer of brittle, very stinky tile adhesive. By "very stinky", I mean like a wet stuffed dog probably smells. Not that I know, really. Anyhow, I found out that people are selling this stuff on eBay and getting between $5 and $75 for about the same number of tiles that I'll be able to sell. So I'll post them on eBay and see what I make off them.
I've been scraping the tile adhesive off slowly over the last couple of days. It's not incredibly difficult, but the position is uncomfortable, and I've already had about all the scraping I can stand with the kitchen floor. To break the monotony, I started tearing out the cabinet where the dishwasher will go, and I took the apron off the front of the sink. Here are some pics (click for larger view):
On the left is a reminder in case you forgot just how ugly our kitchen was. On the right, B. has been motivated by my progress with the dishwasher spot and has declared a take-over. Fine by me. Up on the wall behind him, you can see that the backsplash is gone, and on the left part of the wall, under the window, the adhesive has been removed down to the horse-hair plaster.
The dishwasher will be here Saturday, and the countertop people will be here next Wednesday to make a template for the countertops. By that time, the sink and dishwasher both need to be in place, but not necessarily hooked up. I need to build a platform for the sink to sit on that can bear 400 lb--the approximate weight of the sink when completely full (the sink itself weighs 95 lb). My rough plan is pictured here, at left. It will involve 2x4s for the 3 sides, and 2x8s for the boards that angle down. These angled boards are to support the lip of the sink, which will jut out beyond the cabinets by 4.5 inches (but still be under the countertop. This strangeness is due to the non-standard depth of our cabinets, which were built with the house in 1924). I plan to cut out a decorative pattern on these to match the simple art deco patterns on the rest of the cabinetry.
Lots to do... I will continue to post our progress.
2 Comments:
As a moron with a chronically problematic wrist, I'd like to caution you about repetitive hand movement damage. :-) I know a LOT of people who right about at your age discover that a) they're not 16 anymore, and b) yes, you CAN get injured. And lots and lots of scraping stuff can put a lot of stress on hands, wrists, etc. Be careful, is all- and if your hand starts to complain, and hurt- pay attention. "oh, I only have another 20 minutes and this job will be finished" = injury. Maybe. Love ya, PAR
Yes, Pa. :) Our wrists seem to be fine, despite scraping, typing, playing piano, and knitting furiously. Both of us have complained about our backs aching, though. At this point they've been muscle aches, but I know that always leads to more problems down the road. So we'll watch our work and posture and be very careful. Promise.
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