Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Down to the nitty gritty

Oh my.....my wrists both hurt.  They actually snap when I type.  I've had arthritis since my 20's so all this wall paint scraping is really taking it's toll on them.  I better write this fast because I just took a prescription muscle relaxer and pain pill.

The only area left to scrape is the corner from the top of the cabinet to the ceiling.  This entire corner is covered in 3/16th of an inch thick layer of drywall compound over 88 years worth of paint.  The drywall compound is so thick that the heat gun doesn't soften the paint so that leaves sanding or chipping away at it with the putty knife.  We're doing both.

Be right back.......well, that was interesting.  The house down the street is on fire and the wind is blowing at least 25 mph.  There must be 5 fire trucks and two ambulances on the scene.  I can smell something burning but because of the trees I can't see any smoke or flames.  Let's hope it is a small fire without a lot of damage.
I feel the same way about this paint scraping as I do about this winter..........it can't end soon enough.

4 comments:

  1. Almost done! Is that a wall sconce turned into an outlet?

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  2. Yes, it appears that there was a sconce on every wall. This one was changed into an outlet. We still need to install a proper box. This particular outlet is controlled by a light switch in the foyer. This will be perfect for painting light.

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  3. Something that you might try on the thick drywall compound is wetting it down and then scraping at it. If I remember correctly that unlike plaster that cures, drywall compond dries by the moisture evaporating out of it, so adding moisture back will cause it to soften.

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  4. Alex..........you're onto something. Sometimes I use a damp sponge to smooth out compound on drywall joints. I think I will try this. Thanks!

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