The Makita is a rather powerful tool. The vigor of the rotary sanding process managed to dislodge some weak plaster from the wall.

This happened on the wall where the window and the steam radiator was located. Not surprising, since this is the area most vulnerable to water damage and the mechanical stresses caused by heat from the radiator and the cold air from outside. This would have to patched up later using universal joint compound.

One advantage of sanding the wall down is that it reveals cracks and holes in the wall that need to be patched.

Recently, I decided to purchase a power sanding tool. The one I bought is a Makita, which is pictured below.

As shown in the previous post, the propane torch paint scraping method left dark, unsightly burn marks on the wall. Sanding it down afterwards with the Makita left a nice, smooth, bare surface.

Actually, the propane torch method is very time-consuming and tedious. I wondered if I could just avoid it altogether and use the Makita alone to sand the wall down. I tried it and discovered it was just as tedious, if not more. The problem is that the old painting coating is fairly thick (about 5 layers). Also, the paint tended to gum up the sanding disc. Sanding the ceiling was difficult; it was actually easier to use the propane method rather than the Makita.

All in all, its a two step process, rough scrap the wall using the propane method. Then later sand it down with the Makita.

This is what the wall looks like after going at it with the propane torch and scraper. Nasty.

During the process of removing existing fixtures, such as the cabinets, the metal closet frames, and the door frame, portions of wall paint came detached as well. Well, this presented a dilemma. The areas where the paint came off was uneven with the areas where the paint remained intact. In order to have a nice, smooth, even wall, I needed to remove the old paint from the entire wall. But I also knew that scraping the paint would be a long and tedious ordeal. If I were to do so, I’d have to do all four walls plus the ceiling, since I’m not one to do a task half-measure. After some deliberation, I decided to remove the paint.

My method of removing the paint involves a metal scraper, also used to apply joint compound in other tasks, and a propane torch.

I would heat the paint using the torch. Then I would scrap it off.

As you can see here, there are three layers of existing paint: blue, beige, and pink.

So far, this process has lasted over two months.

The entrance to the kitchen had a door frame. The door itself had been removed by previous occupants long ago. I removed the door frame using the crowbar and hammer. The gap was filled using long strips of wallboard nailed to the existing studs. Later, the wallboard will be covered with joint compound.

The existing flooring was vinyl. Underneath that were sheets of old plywood stapled to the subfloor. The vinyl and plywood were extracted using a crowbar and a sturdy hammer. The subfloor consisted of diagonally stacked rows of 2 x 4 wooden studs.

There used to be a metal frame closet in the kitchen with sliding doors. The doors had been removed long ago by previous occupants but the frames and the shelving remained.

Removing the shelves was easy enough. It was made of wood and several hours of bashing away with a sturdy hammer got the job done.

The frames were removed with the help of my metal grinder. After they were taken out, the remaining gap was filled in using universal joint compound.

The first thing I needed to do was remove my old kitchen appliances, specifically the refrigerator and the gas stove. The fridge had to go. It was old. Ice would build up in the rear wall and during warm weather it would melt and form a puddle on the floor.

The coop regulation required that I arrange with the munipality waste removal to pick up the fridge. I also needed to make a $500 deposit with the business office in case any damage was done to the building while it was being moved out. I decided that I didn’t need to be giving anyone $500, even if I was going to get it back.

So I decided to take apart the fridge using a screwdriver, hammer, crowbar, and the metal grinder. I disposed of it in many smaller pieces.

This is my metal grinder. Usually these things go for at least a $100. I bought this one for $20 at a flea market. It works well and I use it to cut metal frames and chop up old appliances.