I know the saying is suppose to be two steps forward and one step back, indicating at least some progress, however the flip side is how things seems to be working out.
After the fall off the roof of Geet, my progress is somewhat delayed as I am not able to raise my left arm higher than elbow height, but I was determined to get the second coat of paint on before the weather started to get colder.
Remember how great she looked???
However, a day after first coat was on the front of Geet, she started to peel - really peel - in the upper front section only that had bare aluminium, from years of sun fading.
Thus - the first step backward.
A good vigorous scrubbing, plus a vinegar wash, then a self etching primer had been put on, and once the allowable time elapsed, the scotty aqua had been brushed on. No where was this extra pre-paint prep necessary, (as no other section of the Scotty had bare aluminum) and after all that prep work, that front upper section decided to peel back to the aluminum the very next morning. The morning dew must have done something to aid in this peeling.
So I peeled, picked and sanded this section again, gave the galvanized aluminum a heavy sanding treatment, and again sprayed with the self etching primer, then painted.
Next morning - another peel back - in only certain sections.
So Geet got another self etching primer treatment and from the front she looks like garbage but it's staying that way until I find out from the Scotty experts on the internet what to do next....
2nd Step Back.
Her back end and front end are beyond saving. I can't brace the corners properly until I get rid of the entire lower sections and doing this from the inside is do-able, but very difficult.
Bye bye mouse-chewed back wall...
This is where full and proper side and back wall bracing is needed. Can't do it properly with wood that is disintegrated on the back section (side wall still holding up well.)
With the weather being beautiful I decided that I needed to bite the bullet and peel back the lower aluminum sections, remove the rotted sections of wood at the back end.
The side storage door provides a quick area to dump out the remnants. I just sweep them thru the little latched storage door.
Peeling back the rear skin means removing the brake lights.
You don't want to know what that dark black stuff growing on the inside of this lighting unit was.
I think removing the light until has been the easiest thing of this whole day.
Trying to peel back the aluminum skin without warping it or the bracing is a slow process.
Before I threw away this twisted piece of tin, I need to remember to cut a new piece as it gets affixed/stapled in an L formation to the underside 2 x 2 as a water guard to prevent splash up rot for the flooring.
Once I got the 'peel back' courage, I decided that my front kitchen patch job just wasn't going to do, so I'm removing the bones of cupboard unit and tomorrow morning I'm bringing out the crowbar and getting to work peeling back the front lower section to put in new wood for proper bracing to both the road and curb side walls.
Here is what the kitchenette area looked like before I started demolishing it:
The side walls are solid, the front wall is mushy.
Tore out everything but the bones for the three drawers.
Thought I could simply cut and patch here and there at the front end.
And this was back when I was thinking Geet would look good Pink - she didn't.
Below is where the kitchen is today. Nice curved piece of wood that Gord did for me - it took alot of steaming to get that bend in the wood.
I know I need to fully remove this kitchette again, including the drawer bones this time and get that front section of rotted wood out if I have any hope of bracing the side walls to the front wall at both bottom sections.
And that's my Two Steps Backward thus far.
The easy part of my day and the one step forward was when I was cutting the laminate for the countertop. Using my dremel power tool, masking tape and a yoga mat, it was easy to cut thru without chipping the laminate. I did a test with the sink cover and it turned out exactly how I wanted it. Here's the step by step.
Above - the original sink cover; Below - my dremel tool
Cut to measure the actual counter top - masking taped around the inner cut out, to prevent chipping of the laminate.
The cut out section is perfectly sized for the sink over replacement top.
Leaving a bit of an edge for final sanding with fine sandpaper.
Slapped on some extra strong contact cement trowelled onto both the top of the old lid and the bottom on the new laminate. Wait 10 minutes, then carefully place the new laminate on the old lid.
Using a rolling pin will elminate air bubbles, (yes - I promise to put the rolling pin in the dishwasher or no one will every eat cookies I make again). The new lid needs abit of weight on it to seal for an hour and it should be ready to use. (No picture as it's under a couple of boards drying right now - will post a photo tomorrow)
