Still Prepping...

Jeff asked me the other day if I like to paint. My response was that I love what paint does! The process is rather arduous (if you do it right, that is), but the results are always worth it.

With a lead-in like that, you might think I would have photos of the newly painted cabinets. But no, we're still prepping. Every time I turn around, there is something else that needs to be done before I can paint.

The doors and drawers had to be removed and relocated to the shop for their trim and paint job.

The dolly I bought on CL has been indispensable;
a shot of Jeff working smarter, not harder!

The hinges had to be removed, stripped of old paint, cleaned, and dried.

A hot, sudsy overnight soak in the crockpot
did wonders for getting off the old paint

The dated valance had to be removed. If ever I doubted that the cabinets were well-built, now I have proof! That little 4 1/2" trim board took almost an hour to get down.

Before and After

The very heavy 42" cast iron sink had to be liberated from the rusty clips and bolts that had stabilized it for decades.

It took far more than the pipe wrench and screw-
driver that you see here to get the job done!

All of these tasks happened after sanding, deglossing, and cleaning the cabinets. But each new job produces its own plume of dust and filth. I feel like Pig-Pen in the Snoopy cartoon; there must just be a little dirty cloud following me around! Nothing to do but keep sweeping and wiping and dusting so the cabinets will be ready for the first coat of paint when all these tasks are finally done!