29 March 2015

Well, the "loving room" got sanded, as well as four boards of the dining room.That is intended to form a walkway to the kitchen when we do the dining room floor. Then we had to apply the "Woodoc" floor varnish. That took 3 coats, the last of which was at 8 pm.  The next day we also sanded about 1 meter by the entrance door to the house, and also sealed that the next day. We have (temporarily) removed half of the wall to the new kitchen. Yesterday we moved the kitchen unit that will form the island over from the old kitchen. Looking good.

This coming week we have a few appointments, so I expect progress to be slower. The next task is to  sand and seal the remainder of the dining room floor.

I haven't paid any attention to the countertops yet, it is a nightmare looming ahead.

Sorry, it is not a good picture, but the others got lost somewhere.

22 March 2015

Well, the expected rain has not materialized. The South Island is getting rain, but very little here.

Petrus came and we built the oven unit and fitted a filler of about 70 mm to take up the space between the units. There was a spacer of 40 mm between the edge of the door and the edge of the cabinet, so it fits in as good as anybody can ask for.

I thanked Petrus for all his work, and set him free. I finished the drawer ends and fitted handles. We were lucky to get more of the same as the original black ones.

The wall on the last picture is towards the dining room. Half of that will be reduced to  a convenient height. The counter tops will also need a lot of attention, but we have decided that the floors in the dining room and loving room will be our next priority. Think of me sanding away!

15 March 2015

We (Petrus and me) finished all doors and managed to fit all. We have made all of the drawer ends but have not fitted it yet. I have planned on using the current oven unit in the new kitchen, but found the oven sits too close to the hob, too high. (To take all measurements I had to remove the hob and oven in the "old" kitchen to take measurements. and refit the whole lot)

In the end I have decided to make a new unit. I have made all the panels but have not screwed it together. You have to keep in mind that Petrus comes three days a week, for which I am very grateful. For the remainder I must do the best I can on my own. I have also bought the proper electrical fittings for the new installation.

Saturday was spent on mowing lawns. There used to be a small patch of Kikuyu when we moved in nearly three years ago. It is encouraging to see it spread and take over the weeds. I think it has spread for about 3 meters. Only Paspellum grass remains a problem, but for that we have weed killer. I wish I had the time to attend to the garden, but that is on the back burner for now.

We had a dry spell since December, some of the fine lwan grass has even died off in patches. We are thankful for 20 mm rain on Wednesday, and we have a forecast for about 40 more as the side effect of a cyclone coming our way.

8 March 2015

 I did manage to apply four coats of Woodoc varnish to the kitchen floor.  The kitchen units are in place now, although not leveled out yet. Making such good progress on the floor, we discussed it and decided there is nothing to prevent us to finish the living room and dining room floors. The original idea was first to complete all building work before we start doing the floors. So I started sanding again, with the little orbital sander. I made good progress on the living room floor, about a third of the total, and felt quite good about it, until the sander packed up. It is not really intended for such heavy duty work. Well, I was forced to go and buy a new one. We also had a problem deciding how we can move between the old kitchen and our bedroom, passing through the dining room when the floors are wet. Petrus suggested why don't I seal a few boards to one side of the dining room. So the priority changed once again, I started sanding the first four boards of the dining room. The end result is that I have got a lot of work ahead of me. I have ordered some more Woodoc and hope it will be delivered in time for sealing the floor when the sanding is done.

I had the welcome help of Petrus in doing the kitchen Cabinet doors. We have made good progress on cutting and edging the doors, but we still need to trim most of them. Then the big task of fitting the hinges in exactly the right positions will follow. Thanks to Petrus who is very meticulous, I have all confidence that it will work out fine.

1 March 2015

I have managed to cut and trim some melamine doors, but then the priority on getting the kitchen floor done became bigger. I started sanding the new kitchen floor. It turned out to be quite a job. I have been using the small orbital sander. That means that I don't cut grooves in the floorboards with the  belt sander. Only problem is this machine vibrates a lot. My wrists could not take more than about an hour at a time. That meant that I spent all week sanding. I have not removed all blemishes, that is what gives the building it's character. On Tuesday I contacted our Woodoc rep in NZ, in Tauranga. Thursday morning I  received the required two cans of Woodoc 25. And the price is 66% of the local product. All the units have now been removed, sitting in the dining room, and tomorrow I am planning to tidy up and start applying the varnish. Sorry, I am having finger trouble with the pictures, but is you use your imagination, you will see a room with a bare floor and a corner pantry in one corner.