With the bathroom and bedrooms fully renovated, the kitchen was next on his agenda.
While the wallpaper in the bedrooms effortlessly came off the walls, the kitchen paper was more stubborn. Being vinyl paper, the top layer came off relatively easy, but the bottom layer had to be stripped by repeatedly being soaked with water and detergent and then stabbed and scraped off the walls with a putty knife.
Since Dieter was busy with other things, this stripping was the job of yours truly. A job not to be underestimated as it took considerable effort, not to mention exercise, as I bend and stretched, climbing on and off chairs.
Next came painting. Dieter handled the roller, while I was entrusted with a brush, filling the spaces where the roller couldn’t go … near the ceiling, near the skirting boards, in the corners, and around the doors. In other words, more climbing on and off chairs and bending and stretching.
As everybody knows, one coat of paint isn’t enough. A decent paint job requires two coats, so, hup, there we went again.
Finishing the job was perhaps the most tedious. Before anything could be put back, everything but everything had to be washed. Light fixtures, appliances, wall art, knickknacks … for hours I was elbow deep in hot soapy water.
If you were to think we are finished with the kitchen, you would be wrong. Next up, Dieter wants to update the cabinets, backsplash and floor. For that project I can only say one thing … Lord help us!