Scraping by

Today for the first time, I used a Spyder scraper attachment in a reciprocating saw. Having found that scraping vinyl tiles up with a paint scraper is rather hard not to mention time-consuming, on the suggestion of somebody on a bus conversion forum, I invested $7.95 in the scraper attachment. According to the person that suggested it, it would make somebody using a hand scraper look like a fool.

Starting work sometime after midday I started with the intention of just scraping enough away that I could install the required kitchenette. That went so well I decided to scrape both sides of the floor between the cab and the middle emergency door. Well, that went well and it was still only about 2pm so I hastened to scrape as far as the wheel arches. Of course I continued on and didn't stop until all the tiles had been removed.

During the process I had to make room by shifting the wood purchased the other day around. Then It was a case of tidying up. Fortunately when I bought the bus, the rear shelf had a huge tarpaulin and that came in very handy. I placed it on the ground under the back door and simply shoveled and brushed all the debris out before finally setting to with a blower.

Eventually, I had a huge pile on the tarpaulin which I had to use all my strength to drag away. Tomorrow I will probably set to and sand the floor. The floor is a little sticky from the tiles which seem to have been self-adhesive. Needless to say about 15% of the tiles were in no way attached.

It's possible now to see that the rotted plywood on the floors is limited to the side emergency door which has no seal, the bit that was underneath the old water tank and at the back where the door seal had been neglected. Sanding should identify more clearly the plywood pieces so I can replace each partly rotted sheet in its entirety.

Tomorrow also, I might start constructing the new kitchenette cabinets - if there's time.