My wife had this zanny idea that we could re-do our kitchen , and somehow she inveigled me into going along with it. Refinish the cabinets ourselves, wallpaper and paint, new floor and new countertops. New built in bench, new hardware and some new outlets.
Out with the old and in with the new. We worked on it solidly for 3 weekends-- this past weekend I tore up the old tile and plywood underlayment. The same plywood underlayment that I installed 29 years ago. I installed it over the top of foam backed carpet that the previous owner had installed, the kind that an Act of Congress couldn't remove. Oh, for sure I had pulled up the carpet surface, leaving behind the foam layer firmly attached to the underlayment.
This time I said it had to go, so I stripped off that foam with a new blade, Spyder Blades, that fit in a reciprocating saw. It was physical labor, but the Spyder Blade worked as promised. Thank you Spyder. Next I got to install the wood strip floor , and being that ours is a 80 year old , nothing is straight , plumb or level home, it was a chore. I worked at it Saturday and Sunday, up down, up down, up down , too many times to remember. But enough times to have me thinking that I am glad I have been kind to my knees , for they still serve---albeit sorely and stiffly at times.
After flogging myself for 2.5 days continuously, I was done, my wife was done. There was only one thing left to do after showering and sitting down to admire our handiwork. Yes, it was time to savor that well deserved beer. I did.