Cleaning

The Robotics Lab the week we moved in.

As with every building that was once used in a manufacturing environment, the building had its fair share of dirt and grime. Overall, it was in particularly good condition, with the majority of the cleaning being cosmetic.

Most of the dirt on the walls was actually ink. Some of it came off easily with a pressure washer, but a very large portion of it was permanently on the walls. We tried cleaning with different solvents, and it was quickly decided the best way around it was to simply re-paint the interior.

An example of the condition of the walls and floor.

We also encountered quite a bit of build-up on the conrete flooring. The difference was remarkable after cleaning it with the pressure washer.

The cleaning effort was accomplished with the help of several sponsors. The pressure washer was donated by Briggs & Stratton, the scaffolding was donated by STVA Scaffold, the paint sprayer was from Resource Industries, and paint was donated by Szudera Insulation Company..

Painting

The impact of the white paint was tremendous and immediate.

After doing white paint, we added accent colours.

It took over 40 gallons of white paint to paint the Robotics Lab. Many areas were fully saturated with coloured ink, and required up to three coats of primer. The entire painting process took four days, during which the scaffolding received heavy useage.

After the white paint was finished, we added the accent colours. Blue for doors, yellow for framing, red for fire, and Kuka orange for the Robotics display borders.