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Greeting every1 I am new here !! A bit surprise that there’s so much miss understanding & lack of knowledge about cabinetry /carpentry material that make me itchy enough to just registered to post to clear things up. I used to work as furniture apprentice in my school holidays time on & off started when I was 14 years old, that’s 20+ years back. Later after army I became an ID myself for a few years. For all those days, I had learned quite a bit of woodworking, cabinetry related knowledge but far from an expert but I still think maybe I could share some knowledge to benefit anyone who is interested. ‘Wood’ material use in furniture: 1: Solid wood – refer to real wood that chop down from tree (wood log), that cut to plank & timber. Example: Teak wood(use in Balinese furniture & good in outdoor & ship/boat cause of good withstand to weather & moisture), oak wood(some make it to kitchen cabinet but easily cost around 15k in local), cherry wood, pine wood(soft wood) etc etc. Solid wood is expensive & require high skill to make into furniture cause wood move (shrink & expand according to humidity), warp, tear etc & it is expensive. That’s why we mostly use ply wood nowadays for cabinet. As for chair, bench, & some table we still use real wood for its strength. If u thinks that all ur cabinet is making with ply wood… think again. Don’t forget there’s ‘chipboard’ & MDF (medium density fiberboard). 2. Particle board (sort of chipboard) Poorest quality among ply wood & MDF, better than OSB imo. Bad, bad idea when use in Sink support, fish tank support. Also beware of kitchen top that use chip board (so call postforming- more on it later.) Also use in some laminated flooring. 3. OSB (real chipboard) Real chipboard, not totally useless. Inexpensive, good sound insulation (that’s what I had heard) God bless u if u use it as cabinet. I had read other thread in this forum about the confuse of ‘Solid plywood’. So what exactly is ‘Solid ply’ & ‘non-solid ply’? These need some explanation: Back in the day when we cut strip of plywood & make it like a flame. Than paste with 3mm thin veneer (real wood veneer or none real wood veneer-more on this later) to both side to save material. This forms a hollow plywood; U knocks it, it will sound very hollow. (There are still a lot of these nowadays at smaller furniture shop.) So some of us Interior designer/contractor in order to be better deal than other ID will emphasis that we use solid ply. I won’t say this type of furniture is totally useless. Why not If u r looking for a lightly use cabinet & got a tight budget. At least it is cheap & still will last u several years. Solid Plywood Solid ply means whole piece of plywood (without cutting into flame) paste with veneer. So plywood is just plywood, there actually no solid ply or non-solid ply. Just that what people make it into. So that means if ur cabinet is not make by solid wood, chipboard, particle board & MDF it should be plywood right? Wrong! Recently things had changed (not sure since when it started), carpenter start to replace plywood with blockboard. Now 90% of custom furniture (just a guess) using blockboard instead of plywood cause it is lighter than ply wood hence easier to work with & handling than plywood so it had become the carpenter's choice. Moreover it is slightly cheaper than plywood. (I don’t think all ID know this, usually the one that know well is the carpenter himself, not the ID.) Blockboard Made out of strip of core of tree, both side paste with a thin layer of ply (3mm?). Lesser quality than plywood (that’s what I heard from a senior carpenter) because the core of tree is softer than the main body. Frankly speaking, I’m not sure which is better, Blockboard or plywood cause I never seen a blockboard or work with it back in my carpentry day but too bad cause most price listed as per foot run for kitchen cabinet is not base on plywood.( I could be wrong.) Maybe the ID will need to up the price if u tells him u want ‘solid plywood’. I believe there’s some pro & cons between the two, like hinges is attached more firmly in blockboard due to light weight? Which one more water resistant? All & all I’m not too sure but I will take on plywood any day. Veneer, laminate, post forming, what is that? It is not too complicated, but still it is not too simple because we misused the word laminate. According to wikipedia, two or more layer of same or different material layer together is call laminate. So plywood is also laminate. Lets simplified it here; I will call those veneer, laminate, Formica etc a Skin. Veneer Veneer is a thin slice of real wood but in the industrial there’s still ‘mainly’ two types of veneer- Real wood veneer & man-made veneer. Real wood veneer comes in two forms. One in a roll form (less than 1mm that could cut into strips & later paste at the edge of a said plywood. One comes in 3mm-3.6mm thickness sheet. It is also a 1mm less wood veneer but pre pastes into 3mm ply in factory. Man-made veneer (Engineered veneer) could be a sheet of printed paper or PVC etc (I’m not too sure what some of the material used) that still could look like wood veneer but less the nice real wood grain. Laminate I like to call all laminate, Formica, polyester, PVC what ever unknown material other than real wood- laminate. Postforming This term was misused too. Postforming actually means a type of technology to laminate- using heat & pressure to bend the finishing layer (laminate sheet) to the material (example plywood). It could be Postforming to chipboard too. That’s why a Postforming kitchen top could be chipboard, particle board, plywood etc. One thing for sure is that the laminate use in postforming top is good as kitchen top because of its heat resistance, water resistance & scratch proof. Use this article as a guide only, take it as a grain of salt because I can’t be 100% right. Feel free to correct me as this forum got many knowledgeable people here. Hope these help. !!

How exciting for you both!

Everything looks good! Looks pretty to me too. Lovely.

Then i saw back and i realize the 3D pictures are quite similar to the actual one, it should turn out pretty well. They say for colours let the women do the choosing and i see that it is right.

WIW area Kitchen. This will be slightly different as we made some changes since decided to remove the service yard windows + door.

3Ds by our ID. Living + Dining Room Bedroom

happy new year to all soon. I am a strong believer of home luck. Every year i am faithful in offering my prayers and donations to temples but my luck seems to drift down over the years. It took me a while after chatting with penny to realize that taking care of my home creates that unique and strong qi or energy. There are many ways such as getting fengshui master ..etc. There are also more cost effective ways which can be done by the home owner or occupants. I guess that is where people always comment that a lucky home brings wealth to its occupants. But forgot that it is the occupants that helps the home generate the type of energy or wealth luck. New year is coming around and i am bz cleaning up my home as usually. The last part is removing negative energy to make space for the new years good luck qi.

Just a short update today. Suddenly, all my carpentry are up but works are still ongoing Shall post some pictures of my WIW today because the workers fast hand fast leg and have already fixed the doors and internals. Taken using panorama with a shaky hand because the entrance of my WIW abit small, just a door size so cannot fit my 16ft wardrobe in a single shot. I need to get wide lense DSLR to fit everything in man. Colours true to this photo. I am glad I went for metal strips instead of a different coloured laminate for the middle section. Looks simple and classy. I picked the ones with a bit sparkle effect and I love it. Glossy laminates FTW, I think it is easier to clean and upkeep as compared to the matt ones. Parts of my internal coloured PVC that my ID provides for all my carpentry and included in the quote. Really makes the wardrobe look atas. I have a look around and all the hinges are using blum. So it makes me feel that the amount I spent are really for good materials. Never steal work cut material. I am pleased with the workmanship as well, although some parts still need minor rectification like v slight alignment. Will post more pictures soon but nowadays I only go down 1-2x a week to monitor and see see, sometimes late at night (now that my lights are up!).

Painting the main door white! Lo and Behold, the pastel doors are up!!!! Wa effect for those seeing it for the first time, including myself!

Updates! Kompactplus top and backsplash done! Looks pretty to me Doors with round knobs

I shall check out Castlery! Yes I think we may end up getting a study table from TB too Thanks yes after looking at the tables again, I am leaning towards 3 because its more classy and seems like something I wont get sick of looking at haha

I actually bought it from qoo10. I know quite a number of readers from this renotalk forum got theirs from TaoBao instead, at a cheaper price of course. Qoo10 seller will request buyers to pickup from their store and they will test the product when you are there. http://list.qoo10.sg/item/DIGITAL-PEEPHOLE-VIEWER-WITH-DOORBELL/415113722?selectedOptions= There are 2 kinds selling on the store, one with video recording, the other no. I choose the one with video recording and they will give u a free SD card. Haven tried the video recording function yet but reviews i read previously mentioned that the recording needs to be initiated and last for few short minutes.

Installations Fan As mentioned in one of my previous thread, the fan was bought from Tampoi Lightings with a doubtful quality. Engaged a super experienced fan installer, Erik to check on whether the fan is suitable to be installed. Erik mentioned that the fan is a designer fan which will not pass singapore quality check due to the weight. Apparently, in singapore flats, ceiling fans weight are limited to a certain weightage and my current designer fan is way too heavy. It is also slightly lower than other ceiling fans which are suitable for the singapore market. Nonetheless, he promised to do a safe job for me and here it is: Erik managed to balance the fan using his OWN balancing kit (cause my box even tho mentioned balancing kit provided, but it was not included!) and my fan is literally 100% free from shakes and vibrations. Excellent 5 star skill performance by Erik. I was extremely pleased with the fan now. Enjoying the breeze.... Dining Area Lamp I only made 3 purchases from tampoi, the LED changing lights which came with missing wires and dumped, the fan which i am pleased with after installation and last is this dining lamp. It turned out good too! Digital Door Locks Also, my locks are up. For both door and grille. Personally, i'm pretty much enjoying the convenience of no keys now. Properly installed and working fine. The gate one has no handle while the wooden door comes with a handle. Digital Peep Viewer This is one random purchase we saw online and it has turned out to be one of the most fascinating purchase we made. It complemented our digital locks well. and here is a front view of our main door.... http://renotalk.com/forum/uploads/gallery_64133_568_150.jpg Guest room Guest room built in wardrobe is also ready. As is a guest room... so keeping the room simple. No other major renovation works for the room. http://renotalk.com/forum/uploads/gallery_64133_568_109329.jpg Other things that were up includes window grille and curtains, which i am super satisfied as well. You will be able to see them in other pics soon.

Day 59 (3/12/14) Been really busy and didn't have time to update this T-Blog the last couple of weeks. Most of the carpentry work are up, toilet amenities are up, most of the lights are up and service yard windows are up too. We are currently waiting for the epoxy works to be done, painting works will be done next week as well as our cabinets. So far, the house is looking amazing and exactly what we had in mind! Cannot wait to start with home decor! TV feature wall with projector screen Kitchen Master Bedroom Bathroom - Yay for no more unsightly bulky heaters!

1. Sage Smudging Your Room When want to clear out the energy of a particular room, using a sage smudging stick is easy and effective 2. Sage Smudging an Object When I buy crystals, candles or even new piece of furniture, sage smudging brings clear energy to that particular item. I always to this with a dress or item of clothing that may have been tried on or returned by another customer. 3. Sage Smudging for Aromatherapy I find that the sage is great for aromatherapy scent. Any place in the house that is susceptible for smell like the trash can or a litter box works great

Baby's room. Set up his mini sofa for reading, there is a little tv and player to play him the educational vcd

Hi all, Just saw this post by chance and thought I could put my 2 cents in to help people understand more. Timber is a varying natural material which of course the pricing and properties vary hugely. Zenmaster is largely correct for most part but here are the finer details of them and their usage. Particle Board and Chip Boards - Should never be used as permanent solutions for most interior applications. They have very poor water resistance quality and will smell bad once they start to rot. Only use them for commercial retail fixtures that are meant to be used for short term or movie set props etc. MDF Board - Is better than Particle board and should not be used for kitchen applications or wet areas unless is for doors that are meant to be spray painted over properly. The painting process will seal the MDF making it water resistant. Min. 2 pot lacquer process is recommended for a strong enough protective layer over the door panels so that light scratch do not compromise the water resistance quality. If really worried some spray painters actually have the knowledge to use automotive paints when spraying and these offer better protection really at not too much of a cost over regular paints. Just to clear things up. MDF is the no.1 choice to use when you want to spray paint finish. Using Ply will result in poor finish and warping issues. (Unless you go through some ridiculously expensive and time consuming steps to treat the Ply) Expect this to cost more than laminated doors by a significant amount if you want a proper job done. Ply - Not all ply are equal. But as a general rule ply should be the default choice in making your kitchen cabinets. Standard ply used by almost all renovation companies are only average in grade but does the job well enough in relation to the cost I guess. But if you want to achieve high end finish feel with raw ply, (Polished Raw Ply that are done well can look better than laminated panels, In fact they look as good as solid wood.) you will need to be using some real fancy Plywood and these don't come cheap at all. They can cost up to 7 to 8 times the price of normal Ply for the Raw material. Nice Ply examples are Birch faced Ply Panels bonded with marine glue. You get a creamy white marble grained surface and clean edges with no gaps for the Ply example I mention. Water Resistance quality is also way better than the normal ones of course. (Not even sure if you can get them through retail means in Singapore without a special order) Blockboard is really still a form of Ply with solid softwood core made of real softwood strips. It is not core of wood as core of trees are known as heart wood and they are actually the strongest part of a tree. Very expensive for heart wood as they take decades to turn into them. Blockboard is actually a really good choice if you decide to go with ABS trimming (Basically 1 or 2 mm PVC edging) as they usually adhere better then HPL lamination edge tape. Avoid if using laminate edge tape as due to the fact it uses soft wood for core, its water resistance quality is just simply not as good if left exposed. Finally below are some quick notes too: - Man made veneer is also known as reconstituted veneer (recon veneer). It is actually still made from wood fibres and the colours are dyed in through printing method. Still gets a grain feel on them but is general less noticeable which may result in some grain prints looking less natural. (Most people don't notice the difference really) Examples of grain patterns to use recon instead of natural is zebrano or ebony etc. - Laminates used usually technically is known HPL laminate (High pressure laminate). They are usually quite hardy save for some poor brands out there. - Bubbling is something unfortunately that will happen from time to time in Singapore context for various reasons. Workmanship and humility are the main ones. moisture trapped within panels trying to escape is the no.1 reason for these bubbling (known as de-lamination, more common with veneer as veneer tends to show even the slightest bubbles where else HPL laminates are generally sturdy enough to conceal the slight imperfections). Singapore carpenters are not known to use heat press machines to bond finishes to the ply which will eliminate a huge part of the moisture away. Good Tip. If you can try to avoid getting your project done during rainy season, it tends to help a little. But the real perfect solution to this problem is that people have to pay more and carpenters in Singapore should start using heat presses. Or better just a heat pressing service for multiple carpenters to help keep cost lower. Hope the above information makes everyone understand a little more.

This post should be pinned! I expect an exodus of hansgrohe faucets to be purchased from amazon following this post. Heh