originalbread

Hi May In case I get you wrong, do you mean your main door also laminate door? For the kitchen cabinet, we used a laminated top for almost 30 years before we got to change the cabinet. Don't know why the things nowadays so lousy. My contractor office in Bukit Batok. Any one thinking of using someone who happened to be located there, pls pm me. originalbread

Ya lor, so ridiculous... Mmhh, is laminate afraid of water. will explore that option. thanks for the suggestion.

wow, very nice! I esp like your open kitchen and dining area. I like that you used a lot of white too.

saw some coffee tables I like at Space. managed to take a shot of one of them: very clean lines, just the right height to me (I don't like low coffee tables). and also matching with my tv console. but of course, issue is the price tag. Though Space is having sales of 35% and above now, the price of this coffee table is still way above what I would pay for any piece of furniture. haha, I reckoned the only thing I could probably afford in the whole shop is the Kartell ghost chairs.

Looking forward to see the pics of your bedframe n lorgan furnitures. Congrats for the final completion! It is indeed a long journey but the destination is a v rewarding one.

I also suggested using water proof paint but the contractor say it doesn't really help. everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. When I asked other contractors, they say can't be helped, this type of door spoils very fast because of the joinings.

sometimes, I have this feeling that I will never get to move in. I think it may not be a good thing without a deadline to move. I think losing sleep about reno is inevitable. Just hope things don't drag on too long and after which, we could progress on to other things. I've been neglecting a lot of other important things because of this reno...

My main door is solid nyatoh wood... just too many unfortunate things and lots of bad luck. even the electrical appliances from gain city I have some items that coating are peeling/scrapped and may become rusty. have reported to them and hope they will just replace for me. ya, i held back more than 1/3 of the payment. not going to pay him until things properly resolved...

Some updates. The other view of the kitchen new purchase during the weekend, tv console now on the not so pretty stuff. grouting redone for living, bedrooms and kitchen. living and bedrooms does look better with matching grout. but here's the kitchen. can't understand why anyone can say that its supposed to look like this. really its 睁眼说瞎话。The contractor kept saying color not even not his fault, he told me before the color will not be even. But how can it be till this standard? And the front door is still cracking after the repairs done not so long ago. seems like taking the door back to factory to repair, paint it with a waterproof lacquer still do not work. I tell the contractor I can't accept this door, must change. He said change to another one will still be like this becos the rain splash and afternoon sun at my place quite bad. Anyone can suggest a more appropriate type of door for a place that will 日晒雨淋？I would think those with as little designs and joinings would be safter (though mine is already quite simple, just 1 sq, 1 rectangle). Scared I insist on changing, ultimately still crack.

Thanks Sygnur. Waiting for final rectifications. but the house is already crumbling as he rectify... My hinges and door stoppers have gone rusty even before I moved in! The door still cracking after repair. Sigh, really problematic.

Thanks Adidaem My contractor tried touching up a few holes so that I could see if the color is very different and ugly. but after it dried up, and I touched it after more than 24hr, the fillings crumble and fall out. Perhaps the holes are too big. So he redo the grouting for the whole floors and I'm still waiting to see how the final result will be. Because my grout are not white, so don't think there will be matching color grout pens available. Thanks for the well wishes. Yes, hope the reno would be completed soon...

Thanks Sygnur!

They going to take back the door n repolish n lacquer, making sure no gaps where water could seep thr. The floor I got another contractor to see, he say must redo the grout n told me how to get my contractor to redo. My contractor wants to pay him to do the work but he too many projects on hand. So now stuck...

The contractor agrees that this is not acceptable too. So he will go liaise with the door supplier and get it settled. Otherwise I won't pay him.

I got it through the contractor so I don't have invoice of the door. But the agreement is solid nyatoh wood door. Thanks.

I think mine exceptional case (exceptional bad luck). so dun worry, most people's flooring is fine. there may be some small holes appearing but not supposed to be as extensive as mine. no, they will not charge additional, becos the contractor in the first place suggested redo the grout to solve the uneven grout color. but then after that, he say maybe just partial dapping with acid can make the color more even. so I ok with his suggestion but now do until like this, maybe still have to redo grout...

I think I really bad luck. Maybe like what you say, there is a fault line. last few days rained, maybe it splashed on the door and caused this. But then, how can the previous old hdb door lasted 38 years and this $450 door last only less than 1 month??? So sad, I should've kept the old door, old floor...

Its ok. I think if no choice I will just have to insist that the main con get his man to do it. I think as long as you get them to do the required rectification before the acid wash, so that its only washed once, should be safe. My grouting holes only became obvious after the second acid wash, which I don't understand why he must do it just becos he changed some tiles and the skirtings. I posted a photo of the grouting hole at the T-blog. I think for tiles that are cut 90degrees rather than a bit round at the edges, it is more difficult to make it feel very even. But if acceptable, just leave it. else when they change the tiles, the grouting color may look different.

Hi Princess Wanted to pm you but not sure why couldn't get through. Do you happen to know any tilers good at doing rectification work for grouting issues? I think I must be one of the rare ones with so much problems with flooring. My living room and kitchen area grouting has so many holes after the second acid wash (he washed again after changing the uneven tiles and ugly skirting) that I think the only solution may be to dig out all the grout and redo. But I don't trust this guy any more and thought of finding another tiler to take a look and recommend the best action. thanks originalbread

Seems like endless bad luck. Every time I go down, I discover more holes in the grout. Today I pasted many many tapes on the living room floor and kitchen floor. Yesterday the contractor told me will fill up the holes but I suspect the whole grout is weak already. And for every hole filled, the grout color would look different. And guess what I discovered tonight, the door has cracked! Not just in one place but the lower portion of the door too. This is supposed to be solid nyatoh wood but when they first installed, I already feel the wood doesn't seem thick and feels quite light. wonder if they gave me hollow door instead... Any one see this type of issue on new doors before?

Every time the projected hand over date is 'this Saturday', but every Saturday I go n see, still so many rectifications to b done.

12 weeks and I finished one whole roll of tape to mark problem areas. I need to get more tape! after changing tiles for the uneven/broken ones and rectifying the skirting corners, the contractor arranged for another acid wash. I went down to take a look but I found more problems! Did he spoil the grout because of doing acid wash more than once? I saw holes in a number of places. And whitish looking bits too. He told me to just wipe off can already. Next week he will come back use acid to wash the darker grout area as the grout color unevenness not resolved yet. So I believe him lor, I use a soft bristle to brush through the grout then wipe. Do a little bit my neck already breaking. And the worst is, a lot of powdery stuff came out. Is it supposed to be like this? Or did he overwash my floor until the grout spoil liao. even brushing and wiping, the whitish bits resurfaced after the floor becomes dry. Dunno how. If I ask him to dig out the whole grouting to redo, also problem as it will be less lasting and bits may fall out after some time. but if I just ask him to patch up the holes only, I scared not long more holes will appear. and the uneven grout color issue still not resolved

Thanks! the contractor thinks i making his life very hard by being very demanding and detailed but if he did everything properly in the first place, I would have faith and wouldn't scrutinise. but i think most of them try to smoke us. like my colleague, she found some hollow tiles her contractor say if change one piece, will affect other pieces and affect the overall look and she kena bluffed.

oh the laminates not the carpenter's fault. the contractor admitted that he see the code wrongly and gave the carpenter the wrong laminate code. small problems still can solve but the flooring, really dunno how... going to post more photos.

Hi Sygnur The supposed hand over date was actually end of September. Isn't it amazing?　He is doing touch up of painting tomorrow, Friday wash floor again, then we see if grouting uneven color issue still there. if still not acceptable, got to redo the grout. If I do work like they do, I would've lost my job already. The contractor say for that shelf, its because the shelf got defect. Then does he think I will want to fix something defective any way? When I asked him don't throw away the box, I want to go exchange, he say probably throw away liao but he will search. But I know he didn't, cause I managed to find the boxes myself but its all torn into pieces. This is stupid, is it easier to rip open a paper box to get the item inside or simply open the corners of the box? Now shred until like this, don't know if Ikea will still accept an exchange even if its their defect. Seriously, some workers don't think, then when got to do rework, complain to my mum say work until late at night, get scolding from main con, main con make them rework and no pay. The main con may not have communicated certain expectations to them, but the workers got to be serious in their work too. Isn't things like doing level flooring, proper grouting of even color very basic? sorry Synur, for being so grouchy.