gejohesch

Great, thanks! I see a few products for joints of 5 mms with Weber!

I did a bit of reading and lots of people who seem to know what they're talking about strongly recommend not to make a mix myself, as that would throw off the aggregate - cement proportion of the initial product. Seems manufacturers have good reasons to make the mixes they market out with very specific proportions.

Yes, I understand that, thanks! Hence my question : do I find sanded grout easily in Thailand? I will check with Home Pro, Pairat also in Khon Kaen.... Just that I would like to be reassured before getting back to Thailand!

Hello! I have a largish (ca 50 sq m) floor surface to tile. I already have bought the tiles 45 x 45 cm. A small section has already been tiled years ago with similar tiles, the spacing between tiles is 4-5mm i.e. 1/6 - 1/5 inch. It's not perfectly regular as it was done by a local worker (typical "village-type" work!). , I don't want the new tiling to clash too much with the old one, so I'm opting for a spacing of 5 mm for my own work. Now, the question is : which grout mortar am I going to use? Reading on the net, I hear loud and clear that for anything larger than 1/8 inch = 3 mm I should definitely use sanded grout. I have tiled a wall in the past with 2mm spacing with grout bought in a Dinasty Tiles shop, I'm 100% certain that was unsanded grout, it worked perfect. However, I'm not sure the shop has sanded grout. I cannot check because I'm outside Thailand just now. Can anyone reassure me that Dinasty (or another shop) also has sanded grout? My question may sound stupid, but I just read that "I was in India a few years back and they ONLY sell unsanded grout there". One never knows...

Thanks. It's good to bring back focus on the question at hand. I find all too often that discussions on this site diverge a bit too much. Everyone likes to bring in his story - that would better be discussed in another discussion to avoid confusing all sorts of issues in this present discussion.

Last 2 times I went to Thailand - with Emirates from Europe, via Dubai: - november 2022 to march 2023: I obtained the e-visa, TR option, with no problem even though the return flight was over 3 months after entry to Thailand. - april - may 2023: on the visa exemption basis. No question asked at check-in - but I had been asked by airlines at least twice in years past for "proof of onward ticket". So I was prepared, I had a "throw-away" flight booked to Siem Reap. Money wasted since the airline (Emirates) did not ask anything at check-in. So two comments: - check-in experiences re. onward flight vary when traveling on the visa exemption basis. - e-visa application indeed requires a return flight booked, but that return flight can be booked beyond the 60 days TR period, no problem - at least that's my experience. And of course: no one ever asked about onward flights when passing immigration in Bangkok (I flew in countless times over the years). Nearly needless to mention that as it is the experience of 90-99% people I think.

Thanks, that confirms what I thought.

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but please kindly accommodate me! I already booked my flights : to Thailand in mid August + return to Europe end of October. That's a total stay of 75 days. My original plan was to enter Thailand on the visa exemption basis, fly out after 30 days and spend 2-3 weeks somewhere else in SE Asia or India, then return to Thailand again on the visa exemption basis for another period of 30 days - and finally return to Europe end of October. As I'm revisiting my plan, I now think I would rather apply for a TR visa, which allows for a 60 days stay, and go to immigration to get a 30 days extension (1900 THB, I've done that in a previous visit). With the extension, I will be allowed to stay until early November, which is more than I need since I will leave end of October - no problem with that. My concern now is how the airline will handle me at check-in when departing from Europe in August. With a TR visa =60 days but my return flight booked 75 days after arrival in Thailand, will the airline make a problem? I would rather like to avoid booking a "throw-away" flight out of Thailand to match the 60 days TR visa period, just to satisfy the airline. I've done that in a previous visit - no one asked me anything - I know it's not that costly, maybe some 50 EUR about, but extra costs keep adding up....

That's very much my experience, especially "those who confidently tell you exactly the wrong information". I will add "those who confidently tell you to take the largest and most expensive option, whatever your needs". And that's also true for other than DYI items.

Good points, makes sense. I think I have a better idea now re. the dimensions of that "slightly elevated surface" required to correctly accommodate the tiles and the nosing. It will be rather like my second drawing then. Thanks. Note that 1) my drawing is obviously a bit simplified; 2) the idea of slotting the riser tile into that "highlighted area" was given to me by the attendant I asked in Global House. But granted, a) no one (nearly ever) speaks 3 words of english around where I am; b) my technical thai is a bit limited; c) many attendants don't really know a lot anyway!

My drawing is just a drawing - it's maybe a bit simplified! Looking at the pic you sent, and taking note of your comments, my understanding is that you suggest to place the tiles as shown on my revised drawing here. I marked with red stars the joints between the nosing and the tiles, with some thin set showing up (as per your pic). However, it seems to me that the nosing has such an obvious little place for the riser tile to fit in, and, true, the vertical part of the nosing would then protrude but that would just be by a few mm, I wonder if that would really be a trip hasard? I can understand the trip hasard with the horizontal (flat) part, the one that links to the tread.

I hope my "title" is clear (english is not my first language). Here is my current project: - just outside my wife's house in Isan, there is nice covered place which I want to arrange as an outdoors kitchen and sitting area; - My idea is to tile the floor to give it a better look and feel than just drab cement; - There is a slightly elevated surface which I think will be ideal to place kitchen furniture, coking stove, what have you; the step up is about 10 cm but I can arrange a bit more if necessary; - As I want to place a safety rail, or nosing, or strip (I may confuse the terms here and there....), my problem is to decide how wide I have to make that elevated surface to accommodate the tiles without having to cut some. I already have the tiles, they are 45 x 45 cm. That depends on how exactly the horizontal and vertical tiles (tread and riser) will fit with the nosing. I see lots of options in Home Pro and Global House, the first jpeg is an example from Home Pro. - My understanding is that the tiles will fit as I have roughly depicted on the 2nd jpeg. If that is correct, there will be a spacing of a few cms between the tile edges (tread and riser, respectively). It may sound like a lot, maybe a 2, 3 or 4 cms, but that will have to be taken into account to avoid having to cut tiles. I'm sure this is a very basic question! Thanks for advice / comments! Actually, if anyone has a precise drawing to replace my amateurish attempt; that will be most welcome!

Good comments and caveats! However, when it comes to sprinkling water on top of the roof, what could really go wrong? Roofs are made to withstand repeated rain after all, no? Sprinkling the roof has not come into my questioning so far, as I had the whole roof redesigned (I did the design myself, I am a bit of an amateur architect!), and that included : more space between the roof and the hanging ceiling for better ventilation + roofing sheets with insulation layers + insulation rolls laid over the hanging ceiling before closing again. That made a huge difference to the ambient temperature in the living space. My problem now is (again) : the walls and especially the windows get hot and radiate a lot of heat inside of the house.

Hmmmm, I studied physics to quite a high level when I was younger - actually coming from a rather good background in maths. Various types of mechanics (celestial, thermo, acoustics, wave propagation, even quantum, applications to civil engineering etc), also chemistry (organic and mineral) plus a bit of chemical engineering and elements of metallurgy. Obviously, I have forgotten a lot over the decades since my studies, but nevertheless it is quite funny to read your comment. Please don't jump on me for writing a bit too fast and forgetting to mention that the most important cooling factor is the evaporation process. Such as we all experience through sweating, for example.

That's an interesting idea. Water is known as a great help against the heat. It's an excellent conductor, so absorbs energy (heat) very quickly away from the surfaces it comes in touch with. I don't know how easy it is to install such a thing however. Some studying ahead for me, I guess!

Thanks! I tried my best to navigate this issue and, frankly, it's not straightforward! I like your line "So it is possible to make an inexpensive paint of barium sulphate and reduce the heat gain by a very substantial amount. you can have any colour you like as long as it’s white." So, yes, white paint (and the barium sulphate nano particle type you mention). I guess it's the outside that should be painted, rather than the inside of the house? Sorry for asking, but I'm not an expert and I would prefer to avoid assuming too quickly, and then wasting my time (especially if 30 coats are required!). What do you think of tiling the exterior of the walls? I guess that would add to the thermal mass and possibly be useful somehow?

That's also where I'm coming from : every little help helps! I guess the foam improves the wall insulation. At least, the wall looks good from an aesthetic point of view ! It ends up being cheap too, I guess, maybe a couple of 1,000 THB for an entire wall, and rather easy to put in place. So, that's an idea I will keep in mind.

I very much agree with you. In fact, 28 Celsius only feels good to me when I come in from a warmer place, but it quickly feels not so comfortable after all. My "sweet spot", if I may say, is around 25-26 or even a bit lower (23-24 about) if working (like being in an office space). It's actually amazing how sensitive one can be to a single degree difference! At the moment, I keep all windows open at night in our daily living space, to capture the relative coolness of the early morning (28 degrees) - with screens on to keep the bugs away, of course! In my view, (1) = keeping a house cool in a hot climate has much in common with (2) = keeping a house warm in a cool/cold climate. It's just that the heat transfer one tries to reduce is in the opposite direction (from outside to the inside or the reverse). Therefore, one of the first things I think should be done is to reduce to the maximum all possible gaps, like around the window and door frames, to avoid cold air to getting out or coming in (depending whether (1) or (2) situation). Then comes the question of all materials around the inside-outside interface that could be considered as good conductors, and that will effectively transfer heat across the interface. Sure, metal is an issue then; the aluminum window frames feel down hot at the end of the afternoon! Sure, glass is a relatively poor conductor, but then : relatively to what? If it was such a poor conductor that I would not have to worry about it, then why can I not hold a glass of hot water in my hands? Or why do we need double (if not triple) glazing to keep houses warm (or cool)? The fact is that in double (triple) glazing, the space between the glass panes is filled with argon, a gas which is considerably less conductive than glass. Also, if you consider an insulating flask made of glass (Thermos), the real insulator is not the glass but the vacuum between the two walls of the flask. Once a given material (metal or glass) gets warm, it starts radiating out energy, hence heat transfer to the inside (situation (1) = our problem here in Thailand). So, yes I agree with the AC's, but before I install the AC units, and to make their work easier (and less costly), I would like to explore ways of: - a) reducing the "gaps"; - b) reducing how warm surfaces such as window frames and glass panes, but also walls actually get warm; - c) reducing the extent to which those surfaces will be radiating heat to the inside of the house. a) is easy (plug the gaps); b) I have done everything possible around the house to provide as much shading as possible (trees, plants, roof). So there is not much direct sunlight hitting the house. The surfaces in question nevertheless get warm because of the ambient temperatures. As someone said above, the walls in Thailand are not very helpful (concrete blocks + a bit of cement + metal). Is there a way to paint or coat the window frames that would reduce their heat absorption? Would cladding the exterior with ceramic tiles provide some degree of insulation? I'm thinking of why house are tiled up and down in Portugal - there should be a reason other than purely decorative! c) Inside of the house then, same question about painting / coating the window frames. I'm not interested in putting films on the glass panes, since there is no direct sunlight anywhere anymore. Ouf! I know this is rather long, and I apologize for not having addressed all the points made above. It's a complex matter and it takes time to discuss!

Allow me to disagree with some here. When I touch the walls, especially at the end of the day, they feel warm. When I touch the window panes (glass), they feel very warm. That's exactly as radiators feel (the type used in cold countries). And heat radiates, that's simple physics, is it not?

To you and nigelforbes just above. Thanks, what I take from you is the idea of installing bamboo slats on the outside. Btw, it's not just about blocking out direct sunlight and heat, it's also about insulating against the outside temperature even if there is no direct sunlight! It's a matter of heat radiation! I have done everything I could so far with planting trees around etc, reshaping the roof completely (adding space between the roof and the hanging ceiling for better ventilation + replacing the roof sheets with sheets + 5cm insulation), and putting insulation rolls (5 cm) on the hanging ceiling before closing up again. What remains, mainly, is the heat radiating from outside to the inside.

I'm not usually in Thailand around April, but this year it turned out I could not avoid it, and I'm shocked with he heat levels. It's around 40 Celsius every single day, temperature does not drop below 28 Celsius in the early morning, and no rain in sight to cool the climate down for weeks, where I am in Isan! I've done some work in my wife's village house over the years, but not enough, obviously. I noticed that the walls and especially the windows radiate heat inside like mad. It's like we had radiators all around us, not a good idea... One wall is tiled up half way up on the outside and the sections that are tiled up feel a bit cooler on the inside than the untiled sections. So maybe tiling up more is a good idea? But more importantly, the window panes are damn hot. Replacing them with double glazing windows would be expensive and there would be the added problem that probably no one around would ever have installed such things. So I come to the idea of placing insulating films on the windows: does anyone have any experience with that in Thailand? Obviously, one solution would be to install AC units. We already have one in the bedroom and it's great! For the rest of the house, I will consider 2 or 3 AC units at some stage but not in the immediate. And btw, the AC in the bedroom has to fight its way against 2 of those heat radiating windows anyway, so back to the question : what can I do with those windows?

I had a similar experience some 10 years ago. I would like to make 2 points here. 1 - Australia is (after all) an island, and like all islands, it tries to control to the maximum what comes in and could upset the local eco-system. This is perfectly understandable. Australia even attempts to control what goes from one state to the other, which is also understandable given the size of the country. 2 - Having lived a few years in Australia, I observed multiple times a rather different attitude on part of the police forces and assimilated, when compared with other countries I know. An attitude that I am temped to call "carceral". It's easy to think that comes from the well-known fact that Australia was mainly settled (after the aborigines) by convicts, being considered as a penal colony by GB. (I'm not Australian, btw). My experience then. Flying from Melbourne to Perth, me + wife went through the usual controls. The dog got excited sniffing around my wife's bag, and rapidly zoomed in to her toiletry bag. The lady officer asked what was in it, and as my wife could not think of anything out of the ordinary, the officer got very aggressive and threatening, with words like "we will find it, you can be sure of that!" - typical. After a good 5 minutes searching through the bag and further angry and threatening behaviour, she could still not find anything special, and she grudgingly had to let us pass. One day later, in Perth, my wife found what the dog had been sniffing up. She had picked up small flowers she found lovely, while in Melbourne, and put them into her toiletry bag. There were 2 tiny wilted petals left in the bag when we flew to Perth!

Same experience here, after a while working in M. I was ready to move up to Thailand, so much more exciting and worth putting up with some of the well-known "Thailand eccentricities"

Maybe there are statistics showing that tourists (or any non-resident foreigners for that matter) spend much less per day between days 31-45 than between days 1-30? Remember, what is wanted here is money money money, and there are always suspicions that non-Thais are not seen as desirable....

You forgot : frequent modifications to the rules!