This is probably the best forum for this thread!

At my small hotel in Phuket, I am trying to upgrade the facilities - on a tight budget!!

I have discovered the wonders of mature bamboo as a building material for our garden, such as constructing natural and attractive fencing, as well as poles to support garden lights, pergolas etc. I'm buying 6 meter lengths of bamboo (3 inches diameter) for 27 baht each!!

Whilst bamboo looks great when it's used in the garden, it doesn't really look good when used in my guest-rooms. I want to upgrade my bathrooms, add table-top surfaces for new basins, But I don't want to purchase granite/marble worktops, especially if there is perhaps some unusual, durable, cheap material that is available.

Any suggestions for cheap and durable building material apart from bamboo??

Simon

Is anything cheap anymore in Thailand ?

World comodities prices drop of a cliff, and Thailand puts the prices up.

I've just enquired about the price of the 'cheap and nasty' building bricks because the inlaws need a wall building between them and the neighbours. They were 2.5 baht six months ago. now 4 baht. where will it end

But back on Topic , only thing I can think of which is cheap and durable would be ceramic tiles on a concrete base.

I do like Bamboo but it doesn't last too long which is why the inlaws need a brick wall.

Thanks for the top re ceramic tiles. I've painted some clear outdoor varnish onto the bamboo - includes termite protector.

At such a low cost, it's not a problem to replace these items in the garden after a few years...

Simon

This is probably the best forum for this thread!

At my small hotel in Phuket, I am trying to upgrade the facilities - on a tight budget!!

I have discovered the wonders of mature bamboo as a building material for our garden, such as constructing natural and attractive fencing, as well as poles to support garden lights, pergolas etc. I'm buying 6 meter lengths of bamboo (3 inches diameter) for 27 baht each!!

Whilst bamboo looks great when it's used in the garden, it doesn't really look good when used in my guest-rooms. I want to upgrade my bathrooms, add table-top surfaces for new basins, But I don't want to purchase granite/marble worktops, especially if there is perhaps some unusual, durable, cheap material that is available.

Any suggestions for cheap and durable building material apart from bamboo??

Simon

Maybe you could find a local who uses clay for pots, etc and get them to cast and fire some items. Anything using portland cement would seem to be expensive, wood also. Clay is dirt and should be free there.

I too am interested in using bamboo in a more permanent manner, and have found a couple of websites relating to its use in building, but really can't find info on preserving bamboo for permanent use.

You can try soil stabilized with cement. I've not used it myself but it might be worth looking into.

I too am interested in using bamboo in a more permanent manner, and have found a couple of websites relating to its use in building, but really can't find info on preserving bamboo for permanent use.

There's another Thai based website which has a thread on this (I can't type the name of the website as Thaivisa ban any mention of it but do a google search) - someone's worked out a system involving introducing borax under high pressure. In Thailand, some people also soak bamboo - and other woods - in diesel to prevent termite attack.

soil can be used even without cement, but mixed with grasses, rise straw etc - it has to be compressed. Part of the china wall was build that way - so can last for thousands years. There are buildings up to 4 stories up build exclusively this way, in australia there is even a hotel. There are websites how to build properly. Sometimes ago (end 2005) there was here a thread mentioning soil as a building material.

I have seen a sea holiday resort wall (around hua hin) build between the property and the beach, looked very plaesant, natural.

to decorate the wall you can hung flowers or shrubs and they will cool the wall

Is anything cheap anymore in Thailand ?

I do like Bamboo but it doesn't last too long which is why the inlaws need a brick wall.

You can triple the life of bamboo (and rattan cane) by applying 2 coats of clear timber lacquer on surfaces exposed to the atmosphere.

Londonthai, gerontion, trogers:

I have been researching the use of clay soils as a building material, floors, walls, render, plaster, etc and yes, it has been used for thousands of years quite successfully. It has superior livability to cement and other modern materials. Mixed with the proper amount of lime it can be strenghtened and using chopped straw is recommended also in some applications. Lots of info on the web dealing with it. A place north of Chiang Mai has a project ongoing using it, PUN-PUN is the name.

I plan to use rice straw bales covered with clay plaster and clay render inside and out and wanted to also use as much bamboo as possible in the structure. That is the reason I am interested in preserving bamboo. I found, from someone on TV, the website of a company with a bamboo factory in Vietnam who has prebuilt bamboo homes for sale/delivery. Besides being very strong in tensil strength, its compressive strength is impressive. I have found studies/tests documenting its attributes. They say that enough could be grown on a rai to build one house, and grown rather quickly too. I want to use it for rafters, joists, stair railings, etc. if I can figure out how to get it to last and maintain that "bamboo" look.

Simon43- can you get slabs of limestone there on Phuket? Maybe they are cheap since there is so much of it there.

LondonThai: That's true but the OP mentioned work surfaces/worktops. Raw adobe/cob isn't going to work in those situations. If you seal it with linseed oil or another drying oil, it might work in a domestic setting but I don't think it's going to work out very well in a hotel.

IraqRon: I've sent you a PM about this.