My Thai wife and I are buying a home in a community south of the CM airport and wish to do major renovations to include electrical, brickwork, kitchen renovation, back-up water system, painting, etc..

We need a builder/supervisor who can either do the work himself or has access to workmen who can do the work and I am much more concerned about quality workmanship and honesty than cost.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance, Dustoff

Hi Dustoff

I've got a guy and his team doing work at my house in Land and House at the moment: fitted furniture and water wall behind the house. He's honest, creative and is doing a good job. But like all good builders he's busy.

At the start he asked me to give him a budget and he's working within this. He's not working from plans as he's building to fit. I'm happy with the value and quality I've received so far.

He can't speak English, so you'll need a Thai to call and coordinate the work.

Chang Suthon 09 7005577

Say John and Ying gave you his number.

~

Well, it didn't work out and I have to say that if there is quality construction/finish workmanship anywhere in Chiang Mai, I have totally failed to find it. My highly recommended builder came through over the last couple of months and basically butchered our house even with my being there almost constantly to oversee and supervise (which is of course supposed to be HIS job).

Consequently I will not be offering to recommend this guy, or any subcontractor he hired, to anyone on these boards as I had previously promised. Now I have about two months worth of work to do myself to correct the mess.

Anybody know how to easily get dried oil and latex paint off tile and granite?

~

Well, it didn't work out and I have to say that if there is quality construction/finish workmanship anywhere in Chiang Mai, I have totally failed to find it. My highly recommended builder came through over the last couple of months and basically butchered our house even with my being there almost constantly to oversee and supervise (which is of course supposed to be HIS job).

Consequently I will not be offering to recommend this guy, or any subcontractor he hired, to anyone on these boards as I had previously promised. Now I have about two months worth of work to do myself to correct the mess.

Anybody know how to easily get dried oil and latex paint off tile and granite?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

check on the posts from Ajarn...he had a guy that used to work for him that was quite good.

As for the paint, something that is really caustic(sic) should do the trick.

The best is Mohamad Jesr. 01-9937900. He is also a great design architect and the quality of his work is exceptional. He has a portfolio you can look at and he will give you a written estimate. He speaks perfect english.

Oil removal:

1. Pour cola on the oily or dry stained areas, and leave the cola on overnight. Squirt a generous amount of dishwashing liquid into a bucket until you have a good lather. Rinse with the soapy water, then with clear water.

2. Sprinkle baking soda or an absorbent powder such as cornmeal or sawdust on the oily spots. If the stain is dry, wet it first to make a scouring paste. Scrub with a stiff brush or push broom.

3. Sprinkle automatic dishwasher detergent on the oily area. Leave it for several minutes, then pour boiling water on the stained area. Scrub with a stiff brush or push broom, then rinse.

4. Try a commercial cleaner such as Garage and Driveway Cleaner by Red Devil Co. or a grease solvent such as Benzine. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Sprinkle trisodium phosphate (TSP) on the oily area. If the stain is dry, wet it first. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Scrub using a stiff broom. TSP is a dangerous product; if you must use it, wear rubber or latex gloves, safety goggles and protective clothing. Also, never wash a TSP product down storm drains.

6. As a last resort, combat tough spills with muriatic acid and a pressure washer. Apply the acid following the manufacturer's directions, and let it soak for several seconds. Follow with a pressure washer set at 2,500 to 3,000 lbs. per square inch (psi), or 176 to 211 kg per square cm. Like TSP, muriatic acid is a dangerous product; likewise, if you must use it, wear rubber or latex gloves, safety goggles and protective clothing, and never wash such a product down storm drains.

7. After trying any of the strategies above, sprinkle baking soda over the cleaned area to neutralize the solution you've used.

For Latex paint. Latex acrylic paints are basically water, pigment, and polymer resins. Although quite easy to remove when fresh, (steam extraction methods,) they do become almost impossible to remove once dried. The first thing to do is to try to remove as much as you can mechanically before using a chemical. Ensure the area is well ventillated then thoroughly wet with Dry Cleaning liquid, (Carbon TetraChloride,) or acetone before following the above steps for Oil stain removal.