Excellent Tradesmen

[nivram4491]

I get really annoyed when posters make thoughtless comments that all tradesmen in Thailand are incompetent. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Sanpatong, about 50 meters past the market and on the same side of the highway, there is a shop that does brakes only, The man there is a genius on anything related to brakes and I marvel every time I see him in action. In addition, his prices are extremely fair and reasonable.

I get a haircut in Ban Tung Sieow for 40 Baht which is just as good as the hair cuts I used to get in Australia for $25 (around 750 Baht).

I would like other people to contribute examples of excellent tradesmen to disprove the dumb notion that all tradesmen in Thailand are mediocre.

[kaptainrob]

I have a few similar Th examples though nothing comes close to a recent Bali experience. Same same as Isaan trade(s) stories .... prolly more interesting to farangs >

Arrived in Benoa Hbr (Bali) with a $2m superyacht (real value, not the owners AUD$6mil ask), and the Americana ice-making dual door fridge broke down. In Australia it would have been a throw-away, NWR ... despite a high replacement cost.

Long story short, I ferried 2 Balinese repairmen out to our anchorage for 3 days and they literally re-built the fridge/freezer which had severe (salt) corrosion throughout. Total cost incl. copper pipes, gas, receiver-dryers etc ...... AUD$180.

[hellodolly]

My brother in law lives in Lampang who is a tradesman. He makes picture frames and other things out of woof. I have a stool to sit on that he made out of a log on a lathe. When we wanted some shelving we just gave him the dimensions and got a sturdy set of shelving. He is a carpenter by trade and just does these things in his spare time but the quality is excellent.

[stoneyboy]

My brother in law lives in Lampang who is a tradesman. He makes picture frames and other things out of woof. I have a stool to sit on that he made out of a log on a lathe. When we wanted some shelving we just gave him the dimensions and got a sturdy set of shelving. He is a carpenter by trade and just does these things in his spare time but the quality is excellent.

Very dogged indeed.

Ha ha.

[HaleySabai]

This thing about TV posters displaying a bias attitude against everything 'Thai' is nothing more than a thin veil over a thick sense of "superiority" inherited and hung-over from a bygone era.

Of course the 'farang' doesn't have a monopoly on the delusional sense of "self-entitlement".

I have had many work/job related experiences with Thais ending in competent and skilled outcomes for a far fraction of the cost of labour/tradework in the West,where getting almost anything done these days can be an expensive and frustrating nightmare.

The Thai,I believe, can be every bit as competent as the non-Thai in any field of endeavour,but remains somewhat estranged through it's own cultural conditioning and thus limited when it comes to joining others on the playing field where 1+1=2.

[KRS1]

Only thing farangs excel at in Thailand is bragging and complaining.

[jackr]

Indeed, there are competent ones (offshore engineers are excellent), but lets not get all starry-eyed, there is a lot of rubbish. For every decent job done, there are doubtless many bad ones. That is nothing to do with hang overs from bygone eras, that's just how it is; the cutting of corners is obligatory and lots of Thais also complain about shoddy work.

[Dante99]

Indeed, there are competent ones (offshore engineers are excellent), but lets not get all starry-eyed, there is a lot of rubbish. For every decent job done, there are doubtless many bad ones. That is nothing to do with hang overs from bygone eras, that's just how it is; the cutting of corners is obligatory and lots of Thais also complain about shoddy work.

Same could be said about many countries including "developed" ones.

[hellodolly]

Back in Canada they had a fairly popular show on called Homes on Homes. This fellow named Homes would go in to Homes where remodeler's had made a mess of it or not completed the work. He would do the work and show where the previous supposedly competent company had cut corners and done shoddy workmanship. It was amazing some of the crap work that some supposedly tradesmen supposedly did. He even did some work on homes in California.

[uptheos]

Back in Canada they had a fairly popular show on called Homes on Homes. This fellow named Homes would go in to Homes where remodeler's had made a mess of it or not completed the work. He would do the work and show where the previous supposedly competent company had cut corners and done shoddy workmanship. It was amazing some of the crap work that some supposedly tradesmen supposedly did. He even did some work on homes in California.

A lot of people (especially the elderly) get ripped off by overcharging and crappy workmanship in the UK.

I have had loads of stuff done here which is good and extremely cheap. I've had a few hiccups, but it didn't cost a fortune.

[NowImEasy]

A common occurence in Thailand is the inability to say no. We farang don't know where to ask, as a rule. So when one asks a Thai if he/she knows where to find someone to do a particular job,usually the person asked says that they can handle it, or they have a relative with some tools who will show up and destroy your place. That's my theory for the cause of the complaints. When one gets connected with a skilled tradesman, it's just expected that things will work out. Hence, no postings on TV about the great work/job completed.

[Jobo]

So amongst all the excellent tradesmen out there (that I have largely yet to find in 16 years) does anyone know who/how /where to clean and seal sandstone and terracotta tiles that are constantly exposed to rain and sun?

[Rancid]

When you engage a trademan here definitely better to watch them, there are indeed some very competent people and there are also complte ignoramuses. Perhaps one could consider that on the forum that tries to find the cheapest and most miserable possible of everything under the sun that the same attitude isn't applied to quotes?

[jaideeguy]

'So amongst all the excellent tradesmen out there (that I have largely yet to find in 16 years) does anyone know who/how /where to clean and seal sandstone and terracotta tiles that are constantly exposed to rain and sun?'

Do it yourself using a pressure washer to remove stains, fungus etc, then treat it with chlorine and finish it off with a water sealant like 'thompsons'......job done

[Jobo]

'So amongst all the excellent tradesmen out there (that I have largely yet to find in 16 years) does anyone know who/how /where to clean and seal sandstone and terracotta tiles that are constantly exposed to rain and sun?'

Do it yourself using a pressure washer to remove stains, fungus etc, then treat it with chlorine and finish it off with a water sealant like 'thompsons'......job done

I thank you very much.

[market trader]

Back in Canada they had a fairly popular show on called Homes on Homes. This fellow named Homes would go in to Homes where remodeler's had made a mess of it or not completed the work. He would do the work and show where the previous supposedly competent company had cut corners and done shoddy workmanship. It was amazing some of the crap work that some supposedly tradesmen supposedly did. He even did some work on homes in California.

You can find HOLMES on Homes on True visions TV here in Thailand.

[market trader]

'So amongst all the excellent tradesmen out there (that I have largely yet to find in 16 years) does anyone know who/how /where to clean and seal sandstone and terracotta tiles that are constantly exposed to rain and sun?'

Do it yourself using a pressure washer to remove stains, fungus etc, then treat it with chlorine and finish it off with a water sealant like 'thompsons'......job done

I thank you very much.

I agree with pressure washing and chlorine. However Thompsons water seal is meant for wood. When applied it is abosrbed into the wood and will last for approximately one year.. I think that if you apply it to tiles it would flake off very quickly.

[MrBrad]

'So amongst all the excellent tradesmen out there (that I have largely yet to find in 16 years) does anyone know who/how /where to clean and seal sandstone and terracotta tiles that are constantly exposed to rain and sun?'

Do it yourself using a pressure washer to remove stains, fungus etc, then treat it with chlorine and finish it off with a water sealant like 'thompsons'......job done

I thank you very much.

I agree with pressure washing and chlorine. However Thompsons water seal is meant for wood. When applied it is abosrbed into the wood and will last for approximately one year.. I think that if you apply it to tiles it would flake off very quickly.

There also are products for sealing stone and cement, both high-gloss and matt finish. Check in the paint departments of some of the home repair stores.

[NeverSure]

I thank you very much.

Chlorine will for sure kill the moss, but it won't kill the spores which can grow later. Because the grout is porous clear to the base it's hard to control moss. You might want to consider that pressure washer for sure, and the bleach to save some money, followed by a longer lasting moss killer.

Chlorine is great, but it biodegrades and evaporates very rapidly. Try getting it to stay in a swimming pool or hot tub, for instance. It will kill on contact though. It just won't last to keep anything from coming back.

I also agree that you should find a real outdoor concrete and tile sealer. Some are outdoor grade clear polyurethane, and some are clear latex. I really have more faith in durability in the polyurethane, but YMMV.

The best moss killer I've ever used is called "Spray and Forget." It works so well in my shady part of my driveway (asphalt) that I can spray it on and the rain washes ALL of the dead moss away! It lasts for at least a year. Here are some before and after pics.

http://www.sprayandf...om/photos.shtml

Edited October 14, 2012 by NeverSure

[funcat]

OK,20 posts and only OP found some "excellent tradesmen"...of course my father-in-law is a tailor and he is good in what he's doing...for their standards....

...so I'm still hoping to find somebody to amuse me...someone,who will be more "excellent" than...I