In my home country, it is typically normal to acquire samples of tile and paint (swatches or pint-size cans) to see whether one's choices match their expectations within their home.

My Thai wife is against such an approach, and instead prefers to eye-ball the selections at the (hardware) store, and then once a selection is made (with my approval), to buy such product in bulk.

I'm suggesting to her to follow the farang approach, but she (strongly) disagrees. Is this a Thainess thing, or is it simply because stores do not conduct business in this manner as is done in farang-land?

Also, and perhaps slightly off-topic, why do Thais mix water with their paint? Is it to yield more product from each gallon of paint? I've never heard of such a thing, and now it makes me wonder why the exterior of many buildings in Thailand look like crap.

I can't be bothered with paint and tile selection so leave it up to the wife. But, she has taken taken tile samples home as well as just ordering.

Thinning paint to 50% must be taught in Thai painting 101 as they do that even when the paint is paid separately. It obviously covers more that way but otherwise have no idea why they do that. That's why I do my own painting.

I think the fact that the paint shops have sample cards and sample tins should answer your question......

A off topic inappropriate post has been removed.

I bought quite a bit of paint in Buriram Thailand. From Modern Trade Stores such as Thai Watsadu and Buriram Global House. I've bought Dulux Paint from a family owned

paint store in downtown Buriram in 2007. I've bought quite a bit of Nippon Paint and TOA Paint at a Buriram Builders Merchants Store. Since 2006 I have seen some stores

offer tins of paint while other stores were not keen to offer house paint in small tins.

Paint Brochures, paint swatches at better stores I could take home. All of the modern Trade stores and some family

owned stores have paint company representatives who know a bit about that brand of paint. They know the code to run the custom color mixing machines in each store. Now

floor tile samples to take home and wall tile samples to take home, even swimming pool tile samples to take home have been hit or miss in Buriram. The family owned

stores such as Home Mega Mart and Ruangsangthai were generous in offering sample tiles for me to take home prior to making a tile order. No way at certain chain

stores nor at Dynasty Top Tile store in Buriram. I was able to get decent advise on tile from the RCI tile salesman for Isaan. The O.P. might look at the family owned

builders merchants stores in his City for a better take home selection and perhaps lower prices than a chain store. Painters may not always respect the expensive paint

when I painted the house in 2008. I used different painters when I repainted my home with Nippon Paint after the Dulux paint had served me well for 7 years.