Vinyl (on chairs) seems to have a short lifespan in Thailand.

[giddyup]

I have found vinyl covering on chairs soon deteriorates here. I had to have all the dining chairs recovered after about 3 years, but in fabric which seems to wear a lot better. I have also had two office chairs, both over 4000 baht, where the vinyl started to crack and split after 6 months. In fact I had the arms recovered in vinyl on one chair after 6 months, and now 6 months later the new vinyl has started to break up. I think in future I will only buy chairs that are covered in a cloth type fabric.

[lonewolf99]

Not just vinyl, and not just Thailand.

There are 2 major factors involved. Heat & humidity. I suffered the same issues working in central Africa.

Where the item is stored and for how long before you take ownership as well. If it is a warehouse that has no Air Con set at a constant temp and humidity the condition of anything is going to change.

Batteries also have a short life. Especially the type we all use in things like TV remotes, flashlights and alarm clocks. AA and AAA.

How long were they on the shelf of a 7/11 storage depot and how long in the shop before you buy them ?

Mould forms on most items that do not get aired or dried with bright sunshine on them.

You don't also know what the real quality of the goods you buy are - is it a very good knock off copy ?

Probably.

Super glue is a massive hit or miss at the best of times but here - mostly a miss. I have all manner of problems glueing any kind of material. Repairing bicycle punctures for one...!!

I had a pair of Mizuno Golf Shoes that fell apart into their constituent parts in less than 18 months use. Every glued seam and layer seperated.

Cooking some food. Ever tried to make Meringues (pronounced Marrang) with egg whites and sugar ???

You have to have the room almost at Arctic temperatures before you can even start to get the mix right.

Sadly, without a great deal of effort the lifespan of many things here, is short to say the least.

[lonewolf99]

mm

Edited July 5, 2016 by lonewolf99

[KhunBENQ]

So I am not alone

I will NOT upload a picture of what my chair looks like after a year.

[Dario]

So I am not alone

I will NOT upload a picture of what my chair looks like after a year.

No, you're not alone. Six years ago I had a new house built and had to buy brand new furniture. For my beautiful desk I bought an office chair which cost me 14'900 Baht. After less than 2 years the vinyl looked awful, all cracked. I used it further for another 4 years now covering it with bath towels.

Recently to my astonishment I saw a same looking office chair for sale on Lazada for ... you wouldn't believe it ... 2'600 Baht only. I bought it, of course. I will try to find a picture of the chair when it was new and still standing in the showroom, then one I made a long time ago after it started to deteriorate.

I think, what we have to do is: nourish the vinyl or leather, so I bought a set on Lazada from Lexol (you google it), I think this will do the job in the future.

This is the chair in the showroom

This when it started to deteriorate

This is what I found on Lazada

Edited July 5, 2016 by Dario

[manarak]

a lot of plastics deteriorate very quickly in Thailand, literally turning to dust.

some metals also corrode very quickly.

[tropo]

a lot of plastics deteriorate very quickly in Thailand, literally turning to dust.

some metals also corrode very quickly.

I have a feeling some people are overlooking another reason - sweat. That's pretty corrosive on vinyl over time. As for office chairs, I don't buy vinyl as you tend to stick to it when you sweat, but the wheels are what go on me after a few years - just too much weight for chairs designed to support lighter Asians.

Surprisingly my motorcycle seat covers are still mint on one bike purchased in 2007 and one in 2008. Quality of the vinyl is probably the biggest factor.

[Torrens54]

Leather suffers too.When we returned here to retire, five years ago we brought in a beautiful Full Leather Lounge, top quality from Australia.

It has now developed many cracks in the arm rests on all chairs, even those that don't get used a lot. We use an expensive Leather Cleaner, same as we used in Oz which has preserved other lounges for decades but it just

"gives up the Ghost" in this climate.

[Dario]

Leather suffers too.When we returned here to retire, five years ago we brought in a beautiful Full Leather Lounge, top quality from Australia.

It has now developed many cracks in the arm rests on all chairs, even those that don't get used a lot. We use an expensive Leather Cleaner, same as we used in Oz which has preserved other lounges for decades but it just

"gives up the Ghost" in this climate.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a leather cleaner doesn't preserve leather. For the purpose of preserving you should use a leather conditioner. For this purpose I recently bought a Lexol Leather Care Kit which has both, a cleaner to clean, and a conditioner to preserve. It's clearly marked on the bottles. I paid 1'380 Baht on Lazada.

[Buzzz]

Those vinyl chairs give you swamp-ass.

Go for a nice Herman Miller chair.

Lifetime guarantee.

[KittenKong]

A 3000B leather office chair I bought at Home Pro or similar also started to break up after just a few months. The same happened to leatherette ear pads on headphones, and the rubberised covering on the back of remote controls and the rubber on the middle wheel of my expensive Microsoft mouse.

And that's with aircon on 24/7.

But one quite cheap leather reclining chair that I bought from Index shows no sign of wear at all, even after 2 years of intensive daily use. I have no idea why this should be.

I think the answer is to get everything in fabric.

[guzzi850m2]

The biggest problems I faced with office chairs is that they can't take my weight despite I am well below 100 kg.

My current office chair has been remade to take 120kg and that did the trick (so far).

The leather 1-2-3 system in the living room just had the 1 & 3 reupholstered because the leather was simply worn though. Too thin from the beginning but they lasted app 5 years so not too bad.

We don't have AC in the living room but the office has but only use it in the hot month for 2-3 hours a day.

[giddyup]

So I am not alone

I will NOT upload a picture of what my chair looks like after a year.

No, you're not alone. Six years ago I had a new house built and had to buy brand new furniture. For my beautiful desk I bought an office chair which cost me 14'900 Baht. After less than 2 years the vinyl looked awful, all cracked. I used it further for another 4 years now covering it with bath towels.

Recently to my astonishment I saw a same looking office chair for sale on Lazada for ... you wouldn't believe it ... 2'600 Baht only. I bought it, of course. I will try to find a picture of the chair when it was new and still standing in the showroom, then one I made a long time ago after it started to deteriorate.

I think, what we have to do is: nourish the vinyl or leather, so I bought a set on Lazada from Lexol (you google it), I think this will do the job in the future.

This is the chair in the showroom

SAM_0254.JPG

This when it started to deteriorate

SAM_2699z.jpg

This is what I found on Lazada

Executive office chair on Lazada.png

Nice chair for 2600 baht, don't see any like that on Lazada now.

[giddyup]

a lot of plastics deteriorate very quickly in Thailand, literally turning to dust.

some metals also corrode very quickly.

I have a feeling some people are overlooking another reason - sweat. That's pretty corrosive on vinyl over time. As for office chairs, I don't buy vinyl as you tend to stick to it when you sweat, but the wheels are what go on me after a few years - just too much weight for chairs designed to support lighter Asians.

Surprisingly my motorcycle seat covers are still mint on one bike purchased in 2007 and one in 2008. Quality of the vinyl is probably the biggest factor.

I think you may be right, sweat is the culprit, at least in some instances. The vinyl on the dining chairs that I had recovered rotted away along the tops of the chairs, a place where there was no body contact.

[questionsreplies]

really ? i was thinking that only locals sit on vinyl...

[JESSVANPELT]

Anywhere in the world where there is a lot of ultraviolet light or UV, are areas which will erode plastics faster then in those areas where little ultraviolet occurs, Thus tropical climates have more UV so the plastics erode faster.Next time you travel up coin try stop by a few farm houses and see what they have , most likely wood.

[Berty100]

Anywhere in the world where there is a lot of ultraviolet light or UV, are areas which will erode plastics faster then in those areas where little ultraviolet occurs, Thus tropical climates have more UV so the plastics erode faster.Next time you travel up coin try stop by a few farm houses and see what they have , most likely wood.

In my office there are no UV rays.

[Oink]

But Where can we go to get them recovered preferably with leather.

Sent from my KFASWI using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[balo]

Those vinyl chairs give you swamp-ass.

Go for a nice Herman Miller chair.

Lifetime guarantee.

herman-miller-aeron-1.jpg

How much and where can I buy it?

[giddyup]

But Where can we go to get them recovered preferably with leather.

Sent from my KFASWI using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I imagine any upholsterer.

[Buzzz]

Those vinyl chairs give you swamp-ass.

Go for a nice Herman Miller chair.

Lifetime guarantee.

herman-miller-aeron-1.jpg

How much and where can I buy it?

Herman Miller has an outlet in Bangkok, on Wireless Rd, in front of the Swiss Hotel (former Hilton).

I paid 45,000 years ago. Free delivery.

The last chair you will ever need. Lifetime guarantee.

(some Apple Computer stores sell them too I noticed)

[JESSVANPELT]

Anywhere in the world where there is a lot of ultraviolet light or UV, are areas which will erode plastics faster then in those areas where little ultraviolet occurs, Thus tropical climates have more UV so the plastics erode faster.Next time you travel up coin try stop by a few farm houses and see what they have , most likely wood.

In my office there are no UV rays.

So you never open your curtains or doors?, its entirely lit by electric bulbs and never sees the light of day? Edited July 7, 2016 by Rimmer
quotes fixed

[KittenKong]

In my office there are no UV rays.

So you never open your curtains or doors?, its entirely lit by electric bulbs and never sees the light of day?

Whilst bright my condo rarely gets direct sunlight in it, and all the windows are covered with UV film.

I have some vinyl dining chairs and armchairs that must be at least 10 years old if not 15 or more, and their coverings are in good order. It's the thin leather/leatherette that seems to suffer most to me.