[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03

I used some 3M double-sided tape to stick some things to the wall for my daughter's birthday celebration. Now, I am finding it difficult to remove the tape from the walls. I searched online and tried scraping with nails after heating the tape using a hair dryer. The thing that went off was some skin from my fingers.

Can anyone suggest some way to remove the tape?

Use a cheap deodrant and spray around the tape. It will loosen the adhesive and will make it much easier to peel it

[Sherlocked]

Guys, there are few deep cracks developed in my house' top floor. The crack can be seen from the inside as well as from the outside. Can anyone tell why these have formed and what should be the next step? Also, do they possess any threat given that this is on the topmost floor.

From the Inside:

From the outside:

[architect]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

Guys, there are few deep cracks developed in my house' top floor. The crack can be seen from the inside as well as from the outside. Can anyone tell why these have formed and what should be the next step? Also, do they possess any threat given that this is on the topmost floor.

From the Inside:Attachment 1948692

From the outside:
Attachment 1948693

This doesn't look good at all. My suggestion is to consult a qualified structural engineer (not just any civil engineer) at the earliest. I would not make any diagnosis based on two photos but I repeat this doesn't look good.

[Weathered]

Please suggest some plywood brands that are reliable for building wardrobes/living room and kitchen. What is the minimum specifications i need to look for while buying? Also, does it make sense to have the beds made from plywood or opt for solid wood instead, like sheesham or other? I am trying to get an apartment interiors done, and planning to buy the material myself and pay the carpenter only for labour.

[zehhatter]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

Guys, there are few deep cracks developed in my house' top floor. The crack can be seen from the inside as well as from the outside. Can anyone tell why these have formed and what should be the next step? Also, do they possess any threat given that this is on the topmost floor.

Judging from the images, I think there is no column here, Is this is a load-bearing structure? Looks like the load from the roof has led to the crack in the walls since there doesn't seem to be a column present to transfer the load. If possible, can you upload some more images to get a better insight into the issue

Originally Posted by Weathered

Please suggest some plywood brands that are reliable for building wardrobes/living room and kitchen. What is the minimum specifications i need to look for while buying? Also, does it make sense to have the beds made from plywood or opt for solid wood instead, like sheesham or other? I am trying to get an apartment interiors done, and planning to buy the material myself and pay the carpenter only for labour.

Century/Greenply are the most reputed brands in India but plywood isn't a reliable option, if you have a termite issue in your area, I would suggest getting a termite treatment done before starting the work. IS 303 or MR grade ply would be good enough for cupboards and IS 710 or BWP for kitchen area, you can actually go for MR in kitchen too, the thing that you should keep in mind is the lamination, make sure the edges are laminated well with a good edge band (rehau is the best brand) of a thickness of 1.1-1.6mm as that plays a key role in the life of the plywood. I would suggest hiring an architect for the work as they can maximize the space with better utility and egonomics and If hiring an interior designer, check their credentials before assigning them the work as most of them are usually sketchy. Solid wood is always a better choice but wood needs to weathered properly in a natural manner and you need to varnish it regularly so it stays in optimal health, ply is a cheaper option with less hassle but it adds up to the weight of the structure immensely

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Weathered

Please suggest some plywood brands that are reliable for building wardrobes/living room and kitchen. What is the minimum specifications i need to look for while buying? Also, does it make sense to have the beds made from plywood or opt for solid wood instead, like sheesham or other? I am trying to get an apartment interiors done, and planning to buy the material myself and pay the carpenter only for labour.

Dont use plywood. Or MDF. Instead, go for this thing called "multiwood". You need to stick decorative laminates on top of plywood. And unless you use very expensive marine plywood, things will start coming apart after 5 to 7 years. MDF may not be strong enough for cupboards. Also, edges will need covering up. This is not the case with multi wood. This stinks during working though.

As for furniture, if you prefer plywood / MDF, you are better off buying. If you plan on fabricating, for beds, please insist on using 1 inch (they specify in mm, so please use that measure) or thicker boards for the part where the cushion comes. If this sags, irrespective of the mattress you buy, you'll get backpain.

[architect]

Originally Posted by Weathered

Please suggest some plywood brands that are reliable for building wardrobes/living room and kitchen. What is the minimum specifications i need to look for while buying? Also, does it make sense to have the beds made from plywood or opt for solid wood instead, like sheesham or other? I am trying to get an apartment interiors done, and planning to buy the material myself and pay the carpenter only for labour.

Century, Greenply, Duro are probably the best brands in this part of the country. All of these have several grades depending on your budget and requirement. For beds, you won't need BWP (boiling water proof) but you may need termite proof. Similarly, for the kitchen you will need marine grade. Do not waste money on the most expensive grade if you don't need it. People's taste and requirement change over time and you may want to redo the furniture.

As far as choosing between commercial board and plywood is concerned, plywood is a little stronger and more expensive than board. If your carpenter will use machines in his workshop / factory to cut and pressure laminate the pieces, he will prefer to use plywood, else board is good enough.

The beauty of good quality plywood / board is that you can cut / modify the furniture or even make new pieces out of the same old material later (my current working desk at home is the third item of furniture made out of the same material by cutting / modifying old pieces twice). You cannot do that with most of the new materials like particle board, prelaminated board etc. Also, some of these composite boards don't always use the best quality laminate in the production. Worse, these products disappear from the market after a few years which makes it difficult to achieve the same look after addition / alteration.

You can use laminate or veneer based on your budget (try to stick to Greenlam, Merino or Aica which was formerly known as Formica or Sunmica). For the kitchen, I highly recommend high-gloss laminate as it is the easiest to keep sparkling clean and also makes the spaces look larger. For veneered surfaces, use PU polish which will last for a decade before a re-polish is required. I personally don't prefer using Rehau edge banding. Unless fixed properly at the factory, it tends to come off. There is nothing wrong with the product, just that our execution standards at site are bad at times. If the shutters / pieces are done in the factory, no problems. Otherwise, carpenters are most comfortable with timber edging ('margin' in local language) and it also looks good in my opinion. There are water-proof boards like WPC board available now, you can check them out though most of my clients don't prefer them because of aesthetic reasons.

For the kitchen please do the counter top (stone or whatever alternative you use) and sink fixing very carefully. The joint with the sink edge is the worst offender for most of your water seepage troubles.

To minimise water damage, insects, etc., make sure you carry out complete flooring / tiling on the kitchen walls, seal and grout the joints with laticrete jointing compound and let it dry thoroughly before fixing any furniture over it. No wood should ideally come in contact with the plaster surface anywhere. Also, try and have no gaps between the tile and the back of the cupboards. This will go a long way and save you many, many headaches later.

For beds, unless you want some special / carved pieces / facias or want your grand kids to use them, you don't necessarily need solid wood. Good quality board is good enough. Good quality veneer will make it look great.

Besides the board, make sure you always use the best hardware. This is the part that gives the most headache later and the part people ignore and carpenters save costs on. I prefer Hettich or Hafele for handles / drawer slides / hinges etc. Good hardware will last long and protect your board.

Originally Posted by zehhatter

I would suggest hiring an architect for the work as they can maximize the space with better utility and egonomics and If hiring an interior designer, check their credentials before assigning them the work as most of them are usually sketchy.

Lastly, get a good designer. You don't necessarily need an architect but they tend to be better space planners than the typical interior designers. But there are so many bad architects and interior designers out there (and so many bad clients who don't pay them) that you may have to do a lot of homework on that front.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

If you plan on fabricating, for beds, please insist on using 1 inch (they specify in mm, so please use that measure) or thicker boards for the part where the cushion comes. If this sags, irrespective of the mattress you buy, you'll get backpain.

20 mm board is good enough for up to a single piece of 3' X 3' size. This is the standard thickness we use for all beds / sofas If the size is greater or you want to be doubly sure, add a 2" X 1.5" piece of wood as a support below (though it will intrude into the storage area below). 25 mm (one inch) thick plywood is an overkill and adds unnecessary weight. The only place to use 25 mm thick board is cupboard shutters taller than 5'.

[architect]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

Guys, there are few deep cracks developed in my house' top floor.

Originally Posted by zehhatter

Judging from the images, I think there is no column here, Is this is a load-bearing structure?

It is very difficult to say what could be the cause from the photos given. It could be a 4.5" thick wall which would be incapable of bearing the weight of the roof slab. It could be a wall built too high without a lintel in between. It could be the lack of a column. It could be a shear crack due to an earthquake or vibrations caused by heavy construction in the vicinity like a Metro or flyover. It could be differential settling of the structure below. It could be poor quality construction.

That is why I would suggest consulting an expert and not making guesses.

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by architect

...
As far as choosing between commercial board and plywood is concerned, plywood is a little stronger and more expensive than board.

Please pardon my ignorance, -- what is a commercial board (as opposed to plywood, particle board, mdf, wpc etc.) ?

There are water-proof boards like WPC board available now, you can check them out though most of my clients don't prefer them because of aesthetic reasons.

I'm also planning to have my kitchen cabinets done. The local designers are advising against even marine ply for floor-standing cabinets (below the counter top), because they are "guaranteed to be damaged by water in a few years time, never mind the 'marine' tag"!

They are instead suggesting some kind of PVC boards with "lifetime warranty"! They are supposedly waterproof as well as fire resistant. I don't know if these are some kind of WPC boards, or just PVC. Are there such products which don't have the screw creep problem? What is 'multiwood'? Thanks for any help.
.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

I think the PVC board being referred to is what I called "multiwood". I'm not sure if this some trademark or brand like Century or Maruti-Suzuki. I used for a below-kitchen countr drawer. Now that you asked, I googled, and realise that it is PVC resin and no wood is contained in it.

[amitk26]

Termite Treatment : I used Imildachloroprid 37 for sub terrain termite proofing ( Foundation and below floor) .I used Hilmida brand made by a PSU , Bayer Premise is also same but at 3X price.

This is more effective and less polluting / dangerous then older generation termite treatments such as terminator and others popular in market.
and we need far less quality ( around 1 liter per 1000 sq feet land area for all stages of construction)


Termite treatment of Wood / Plywood:

Insecticide dealer advised me to use combination of Imildachloroprid + Fipronil to be diluted in Kerosene or Diesel and painted on uncut plywood sheets on both side. Most reputed insecticide manufacturers have this combo.

Wood work is still far away so yet to try this out


Plywood Quality


About plywood what I read up is most of the big brands actually outsources manufacturing. For local brands ply following two tests can be done

1. Look at the side of ply and check gaps and pin holes , lesser the better.
2. If you are going for a BWR or BWP ply a simple test it to take a sample and boil it in pressure cooker for 5 to 7 whistles. The sample should not disintegrate. if after this the layers start coming apart then it is of inferior quality


BTW never ever use MDF or Particle board in wet areas. Most of the readymade big kitchen brands try to cut costs by particle board wrapped in membrane but that is worse material for wet areas.


I have another question Can wood-cement board ( Sheraboard or others) be used for making kitchen cabinets under the platform ?

[architect]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Termite Treatment I have another question Can wood-cement board ( Sheraboard or others) be used for making kitchen cabinets under the platform ?

You can use Shera board for everything starting from furniture to the external walls (with appropriate structural members and cement mortar filling inside in case of external walls) to even floors (with screed on top and structural support below). Consider shera as a better quality and more versatile Bison board. However, shera is not cheap and I am not sure as to how to laminate or veneer it.

Originally Posted by meerkat

Please pardon my ignorance, -- what is a commercial board (as opposed to plywood, particle board, mdf, wpc etc.) ?

Commercial Board is basically BLOCK BOARD which is basically board with two thin layers of ply on both faces and the center layer or core is made from strips of softwood. It is available in 19 mm thickness onwards.

Originally Posted by meerkat

I'm also planning to have my kitchen cabinets done. The local designers are advising against even marine ply for floor-standing cabinets (below the counter top), because they are "guaranteed to be damaged by water in a few years time, never mind the 'marine' tag"!

In my opinion, if you do lamination and edge banding properly, ensure that there is no leakage, especially from the sink joints and generally keep the kitchen dry, it works fine for 10-15 years. However, people consider WPC as some wonder material and a solution to the problem of poor workmanship, which it may not be. However, I cannot give you any personal guarantee that it won't spoil so you may listen to your designers who are giving you the guarantee that it will spoil.

The only board which will give you least screw creep is good quality ply, its a soft but dense core. Also, you won't suffer screw creep so much if you use good quality hardware installed properly which I have already spoken about.

Last point, always ensure that all board / ply is laminated on both faces so that any warpage / shrinkage / bending due to laminate glue acting on one side only is countered and therefore dimensional rigidity is maintained throughout.

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

I think the PVC board being referred to is what I called "multiwood". I'm not sure if this some trademark or brand like Century or Maruti-Suzuki. I used for a below-kitchen countr drawer. Now that you asked, I googled, and realise that it is PVC resin and no wood is contained in it.

So this "multiwood" brand is just PVC, not WPC ?!

Today I visited a large distributor of various kinds of boards (ply, PVC etc.) and associated furniture making material. They strongly advised against using PVC boards for general cabinet making, even for kitchen! Apparently they are only good at being waterproof. They lack strength, and screw creep is a real issue. I don't know if this distributor deals in the best of the kind or not. How come some PVC/WPC boards command a 30-40% price premium over even the expensive marine ply then?! How much did the "multiwood" cost you, and what's your experience with it?

Originally Posted by architect

Commercial Board is basically BLOCK BOARD which is basically board with two thin layers of ply on both faces and the center layer or core is made from strips of softwood. It is available in 19 mm thickness onwards.

Thanks. Yes, these boards are familiar enough, -- I was just not familiar with the name 'Commercial Board' for them! :-)

In my opinion, if you do lamination and edge banding properly, ensure that there is no leakage, especially from the sink joints and generally keep the kitchen dry, it works fine for 10-15 years. .....
However, people consider WPC as some wonder material and a solution to the problem of poor workmanship, which it may not be.

That's the problem, -- how to get it done correctly! I'm not very hopeful of the quality of workmanship available to me. In a not-very-familiar place I recently got burnt multiple times going with word-of-mouth recommendation, so was hoping to find some kind of foolproof material that would serve my purpose. It now appears that PVC/WPC is not that material !

Last point, always ensure that all board / ply is laminated on both faces so that any warpage / shrinkage / bending due to laminate glue acting on one side only is countered and therefore dimensional rigidity is maintained throughout.

How does painting/polish (instead of lamination) work on ply? Thanks again for all your help.
.

[zehhatter]

Originally Posted by meerkat

So this "multiwood" brand is just PVC, not WPC ?!

Today I visited a large distributor of various kinds of boards (ply, PVC etc.) and associated furniture making material. They strongly advised against using PVC boards for general cabinet making, even for kitchen! Apparently they are only good at being waterproof. They lack strength, and screw creep is a real issue. I don't know if this distributor deals in the best of the kind or not. How come some PVC/WPC boards command a 30-40% price premium over even the expensive marine ply then?! How much did the "multiwood" cost you, and what's your experience with it?




That's the problem, -- how to get it done correctly! I'm not very hopeful of the quality of workmanship available to me. In a not-very-familiar place I recently got burnt multiple times going with word-of-mouth recommendation, so was hoping to find some kind of foolproof material that would serve my purpose. It now appears that PVC/WPC is not that material !



How does painting/polish (instead of lamination) work on ply? Thanks again for all your help.
.

I wouldn't suggest WPC or PVC because of screw creep and they have very uneven edges which is difficult to file.

If you use wood putty and primer and get it painted with duco,it will give a decent life and the finish can be great if its done in a vaccuum paint room but the paint has a tendency to soil and chip with age while a laminate or acrylic sheet will last much longer.

Instead of looking for carpenters why don't you get the kitchen and wardrobe assembled by some of the companies which offer hot-pressed lamination and edge banding services as there will be a very low margin of error since most of the work is done with machines

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by zehhatter

Instead of looking for carpenters why don't you get the kitchen and wardrobe assembled by some of the companies which offer hot-pressed lamination and edge banding services as there will be a very low margin of error since most of the work is done with machines

Thanks for your help. Could you please suggest some such companies that offer their services across India? In my current town, Siliguri, WB, I can think of just two possibilities (not quite sure though), -- Home Town (I'm not too keen on them), and Damro (I'm not sure they'd not sneak in particle board or MDF, though :-)). Any other possibilities? Thanks.
.