[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03

I am in a strange dilemma.

I am buying an apartment in Bangalore, where I am promised the wardrobes and kitchen cabinets from the builder as part of an offer during booking.

Now, it is time to customize the home. In the customization portal, I see an option where I can remove the wardrobes from bedroom and save approximately 4.5 lakhs. I am planning to take that option and buy the wardrobes from homecentre or Ikea (if they start operations in Bangalore by 2022). Does anyone have reviews on the durability of these wardrobes?

AN extensive topic. Let me try to pitch in.
1. First of all, is this apartment for your own living or for rent?
2. What is the material of wardrobes/ kitchen cabinets provided by builder? Are they plywood based (which one waterproof/ greenwood/ gold)[good] or solid wood[excellet] or MDF/HDF/LDF [avoided]?
3. What is their size?
4. What are their types? Sliding door wardrobes? Opening doors? What are the hinges used [they cost]? What kind of handles are there? Are they soft close? Is Hettich the underlying frame/ body/ channel?
5. What is your preference for these? Are you OK with HDF/MDF or ply or solid wood?

Home Center has recently started solid wood furniture. Their Sheesham stuff is good. IKEA mostly uses HDF & MDF which isn't recommended for long term, depending on your preference.

There are a LOT of questions. Rs.4.5 lakh is a good chunk for wardrobes and kitchen (depending on your kitchen size). A factory finished waterproof ply based 8x7 feet openable wardrobe with soft close mechanism along with loft can easily cost you 1.1lakh.

You need do to a more detailed study.

[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

AN extensive topic. Let me try to pitch in.

Thanks a lot for the detailed response. Here are the answers to your questions.

1. First of all, is this apartment for your own living or for rent?
We plan to stay in that apartment.

2. What is the material of wardrobes/ kitchen cabinets provided by builder? Are they plywood based (which one waterproof/ greenwood/ gold)[good] or solid wood[excellet] or MDF/HDF/LDF [avoided]?

The builder is providing good quality wardrobes and cabinets (Hettich kitchen cabinets with soft close, and similar quality wardrobes in bedrooms). I am thinking about removing the wardrobes only in bedrooms and adding other items from the customization platform provided by the builder to reduce the cost. I am not planning to remove the kitchen cabinets. 4.5 lakhs is only for wardrobes with 3 doors in 3 bedrooms.



3. What is their size? I dont remember the exact size, but they are providing wardrobes with 3 doors in each rooms

4. What are their types? Sliding door wardrobes? Opening doors? What are the hinges used [they cost]? What kind of handles are there? Are they soft close? Is Hettich the underlying frame/ body/ channel?

Refer 2

5. What is your preference for these? Are you OK with HDF/MDF or ply or solid wood?

I am fine with anything that is durable. I don't want to deal with frequent repairs or replacement. If it looks and feels good, that is an added bonus.

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03

Thanks a lot for the detailed response. Here are the answers to your questions.....

This is a really extensive subject, so I'll try to answer as best as possible:

We plan to stay in that apartment.
How big is the apartment and do you plan to use an interior designer firm for the interiors or use a carpenter to implement your ideas?

The builder is providing good quality wardrobes
This is totally ambiguous. What does good quality mean? An LDF board might be good for some, might not for others!
Is it solid wood, waterproof ply, boiling waterproof ply, is it 16mm thick, 11mm? What is the edge banding (the removal of sharp edges)? Is there laminate? Only outside or both inside outside? You really can't account for the cost without these details. 4.5 lakh for 3 door wardrobes seems expensive. I have 4 door 8x7 feet with lofts for 1.1 lakh & these are BWP ply with laminate and Rehau edge banding. But different rooms have different wardrobe sizes and styles. The three wardrobes in my 3BHK have different costs.

There is a huge cost different between open door wardrobes and sliding door ones. Sliding door ones are generally preferred in small rooms or if you want that style.

I am fine with anything that is durable. I don't want to deal with frequent repairs or replacement
Solid wood is most durable, but it costs a bomb as well. Has least repairs.
Ply ones are second best; they do require repairs.
HDF/MDF last not more than ~5 years.

Jargon and technical details aside, 4.5 lakh for 3 wardrobes seems high.

[Red Liner]

Hello folks,

We are in the middle of designing the interiors for a new home.

Does it make sense to buy a study table to fit my space OR does it make more sense to have it designed/built by the interior designer? The issue I foresee with it being built/custom made is it will be fitted to the wall, and replacing it will be a mega chore in the future if my requirements change.

I am veering towards just buying something and having it fitted into my study alcove. What would you do?

And, has anyone got this? Any feedback?
https://invisiblebed.com/products/wa...37966912061630

[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

study table to fit my space OR does it make more sense to have it designed/built by the interior designer? The issue I foresee with it being built/custom made is it will be fitted to the wall, and replacing it will be a mega chore in the future if my requirements change.

l]https://invisiblebed.com/products/wall-mounted-sit-stand-desk?variant=37966912061630[/url]

If you have a specific design in mind for your study table and absolutely want it your way, its a better option to explain to the interior designer or the carpenter what exactly you require.

It can be either a free standing or fixed to the wall type, shouldn’t be an issue.

Store bought desks usually are made of particle board or MDF that’s why they are cheaper in comparison. But if you’re getting your whole house interiors done, then cost of doing it your way with much better materials will make sense.

[Red Liner]

Hi Again guys,

I am looking for solid wood furniture in Bangalore. I understand there are a ton of shops selling but would like personal feedback and preferences from those of you who have bought. I see Sheesham wood is the preferred choice at most places selling.

From my research I also see that the shops Jodhpuri Furniture and Induscraft seem top of mind in terms of go to for such things in Bangalore. I am looking at wardrobes, loft units, shoe racks, bed side tables etc. I know Wooden Street seems big, but reviews seem not that great once you start digging in beyond the fake reviews. I will also do a round of all the shops and start shortlisting furniture I like.

Please do suggest.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

Has anyone ordered furniture from https://thetimberguy.com/

I liked some of the items and am on the verge of ordering.
I see that they have a long delivery window of 8-12 weeks.
The reviews on the site do mention the delay but people seem to be happy with the product. But then they host the reviews as well. So has to take it with a pinch of salt.

So a few days after I posted the above query (beginning of April), did a search on them in FB and found that someone had listed to sell an item purchased from them in a seconds sale group. Though he had listed long back, I messaged him asking for the review. He was positive about the quality but mentioned that there was a delay of 2-3 months.
Since I was OK with the delay I proceeded and placed few items.

There was a WhatsApp contact number with which I was communicating about the order. I had a couple of add ons like adding a bush to the shoe rack, a mirror frame, etc.

I was also told that they cannot deliver to my address free of cost. Their delivery partner will come only to the district headquarters and though they will deliver to me from there, I will have to pay the amount for this transfer, which is about 80km. I was told this + the add ons will be roughly about Rs 4500. I was not supposed to pay this upfront but was told that they will intimate me about this when they ship. I agreed to this.

Then started the long wait. Since 8-12 weeks was what was told, I did not bother to check. But once it was some 10 weeks, I whatsapped them but there was no response. Then I called them after 2 days and I was told that since there was a lockdown in their region. There will be a delay and my order will be shipped only in August if there are no further covid waves and lockdown.

I was expecting this added delay as the country was going through the second covid wave.

So waited till August first week and now WhatsApp as earlier was not responded to. If I call I was told that 'will give instructions to the concerned team to update you'.

This went on for many days in fact for about 2 weeks. They were not providing any real update other than the standard message of 'given instruction to update'. I asked for any other number of someone responsible but was told that they are not supposed to share.

I still had good faith in them as most of the reviews I had read till now mentioned the 'no update' phase. Then I went and checked the website again for some more contact details and found that there was a grievance redressal mail. This was a surprise. A quick check on the name in the id revealed that he was the CEO. So mailed him. Got the update the next day that they are shipping it in next week.

My further queries on add ons that I had requested were not replied to. But I was OK with this at this stage. Got an email update the next week that they had shipped and got a tracking ID. They were transferring through GATI.

In about a week, it came to the district HQ but then for the next 3-4 days there was no update. Since I was told that I may have to pay for the delivery from HQ to my place, I did make some calls to customer care, but it was very hard to reach them.
Finally could speak to someone and they delivered the next day without any extra charge.

Finally, after about 4 months since I placed the order, I received them.

The items were well packed and came fully assembled. Made fully of solid wood and really heavy.

Extremely happy with the products as we were looking for real solid wood items. Their customer care needs a big upgrade.

Few snaps.

[Marauder]

Has anyone bought any furniture from this site: https://elegeant.in/

If yes, can anyone tell me how are they advertising the furniture for such a low cost? Even if the material is of the worst quality, the price can't be this low. Surely there is a catch somewhere.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Marauder

Has anyone bought any furniture from this site: https://elegeant.in/

If yes, can anyone tell me how are they advertising the furniture for such a low cost? Even if the material is of the worst quality, the price can't be this low. Surely there is a catch somewhere.

The URL itself screams scam. Also, a google lens search throws up the image copied from other sites.
If it's too good to be true, it usually is.

[Marauder]

Originally Posted by mayankk

The URL itself screams scam. Also, a google lens search throws up the image copied from other sites.
If it's too good to be true, it usually is.

Oh great. Yeah, I also believed that something fishy was going on. The site didn't appear to be similar to other scam sites, hence I got confused. Thanks for your response.

[ValarMorghulis]

Hi Guys,

I have a problem with the Master Bedroom (MBR) Seesham furniture.

We came back to our home after nearly a year and saw that the MBR bed (Sheesham from Royal Oak) and side tables (Seesham from Sekhawati Furniture HSR) all have small bores and white powder coming out of them.

Any idea what this is and what should be done? Can I rectify this at home or do I need to call a specialist from Urban Company pest control?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

[sanjbmw2001]

Hello Folks,

Need some help.

I have Sheesham furniture. Mahogany color.

I am looking for some wax to maintain them.
currently am using White color wax bought from a local store. could not find or get neutral or mahogany color.

Questions are:

1) Is white beeswax fine to use on Mahogany furniture?
2) Can anyone recommend the right wax or wood polish to maintain the furniture.

Cheers

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Hi Guys,

I have a problem with the Master Bedroom (MBR) Seesham furniture.

We came back to our home after nearly a year and saw that the MBR bed (Sheesham from Royal Oak) and side tables (Seesham from Sekhawati Furniture HSR) all have small bores and white powder coming out of them.

Any idea what this is and what should be done? Can I rectify this at home or do I need to call a specialist from Urban Company pest control?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

That can mean an active infestation of wood boring beetles. I would freak out, as my house is built out of wood. In a brick and mortar house you are safer. You should still keep an eye out for other wooden things in the house.

The wood boring beetle would have laid larvae inside, you will need to treat it with chemicals to kill the larvae. Just applying a coat of paint or varnish will not help, they will bore their way out. Call the store and ask them for suitable treatment. If they don't respond, take the chair/wood with holes to the store, they will freak out, as it's a risk for their store, and probably help you.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Hi Guys,

I have a problem with the Master Bedroom (MBR) Seesham furniture.

We came back to our home after nearly a year and saw that the MBR bed (Sheesham from Royal Oak) and side tables (Seesham from Sekhawati Furniture HSR) all have small bores and white powder coming out of them.

Any idea what this is and what should be done? Can I rectify this at home or do I need to call a specialist from Urban Company pest control?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

The treatment would be by injecting imidacloprid into the borer holes , however since this is for furniture in a living/sleeping area, I suppose it makes sense to treat it repeatedly for a few days - isolate the furniture for a few days and get a coat of paint/varnish before using it again. There is also a product from asian paints (not used it though). Do check that out as well. What I'd read is that although this is an insecticide, this is not very toxic (relatively speaking) to humans.
Even if you choose to use a professional, do cross check on the toxicity of the chemicals used.

Some cupboard shelves were infected in our house some time back. The treatment done was kerosene+insecticide(we'd used an agriculture grade insceticide) injected into the holes using syringe. While we had a recurrence after the first round of application, we were able to get rid of them after 2-3 rounds of treatment.

Although these borers it does not spread at the rate of COVID, would suggest you take action sooner to contain the spread, else this they will spread.

[subraiyr]

Cross posting into the right thread

I am on the lookout for a Dining Table with chairs. We identified a table which has been made of Accacia wood along with chairs made of same wood. The top of the table is a live edge top (meaning the edges are not straight, but of haphazard shape). The other thing is that the top of the table is made of a total of 11 wood strips. Total width is about 40inches and the length is about 84inches. The table stands on X shaped legs (one on each side) and there are a total of 5 iron strips at the bottom which ties all the 11 strips together. The total weight of the table is about 100kgs and the metal legs are about 15 kgs. Also, the thickness of the top is about 2 inch (dealer mentioned 6, but that was an error) and the table looks absolutely sturdy. We had a couple of people stand on the table as well to see load capacity as well

Questions from my end

1. Is Accacia wood good for a dining table. I read through wood database and it says its a strong and dense wood. But i have not seen much being used at least by the likes of Pepperfry, Urbanladder, or some of the big online retailers

2. With multiple strips is there a chance of the wood cracking along the edges and also warping. Will cracks form or am i overcooking the issue

3. We plan to keep the table for a long duration. Our last table lasted about 20 years and this table we are planning to will be kept for at least 20 years if not more. The cot we have in our master bedroom is made of rosewood and is about 100 years old now. Given this, is this a good investment.

4. Lastly the quote we received for this is about INR 1.5lakhs with table+6chairs. Is it worth the cost.

Inputs into these questions will help us make a decision. The alternate was to get a similar table from FabIndia made out of Sheesham wood at a cost of about INR 1.3lakhs, 6 chairs included