lawry

Hahah, I'm good. But I think my sink will collapse one of these days. LOL I just started a thread on that.

Not all IDs are made equal. Some shamelessly charge ID price but give worse than contractor standard, you'll get to read a lot about them here. No sense of design, uses functional but cheap and ugly accessories, low QC with their sub cons, etc. Professional and good IDs don't come cheap, you have to be prepared to pay premium prices for your dream home. In the meantime, get a feel of the contractor's market prices first, have an idea how much each section/item would cost. Then approach a reputable ID or at least word of mouth from someone here with a tblog & photos to prove to compare the prices. A competent ID would make a big difference with the selection of design/lighting/laminates/curtains/colors that's in harmony with the theme.

Hi JandG I'm eyeing the Bellari sink as well for my re-reno after 3 years. This one in particular, but will probably be rejected because of the price tag. It's $449 just for the sink alone and I remember them as fixed price, no discount. I see you bought a similar model with 2 bowls, I noticed from the showroom that bellari sinks all comes with this rough coating beneath the sink bowls. Have you ever noticed if there's any condensation beneath your cabinet? I need to get everything right this time, can't afford another renovation disaster like the first one, would take all the time I need to find out more before I put in any purchase.

3) There shouldn't be a rubber beneath the sink unless yours is a top mount. My rubber refers to the 2 big pieces at the bottom of the individual sinks as circled, it's probably dripping wet because of the sink's condensation beneath as well. 4) Beside the 2 possibilities that I mention above, the sealing for your granite top may be another possibilities. This could be more likely the case. Imagine the 3 layers 1. granite top (black) 1.5. insert silicon between joints. 2. sink undermount (silver) 3. wood There's only a simple layer of silicon that's fusing the undermount sink and granite top. If there's a leak between the granite and the sink, it will easily reach the wood, and nothing stopping it from flowing beyond that.

1) Nothing to do with your sink. Silicone is the one stopping the water. There're multiple leaks, the supposedly siliconed areas and also the sink itself. Problems surfaced with this sink from the beginning actually, I always find water vapor condensation beneath it, always wet. These are some photos taken last time not long after installation, notice the wood's all dry and nice (they are now black and rotting) Problem gotten worse, condensation is on the ceiling of the cabinet as well. 2) Black powder can be the seal use to seal between 2 granite top jointing together. Like to know your granite top jointing part is at where, mind taking a pic for me to see so that I can advise on that? The black powder is just rotten wood particles mixed with water, it's flowing down the edges like a gross waterfall. Sorry, I don't get what you meant by granite top jointing part? 3/4 later.

My worst fears in words. I was indeed thinking the whole sink might just collapse one day. Lucky I don't have a habit of filling the sink full with water. But I should tear it down before it decide to collapse one day .. I just spent the last 2 hours doing up a massive silicon sealing job down there, sealing up the gaps beneath the sink and the cabinet ceiling. 1) Kitchen tap, so far it's ok, I've not detected any leaks from the tap. 2) This could be the problem, the water could be seeping in from the joint between the sink and the cabinet.

Steve, do you still happen to have the quotation for your concrete kitchen sink setup? I've plans to remake that area, it's quite a mess now, calculating how much I'm gonna end up spending.

Ummee, I've used Thirsty Hippo last time when it wasn't as bad as now. I had to replace a new pack every week back then. Now it has gotten worse, it's not just droplets but puddles of water forming as well. -_- Thirsty Hippo doesn't work anymore, I might have to install a ventilation fan instead.

TYM, what is this seal between sink and table top you're refering to? If I remember correct, it's the wooden table base, with the sink installed on top of it (undermount), followed by the granite table top. Then there's a layer of silicon sealing the edges between the sink and the granite.

I'm using Supreme AC5, no complains so far (for 2 years ++)

Before cleaning ..

I just gave it a thorough cleaning before I take a photo in case I scare anyone with the horrors beneath. Problems 1) Condensation on sink surface & ceiling of cabinet? Was it because I bought a cheapo sink?? I used to think the issue was because I leave frozen items to thaw in the sink/table top, that's why there's water droplets forming. I've stopped that practice but the problem persisted. From the reno tblog photos I've seen so far, I believe most of us has a wooden cabinet ceiling with granite/solid surface tabletop? So what's stopping the water from entering between the tabletop and the wood? 2) Black powder and water drips from joint The black powder should be from the rotting wood? I noticed there's no silicon or rubber seal to waterproof the joints, that's why water kept seeping in from there. 3) The black rubber beneath the sink I'm not too sure what this piece is for, but it's forever wet and sometimes dripping.. 4) Leaks from the edges of the cabinet. I've not got the slightest idea why is water coming in from there as well ...

I'm curious to find out if I'm the only one facing this problem and also remedies if any. My current kitchen wet area has a sink undermount on a granite table top with wooden cabinets (with doors) beneath. I believe this is quite a standard setup for most households in general. The area beneath the sink often ranges from moist to wet either from water sipping in from the edges, or water condensation from the sink. I used that cabinet beneath as a storage for all the washing detergents and I leave the door open at times for the moisture to evaporate. Lately, I realised it has gotten a lot worse, I noticed water droplets and leaks all over the place underneath. I suspect the wood is rotting as I always come across some blackish wet powder flowing down from the edges of the cabinet. There are even water droplets from the ceiling of the cabinet interiors. I'll try to take some photos later to further illustrate the problems. Anyone else facing similar or worse issues?

joseeng, mine came to a standstill just like where I stopped in the tblog. "ID" sacked, those can be rect, already rect-ed. Those cannot, I had to close one eye. Last 5% waived. Not much point posting anymore, so I didn't visit this forum for a while Drop by occasionally when I get any SOS via private message. hehe ossify Looking at what the supposedly professionals have produced, I'm quite sure I can definitely do much better than them since it's my place that I'm handling after all. On top of that, at half the cost.

milkywhite, my tblog is at my signature. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19857 It will be a long read, just go thru all the photographs and see which ones are relevant for your case, use the same to bargain. Don't succumb to bad renovation, no one should pay full for a job badly done. Good luck!

I've the same trouble also! transparent glass doors at the kitchen .. I'm trying to find ways to do it like that?

Hi pinkpetter! haha! It's been a while.

I think Classic doors are the same, equally light compared to veneer doors, but much cheaper. It's the Nyatoh doors that are heavier but typical wood colors with a layer of varnish. I had them in my old place, still remember them.

I just added new curtains (partitions) today. Finally had time to settle this ... Will post room/living room curtains another day.

I've used that before for my showers and I put up a review of it last time, it could have been much better.... Shower filters Seriously, you should get a proper one for your tap, this one is strictly for shower .. Some brands you can consider is CLEANSUI or Instapur, it attaches itself directly to your tap. Ranges from $70 to $200, depending on model. http://btbtrading.com/ http://www.instapure.com/

Aubrey, looks great! :D I like your kitchen! I wanted white laminates but dare not go for it. hahah. Opted for silver, but it turned out to be some other color anyway. Btw, ermmm. your address in on your carpentry picture. :x

I've laminated floors (supreme ac5) for about 2 years. So far no issues. I just use wet mop to clean the floor. I've a caster wheel chair in my study room, with no protection beneath, there's no scratch issues also. This is for surpreme ac5, I don't speak on behalf of any other brands.

The glass on the table is a passe but good idea. it protects the laminate, if not all scratched and discolored in no time.

I had the same concern last time. But they need electricity/water for working. You can consider wrapping up the air con with plastic sheets. If they on it while working, the air con filter will suffer, end up absorbing all the dust. This is solely for their convenience, electrical, water, toilet bowl. I even installed a hand spray so that they can use. But they didn't turn off the mains after using and left it on the floor after using, all scratched, pipe burst and my laminated flooring all wet ... I removed it the following day.

I've personal experience after all. After my own episode, I have developed zero sympathy for people with absolutely no pride in their work. Be it cooking, tailoring, designing, carpentry-ing, if they can't make the cut, then prepare to close shop. You can't have QC failed items selling at full prices, they belong to some obscure factory outlets at 70% discount or more. I'm very impressive with people with a certain code of professionalism, even if it eats into their pocket. From what you all have written, Uncle's already charging at a lower price than most id/contractors, all these rectifications/reno might cause Uncle to make a loss instead, whether because of miscomm or unsatisfactory work. But he had no qualms about it, he don't find excuses for screw ups and force it down people's throat. That in itself is worth some respect. How many big companies can do the same?