Materials That U Regret Using/ Installing

[aubrey 0]

cheap toilet bowls (no power when flushing) and sinks from sim siang choon. all stink and stain. regret stinging on these.

my advice to all: pay more and get better quality toilet bowls and sinks, it is short-sighted to go for cheap like me. these are heavy duty items worth paying a bit more.

so did u replace them in the end? wa all these big companies ar... tsktsk.

[Honeygal 1]

so did u replace them in the end? wa all these big companies ar... tsktsk.

too late and inconvenient to replace. realise the inferior quality only after using them. compared to my previous home where all sinks and toilet bowls are german made, this sim siang choon house brand sinks and toilet bowls are lousy lousy lousy.

[lawry 3]

too late and inconvenient to replace. realise the inferior quality only after using them. compared to my previous home where all sinks and toilet bowls are german made, this sim siang choon house brand sinks and toilet bowls are lousy lousy lousy.

Must look at country of manufacture, rather than the brand name.

Especially these so called in house brands, a lot of them outsource to look for OEM models (is that the right term) in China, then stick on their label and make it look like a million dollar item.

Toilet Bowls

It's not difficult for any of these big companies to find such China deals, order from the supplier direct. Might be worth $40 there, but sell $300 here.

Depending on price and item, sometimes I would never settle for a MIC.

Like a MIC camera $399 vs a MIJapan camera $499. I rather take Japan anytime, even at lower specs.

[yellow 0]

Interesting to see conflicting views here.. one man's meat is another poison it seems

haha...really interesting....maybe sometimes it depend very much on $$$ = quality

Not all apples are the same....6 for $10 and 3 for $10

Think it's always wise to spend more $ upfront on fixed big items then regret later.

[yellow 0]

May I know the contact for your roller blinds? How much did you spend? thanks!

I package with my curtains for living room and roller blinds for my other three rooms for $1400. Joo Chiat Complex, Monli Curtain. first floor at entrance.

Btw, mine is beige in colour for easy maintenance. Price should be lower cos the $$$ goes into my organza designer curtain....very heart pain....

BTW, maintenance to me is very important. so for those out there, do not get heavy curtain.

Edited April 16, 2009 by yellow

[aubrey 0]

does any one have any comments about getting glossy white laminate for the kitchen? i think we will wipe it every other day and maintain but i am afraid that it will turn yellow over time. i want a white and black colour scheme for kitchen, everything is white except for the granite worktop which will be black.

[cannotisit 0]

very informative thread must sticky it. i agreed toilet bowl must get better quanlity. one of my friend sit n broke his bowl. image the pain n trouble to replace it.

[beany0811 1]

ikea cutlery.. totally CMI! starts to turn rusty after 1st wash, and even though i seldom use. I threw away several knives and forks.. regretted in buying.. thinking was cheap and look pretty good back then.. I still have 1 pack unopened..

Hmm another thing i feel useless is cozy corner. seriously other than sitting on the sofa, watching tv and sit infront of computer, we nv use the cozy corner at all.. Such a waste to built a nice platform and does nothing there..

totally agree with "ikea cutlery cmi" - haven't got my place, but the pantry in my office uses ikea cutlery...i was using the big tablespoon to scoop ice cream one day, lo and behold.....it bent and broke.

[Honeygal 1]

totally agree with "ikea cutlery cmi" - haven't got my place, but the pantry in my office uses ikea cutlery...i was using the big tablespoon to scoop ice cream one day, lo and behold.....it bent and broke.

Ikea's stuff have been proven to be of very low quality yet i still see people buying like they're the best things in the world. Can't understand.

[Honeygal 1]

very informative thread must sticky it. i agreed toilet bowl must get better quanlity. one of my friend sit n broke his bowl. image the pain n trouble to replace it.

gosh is he/she very heavy? where did your friend buy the toilet bowl? am getting very worried coz mine costs only about $150 or less!

[applefreak 1]

does any one have any comments about getting glossy white laminate for the kitchen? i think we will wipe it every other day and maintain but i am afraid that it will turn yellow over time. i want a white and black colour scheme for kitchen, everything is white except for the granite worktop which will be black.

am using glossy white laminate for my kitchen

so far didn't turn yellow, after living in for 18mths

and we cook almost everyday

[leen 2]

i have always believe HDB's standard coz i know they r stringent to contractors. so hb n me choose to use all of wat HDB has build for us and till now no problm.

tiles r easy to maintain. my kitchen n toilet tiles r matt type which i prefer as it can get quite slippery if there r water on shinning surface smooth tiles.. you will not slip but you can't guarantee you will never slip, your old folks, children and guests will not slip accidentally when there r water on the floor.

HDB always provide those easy maintenance and hardy items for us. i find it a waste to juz discard these items away if they r in usable condition. when we buy the hse, we paid for all these items. so by replacing these items, it would mean throwing away our hard-earn $$$$$$$$$$

the rest is due to experience so our hm is non-fancy but functional type. kitchen cabinets - we use sandy color (some may say beige) so that it is easy to maintain, even it is dirty, cannot see properly

no fanciful feature walls for us as it waste space and $$$

our curtains must have tab and also hook type for our rods which can be use as tab or hook type

utensils - go to those utensils shops to buy stainless steel type will do. plain type (without designs) to prevent dirt from sticking in it and for easy maintaining and cleaning. the most expensive is only $1.50 per piece. can use for long time.

window grilles installed at service balcony and study room (facing common corridor) for security. intend to install grilles at balcony and rooms as protection for kids as there is a kid that fell out of the hse from 7 floor!

sink is brought from ikea due to limited space and i want a washing side, a small compartment in the middle for putting sponge, and a side panel for me to cut seafood, meat and vege so that any stinking water will flow into the sink and not everywhere on the working top.

gd quality granite top which is heat resistant.

no walk-in wardrobe for me although hb ask if i want i find it a tedious job if moulds start to grow. we r living in Singapore and with such a humid environment, moulds grow easily on cabinets, etc. so no point slaving for the wardrobe and not cost efficient to keep buying those humidifiers.

no pointy glass or metal dinning table due to safety reason. mine is a big oval shape natural marble table with natoh wood legs and support and chairs.

no false ceilings for me as i don't want my family to eat the dust everyday as cleaning for such areas is very tedious. imagine tons of dusts and some dead insects r living above u and u r serving food to your family to eat just underneath them

no downlights.

no fridge base as we don't think we are going to wash the kitchen floors like the market where water is splashed everywhere. this also help to give us more options if we need to change our fridge as we are not restricted to certain size of fridge only.

no washing machine base as well. same reason as above.

no special customise built display cabinets.

no fanciful basin in my hse.

as for stainless steel items in toilet and kitchen sink and all taps, we have a habbit of using a absorbant cloth to clean it dry of water after use. so still in gd condition.

as for carpet, we vacuum it offen.

as for toilets, we scrub it often. also use a scrub with a long handle to scrub the internal bowl and the hole thoroughly.

for pots and pans, we go to CK tang, Metro, OG, BHG (sometimes only) during their sales to buy WMF, Corningware, Luminarc to use. which is safe, functional, proven and easy to maintain.

for other normal utensils, we go to neighbourhood shops, eg. 5B at Joo Chiat, utensils shops at Ang Mo Kio, etc. to get them. cheap, gd and functional.

we also have the habbit of wiping clean the utensils after washing and putting it back to the cabinet after use.

Edited April 27, 2009 by leen

[phantphant 0]

Just to share after reading so much on this forum for my renovation...

Granite top = Go for Indian granite, less porous then PRC's type, hence more resistant to stains(of course you still need to take care of it by wiping away your splits promptly and not leave it overnight)

Ikea SS stuff = Grundtal range of product still rust. Depends on the application and usage. That's what happening to my dad's place. But then again, he has already used them for quite some time now. But still should be quite ok. I bought some too for usage in a dry area. Use a small magnet when you shop for SS stuff. That's what I did when I bought mine...Buy genuine SS products. You pay more but you only pay once. Do your own math...=)

White fabric sofa = Buy a throw from Ikea. You can wash it once every month to keep it clean and not worry about it getting dirty.

Window grills = Impt if you're going to have kids. Their safety is more impt then the "view". Get simple horizontal design for easy cleaning and maintenance

Chrome taps = Use the finest (1200) sandpaper you can find and lightly sand it to remove stains. Wash with soap often to remove oil. Use a real SS tap where possible for kitchen tap. Think ahead of time for the products' application in the real world.

SS water pipe = Dun bother to keep those clean. Just paint over it. Can blend them into the wall too if you don't have them concealed by L box/conice.

Fans = Try crestar. No balancing required

Go green = Save your pocket, save the earth, save your kids.

Other tips: If you have not started you reno, try downloading Goggle sketch up(3D visualisation) and draw your own floorplan of your house. I did that and its quite easy to use. You can even furnish the drawing and change colours of your walls. Can save a bit if you do that instead of asking your ID to do it and get charged for it. I simply engage a contractor for economic reason.

Also to be fair to Ikea, I think we should look and buy what you think is worth. Most of the products are made using MDF/particle boards/thin 3mm plywood. So how to expect gd quality and high load usage? Again, think of your intended application first before you buy. That way, you save $ and effort and have less frustration too!

Hope all these helps =)

[his.beloved.child 2]

Hi Hi,

Do you have the address that you bought your clipsal from Choo Siang? Can you PM me? How much did you paid for? I am looking at the C-Metro series. Those that are grey and with LED lighting cos my folks are staying with us. Better for them.

I used white glossy laminates, so far still white.

As for the insides of the cabinets, try to see if you can get grey or black instead of the common white.

REGRETS

----------

1. Anything -stainless steel- from IKEA, they either tarnished or rusted! I can provide you with all the photos if needed.

2. Fountain tap, it's a hassle to keep it clean and shiny all the time, too much surface area. But if you're diligent in keeping it clean, that's fine.

3. Sink with an attached dustbin compartment, unless the dustbin area is rubber sealed tight, if not please don't get, water will seep through the gaps.

4. Tell your ID you are getting your own switches and door knobs/lever handles, minus off the cost of those from the quote. If not, they must let you choose, they don't suka suka install some cheap ugly ones for you. For switches, you can buy nice clipsal ones at wholesale prices at Choo Chiang (Veerasamy Road)

5. Open concept walk in wardrobe, this can be a nightmare for maintenance. I didn't do this, but some of my friends did, it was right outside their toilet, moisture attack, dust attack. I had my close door walk in wardrobe outside my toilet also. Some of my things turn mouldy. One tub of hungry hippo once a week is not economical.

6. Window grills, largely redundant, it restricts your view. Unless it's facing corridor, then it's needed for security purposes.

7. Some so-called energy saving ceiling lamps, uses 2 tubes of 36W each. If you have 2 of such lights, it's 144W if you switch both them on at the same time. Even switching on 1 is 72W. Hmm?

8. I'll add on if I can think of more.

Lastly, get a proper ID/Contractor with good workmanship, that's one regret you can't afford to have.

[his.beloved.child 2]

Hi all,

I have some queries...some frends told me that the kitchen sink they purchased from Poh Joo has got some "rainbow colourings" after some wash and the sink turned cloudy as well. Is there a sink that is of better quality to recommend?

I also have some concerns over white laminated kitchen cabinets though it look really nice and classy. My mum cooks daily, hence does it really turn yellow after a long run (expecially the top cabinets). Can you guys share some of the pics you had for your kitchen cabinets??

Lastly, does anyone has any good movers to recommend and how much do they charge?