Nice Paint Job

When my ID stopped work on 1-Feb-08 to prepare for Lunar New Year, and said his men would only resume work after the 15th Feb, I realized it would be next to impossible to complete renovation of my 4R resale flat by the 20-Feb target date.

Luckily I only contracted the wet works, plumbing, door replacement and laminated tile flooring with him. And therefore I was free to look for other service providers to do the paintwork, electrical, cabinetry, etc.


ID ScrapBook



I looked up the classifieds and managed to locate a painter to handle the paintwork over the New Year holidays. Initially he quoted $400-500 over the telephone to paint the 4R flat, but after meeting me at the flat, he finally agreed to do the job for $1350.

That was because (a) I had asked for 2 coats of ICI paint, (b) my walls were horribly uneven and needed plastering and therefore also (c) needed a sealer coat.

I was pleased with the final pricing, because my ID had quoted $1,500 to do the wall plastering, and another $1,400 to paint the whole apartment. So I saved quite a bundle !

You can see the walls below before the plaster-and-paint job:



See the adhoc plastering carelessly slapped onto the wall in the picture above? This was the normal standard of workmanship in 1982, when the flat was built.

The uneven plastering in the main wall in the living room is plain for all to see in the picture below:



The next picture below showed a vertical split from the floor upwards:



The AFTER Photos:

After plastering, the wall in the living room was ready for painting:



Viola ! Perfect smooooth painted wall !



I was pleased with the nice paintwork, particularly as I had managed to save money at the same time.

Send me an email if you wish to contact the particular painter who did the job for me.

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FOOTNOTE: Some readers asked for more pictures, so here you are.

BTW the wrong laminated floor tiles were laid for the bedrooms, due to a screw-up in communication at Summit Design's office. At James' insistence the company asked the supplier to change the flooring tiles after the Lunar New Year.

But my plan to move some furniture into the apartment before LNY was foiled.

Oh well, that's life, and to be expected in any renovation work.

Also, the air-con hole in the room wall will be patched up after LNY.

Bedroom 1


Bedroom 2


This area will be allocated for the home office / study area.


The dining area will be placed here.


The Entrance Wall, large enough for a 100" HT fixed projection screen.


This will be the TV console area:


The Galley Kitchen -- a work in progress. James directed the workmen to tile the window area only after new windows have been installed. This was to ensure a good fit and finish.


Indeed, this is as what it should be, and is another instance where a good ID often spells the difference between what would be an acceptable tiling work versus one that is excellent and well-finished.

Hall-cum-Living Room from the perspective of the the kitchen:


Hall-cum-Living Room viewed from the dining area:


ADDENDUM:

QUOTE(GoalHome @ Feb 14 2008, 03:26 PM) *

Hi bluefly, you mean plaster + paint 4rm is $1,350? Can you please PM me the contacts. Thanks.


Before I pm you the contact, I need to caution you on the negotiation part.

Most of these contractors will quote a low price over the telephone to 'entice' you, then later when they visit yr flat, they will jack up the price. So make sure you tell the contractor you are getting a few quotes, so even if they visit yr flat to give a final quote, you are not obliged to use them. That way you will get a good & reasonably low-price & competitive quote !

Second, make sure you tell the contractor exactly what you want -- whole flat plastering or simply "touch-up". The contractor will tell you whole flat plastering, but later claimed he meant only "touch-up" when you have given him the job. So you need to be very clear and specific about what you want -- before you agree with his quote. Point out the areas in your flat you need smoothening and plastering, so there is no ambiguity later. This was a lesson I learnt, not that I am complaining.

As for paintwork, be clear about how much sealer you need. The painter will quote say $250 for the sealer coat, but the fact is, he does not need to apply sealer coat to the whole flat, only those areas where there is fresh cement or plaster. So if he does not plaster all the area of a wall, you need not pay so much for the sealer coat. This I found out from my experience. I could have bargained for a lower price for the sealer but didn't because I was not aware of the tactic. Now I am a bit wiser, I share it with you.

Now for the actual paint job. Tell him what you want painted -- don't forget pipes, ceiling, door frames, etc. And the number of coats. They will use this as an excuse to jack up the price. I told him what I wanted on the telephone before he came to my place.

The contractor will show you a glossy catalog. And you pick, say, ICI Light and Space or All-in-One.

Later you are surprised when he used ICI Maxilite, a cheaper grade of paint for paint contractors. They don't tell you this at the time they quoted for the job, like in my case.

Too bad I only learnt about that tactic after I had agreed.

In my case I decided not to make an issue when I saw the team did a good job of the plastering -- you can see my blog for the Before and After photos -- so I let it pass. In any case the painter gave me what was specified for the final coat -- Dulux Light & Space, and the overall plastering-and-paint job was good.

I was patient and understanding only because his quote was lower than what most others were charging.

For the price I am not complaining, but am pleased with the result.

PM sent. Use my name ("Roland") to knock down the price he quoted.

For yr guidance, this was what I paid:

plastering $350
sealer coat $250
painting $800
total = $1,400

I got him to reduce to $1350.

BTW, he asked for a 50% deposit. I refused (to be safe in case the contractor not bona-fide and out to cheat) and said I will pay $400 only after he started work. When I saw he kept his word and started work in earnest, I decided to pay him $500 at the start of the 2nd day. Also, he didn't ask for payment after he had completed the job, I paid him instead but at his suggestion withheld $50 as he wants to return later to finish some little touch-ups that I had pointed out to him.

If you encounter any problem with him, it will likely be communication. I think his communication skills are not too good.

This post has been edited by BlueFly: Feb 14 2008, 05:37 PM