House Painting

[Big Boy]

Early next year I have decided it will be time to get the outside of my house painted. The original paint job was not good to the extent that if I put my power hose on the paintwork, it cuts through it like a knife through butter. Obviously only one very thin coat originally applied.

What has brought this to mind now, is that a crew of painters have just turned up next door. Half a dozen men, 6 rollers and 1 pot of paint (albeit it is a big pot of paint - 25 or 50 litres I would guess). They are charging 35,000 Baht for the job (owners of the house are Thai).

This has got me wondering about the quality of exterior house painting here in Thailand. IMHO, the job on my house was rubbish. I reckon the job next door is going to be equally as bad.

With a single pot of paint, it is going to be seriously watered down (I'd often wondered how they got such a smooth finish to their painting). Is this the norm here in Thailand? In the UK, I was used to exterior paint being expensive, but it lasted well. My house is 2 years old, and needs re-painting.

I look around at many condos, which are not too old, and they are well in need of a new paint job.

Questions:

- Are there better qualities of paint that can be applied (obviously at greater cost)?

- Apart from ease/speed of application, is there a reason for significantly watering the paint down?

- Does the extreme heat of Thailand have a significant part to play, resulting in poor quality?

- I'm not against paying to get the job done, but I'm not at all happy with what i see. Am I allowed to paint my own house (don't really want to, but I would do it properly), or does this fall into the crazy employment laws here?

- Is 35K a reasonable price for a crap paint job here in Thailand? IMHO unskilled workers (probably Burmese) working for no more than than the minimum wage.

[hhfarang]

Big Boy, estimate the sq mt of your paint job, then take your missus to Colorworld on Phetkasem road just south of Soi 94. Buy the best (they'll tell you which brand when you describe what you're going to do) primer and paint if you want it to last several years and look good. Then, you just hire the labor and you supply the paint. That's the only way to insure quality of the product. Water or thin (if needed at all) according to directions from Colorworld only.

About the labor. Preparation of the surface is the most important part of the job. If the old paint comes off that easy they will need to sand or strip it all off and start fresh with several coats of primer and paint. Getting a paint crew to do that is going to be your biggest obstacle to overcome.

[Big Boy]

Thanks HHF, that's very helpful. where's Colour World please? [Edit] Just seen it in your post - sorry.

If the old paint comes off that easy they will need to sand or strip it all off

I could probably wash it off

Going back to my original post, I'm sitting outside watching the crew next door. Apart from the crap paint, they are actually doing a pretty good job. They are going around filling holes and re-sealing things before putting the paint on - I'm actually surprised. They are putting sheets down to prevent mess etc. A much better job than i was expecting. I am actually wondering if they could follow instructions to apply paint properly

[hhfarang]

I am actually wondering if they could follow instructions to apply paint properly

You and/or your missus will have to watch them like hawks or they will take shortcuts and you may end up with a poor job that will look good now, but won't last very long.

[PeteC]

You have time BB so please research TOA 7 in 1, links below. Best house paint I've found/used here. Not cheap and you'll need their sealer coat if you go over other paint, and probably their concrete sealer if you paint on bare concrete. Anyway, the shops can give you and your wife the full details. Pete

http://www.toahomeguide.com/productsolu ... ution_id=4

http://www.toagroup.com.vn/img/product/ ... uct_en.pdf

Note: I disagree with this part of the link:

New Surface : Prime 1 coat of SuperShield Alkali Sealer
Then top coat with 2 coats of TOA 7 IN 1
Old Surface : Prime 1 coat of 4 SEASONS CONTACT SEALER
Then top coat with 2 coats of TOA 7 IN 1

Don't use the Supershield or 4 Seasons product. TOA already has a special 7 in 1 Sealer for both needs. I don;t know why this fact sheet doesn't mention/recommend that.

[Big Boy]

Oh dear, the bottles of M150 have just come out. They'll soon be putting the paint on upside down

It's keeping me well amused today though

[sargeant]

Am I allowed to paint my own house (don't really want to, but I would do it properly), or does this fall into the crazy employment laws here?

Answer yes you can as there is no payment you are therefore not working.

I painted two bungalows in and out when i moved to Pranburi no problem no payment did it for free

[Takiap]

Big Boy, when our place was ready to be painted, myself and a friend who was over from Scotland decided to do the job ourselves. We used a good quality primer/sealer, plus two coats of a good quality paint. The sun has certainly faded the color somewhat, but then again, the paint job is eight years old now. I've also found that if I scrub a section of wall, the faded color seems to wash off, and the scrubbed section looks as good as it did in the beginning.

I also varnished our windows and doors, and they too are still looking good, apart from two windows which I never quite got around to finishing. I should also mention that the varnish was Captain, and no other varnish I've used here has lasted anywhere near as long as the Captain has.

I'm actually going to be doing the interior again early next year, and will probably tackle the outside as well, although I'll probably get a worker in to do the bits which can only be reached from the roof. I'm a bit to old for roof walking now.


If you have the time, I would say do it yourself. Just focus on one side at a time, and also take your time. As strange as it might seem, it can actually be fun.


Good Luck

[johnnyk]

Proper prep is extremely important, if that isn't done you have to ask yourself what exactly are you painting over - dust, mould, old flaky paint etc?
Power washing masonry works well then patching and finishing.
Undercoat then two finish coats.
I found Beger to be good with three levels of quality.
Dutch, German or British Dulux are good paints.
Perhaps the water was being used with French paint. When I lived in France I used water to thicken the French paint.

[HHTel]

Quote:
Am I allowed to paint my own house (don't really want to, but I would do it properly), or does this fall into the crazy employment laws here?


Answer yes you can as there is no payment you are therefore not working.

Sorry, Sarge, you're wrong. A few years ago a farang was arrested on Soi 88 when he was caught painting his own garden wall without a work permit. Cost him a lump of tea-money. You remember the problem the charity workers who came to help with the aftermath of the tsunami. They were not taking payment but they didn't have a work permit and the stupid immigration deemed them illegal workers!!

[heartofmidlothian]

Not allowed to paint your own house! That is a bit silly! Can we do our own gardening? Can we iron our clothes? Can we cook our own food? Drive our own car?
I have been painting walls, painting my house, doing my garden for years, in full view of the public, and so far no problems!

[lomuamart]

Working, for the purposes of employment legislation over here, includes exerting your physical energy or using your knowledge whether for money or benefits, or not.
Whether anything is done about it is a different matter.

[sargeant]

I have done work for a Police Sergeant (plumbing) and a Police Captain (electrical) no pay and no problem

but as lomu says Whether anything is done about it is a different matter.
I have never heard of anyone being done for doing your own place either.

[STEVE G]

Can we do our own gardening? Can we iron our clothes? Can we cook our own food? Drive our own car?

I still haven't found a way of getting out of driving in Thailand but as soon as I've got the money I'm going to buy one of those mini-vans with the big reclining leather seat in the back and employ a driver!

[russ]

Oh dear, the bottles of M150 have just come out. They'll soon be putting the paint on upside down

It's keeping me well amused today though

big boy use dulux weathershield had our house built 7 years ago paint still great can spray hose pipe to clean no loss of paint a friend tried toe captain paints all crap