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Apartment renovations ideas

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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    Also a contractor will use plywood if you tell them to. Especially important for shelves
    Isn't plywood the default in HK? It's not like they can safely cut MDF to size onsite. I'd expect MDF for custom stuff made in China then shipped down to HK for assembly though.

  2. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    Isn't plywood the default in HK? It's not like they can safely cut MDF to size onsite. I'd expect MDF for custom stuff made in China then shipped down to HK for assembly though.
    Default for what?

    Do you think kitchen cabinets installed in HK are 'made in HK'? They're assembled in HK only (in the vast majority of cases)

    Do you think all cabinets made in China are made of MDF? There is no 'default'.

    All the plywood you see being bought and carted around in HK is not being made into furniture.

    Define 'safe'
    Last edited by Sage; 23-09-2021 at 01:23 AM.

  3. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    Isn't plywood the default in HK?
    No

    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    It's not like they can safely cut MDF to size onsite.
    Why is cutting MDF less safe than plywood?

    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    custom stuff made in China then shipped down to HK for assembly though.
    That is 95% of the market for secondary market fitted kitchens

  4. #34

    Wouldn't kitchen shelves be solid wood because it has to take the weight of all the plates stuff etc?

    My friend once a while back had an ikea bookshelf. The shelf gave way and inside was stuffed with bits of newspaper.


  5. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by dinosaurs88:
    Wouldn't kitchen shelves be solid wood because it has to take the weight of all the plates stuff etc?

    My friend once a while back had an ikea bookshelf. The shelf gave way and inside was stuffed with bits of newspaper.
    No.

    If you want to make them from natural wood you can but in HK that’s very difficult and expensive to arrange.

    The vast majority are ply or MDF (both of which are ‘wood’), paper infused MDF is merely just a lighter MDF and is indistinguishable from the latter by laymen, panels for vertical applications (e.g. doors) may be filled with a cardboard honey comb

    @Eastcoast - MDF is problematic because of the ammount (and nature of) dust that’s produced when cut, so some kind of err mask is wise (as it is when cutting everything with a power tool)

    Labelling cutting it as safe or unsafe is of course completely arbitrary and verges on comical when you factor in the risks construction workers take generally.

    Is it safe to live in HK? Is it safe to live near to a road?
    Is it safe to live?

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    Last edited by Sage; 23-09-2021 at 09:27 AM.

  6. #36

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    Used this to update a couple doors.
    https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=628535898385

    Hi @rani, I am really interested in this product to cover doors - entrance door, bedroom door and cabinet doors. Although I can't understand Chinese, the photos in the TB link look quite good. I can even see photos of this product covering entrance doors that have panels.. amazing and don't know how that is possible..?

    Also, did you order the stuff from TB and applied it yourself? Or is there someone you paid to do it for you? The lack of ability to read Chinese for me will definitely be an obstacle both to ordering stuff on TB and following any included instructions. Plus, I've not done home diy stuff like this. Guess it would be good to know if it is easy to avoid trapped air bubbles and what tools are needed. All my doors are white but looking quite dingy white (esp. the entrance door) after 15 yrs. A handyman is suggesting a paint job using semi-gloss wood paint and using roller and brush, quoting $1,800 each for entrance door and bedroom door. Not sure if repainting will result in a smooth finish so I had a random walkabout in my building looking at neighbours' entrance doors but all looked prefabricated and could not find any repainted ones to get an idea. The handyman I was referring to also does not read/speak Chinese and only English-speaking like me..

    Any added info will be much appreciated.. TIA


  7. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    In priority?

    Split Hot / Cold Aircon
    Double Glazing with 2x Low E coating
    Add power sockets - Especially in the kitchen
    Tiling with Porcelain tiles - Kitchen & Bathroom (not ceramic tiles) - walk in shower
    Engineered wood flooring - bedrooms and living room
    Wall hung toilets and sinks
    Thermostatic shower with hand and rain shower
    Room windows can get problematic.. Management gets involved / need to be certified or some crap..

    Other than that 100% go for structural issues first - electrical, walls and floor. Done well they can last for 20+ years.

    If the aircons are functional - don't worry right now and look at good ceiling fans.

    Kitchens and bathrooms are more difficult to upgrade midstream.. Wood work can be upgraded a few years down the road.

    One random thing that has sort of messed us up - size of the kitchen doors and the sizibg of the custom wood work have restricted our fridge selection.. Don't underestimate how difficult it can be to put a larger fridge in if the doors are small or if yiu have custom cabinets built around your fridge.

    Also look at optimising washing and drying area / stacked front loading over top loading..

    Add as many sockets as you think you need and then some more.

    High quality electrical switches and sockets.. If possible.

    Wooden engineered floors are a lot easier and cheaper to replace than tiles..

    A nice sofa and as big a TV as possible.. Reward yourself

  8. #38

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    The only thing I'd add is that I wouldn't go with sliding doors to save space:

    1. Not only does it kinda cheapen the look/feel of a property

    2. Also the the noise insulation /lack of privacy

    And if you do go for proper doors I'd recommend not going for the ones which commonly have what looks like air vents - I have one of these for my bathroom door (I didn't choose it) which is kinda weird & goes against point 2) above


  9. #39

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    @hkgcat this is what I got roped into doing over a weekend by rani to help a friend out.

    The YouTube guys make it look easy.. May be it is, but not for clueless folk like me. Ended up redoing some bits a couple of times and the best thing we did was removing the doors and applying the wallpaper thingy, rather than attempting to wall paper with the doors on.

    If you have covered school books, the technique is same for wrapping the doors.

    The gold trim was not my idea

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  10. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by bsc1280:
    Thanks so much @dinosaurs88.


    1. Are there any shops which would have some brochures or photos on how the tiles or the adhesive tape look like once it is used? it is very difficult to see how these would look like otherwise.

    the current floor is not wooden. it is the material shown in this photo. what is it?

    https://www.squarefoot.com.hk/en/pro...ion/102270755/

    I don't really like this floor and would want something which is lighter in color.

    2. For kitchen, I am very tempted to try the way you have mentioned. The link above also has photos on the kitchen cabinets.
    How many years do these cabinets last? as the apartment is already 15 years old.

    I would ideally want to convert these cabinets with a glossy white finish if possible. Can that be done with existing cabinets intact?

    Also, I want to put a larger fridge in there want to cut out one or 2 cabinets to make the space ?

    3. I would check in mongkok tomorrow. Any recommendations on where these wardrobe shops are.


    4. this is a handyman who has quotes 55k including dismantalling the existi tiles and adding in the new ones

    5. any recomendations on how to do a better sound proofing

    6. i do plan to do that. ist 14-15k quiote per room ok? including teh aircon and the installation cost of replacing window ac with split


    thanks again
    So as you can see, there are as many varying opinions about what to prioritise as there are options, of which there are many many many - all of which involve trade-offs.

    To be honest, as somebody advised earlier, expecting sound advice from people who can’t visit your home or talk at length about what’s important to you is flawed.

    E.g. putting in more electrical points - yup great and amongst the most expensive undertakings you can choose - I thought you were short of cash?

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