Bathroom wall repair/renovation

[MABinPengChau]

Hit up about 15 hardware stores in Kowloon last evening, but alas the Bondo Wood Filler is nowhere to be found. Closest thing I could find was this:
https://www.vitaltechnical.com/produ...er-based-putty

HK is really a wasteland for DIY. Also wanted to buy a plywood sheet and couldn't even find this anywhere.

Yeah I was afraid of this, I am betting that it's soft like putty maybe dries harder like spackle but not super rigid like epoxy.

Can try online, not sure for chemicals if will ship from Amazon but worth a look. I was just in a huge DIY store in Taipei, to buy a wall socket, it's just like Home Depot in the US, down to the orange color. Shopping for everything is easier here, very aware of how good I have it compared to HK. If you knew where to go in Shenzhen pretty sure they would have something but no idea where.

[huja]

Yeah I was afraid of this, I am betting that it's soft like putty maybe dries harder like spackle but not super rigid like epoxy.

Can try online, not sure for chemicals if will ship from Amazon but worth a look. I was just in a huge DIY store in Taipei, to buy a wall socket, it's just like Home Depot in the US, down to the orange color. Shopping for everything is easier here, very aware of how good I have it compared to HK. If you knew where to go in Shenzhen pretty sure they would have something but no idea where.

There was a B&O in Shenzhen in the same mall as the IKEA when I lived there nearly a decade ago.

I just sent 3M (manufacturer of Bondo) where I could buy their products in Hong Kong. Their chatbot was useless.

[Zelensky2]

I was trying to replace the sealant around a bathtub by myself (aside: why is sealant remover nowhere to be found in HK?).
The back corner of the tub is connected to a section of wall that is basically a non load-bearing beam (a painted-over wooden beam). As I scraped away at the adjoining sealant, layers of the wood peeled off and I found that the bottom section is affected by moisture damage. The beam itself is hollow and it's not hard to poke a hole through it at several points.

Just my luck that this happens before CNY! How big a project is it to get something like this fixed? The top half of the beam seems to be in normal shape and connects to the rails of the sliding bathroom door...not sure if there's a way to replace the bottom section only. Any pointers to a reasonable contractor?

I'm what they call 'a reasonable contractor.'

1st things first, it really is a waste of time (yours and everyone else's) to go to the lengths of trying to describe in detail what the problem is, without supplying some photos (plural) especially when it's so easy to do so these days.

Rant over.

Next up. Your bathroom sounds like a bit of a cluster fuck, but it might just be the way you describe it. So seriously, post a few high quality photo's from a few different angles and I can likely tell you exactly what you can and can't get away with and what products to use.

Thirdly, wood and water don't mix, from your description it sounds like they've built a frame to support your bath from wood, which is always a bad idea - It won't be a 'beam' unless you live in a house incorporating structural timber (so we can rule that out).

So here's my whatsap: 6202 5777. Send me some photo's, and be kind to everyone else here too, who are also curious about what the hell is going on in your bathroom, and post them here on Geo too.

Epoxy fillers are good in some situations, but just because it worked for one guy in situation A, doesn't mean to say it will work for the guy who's bathroom sounds like something out of the X-files. (It's probably not, but post photo's, and then we can advise, otherwise it's pure uneducated guesswork on display.)

[MABinPengChau]

I'm what they call 'a reasonable contractor.'

1st things first, it really is a waste of time (yours and everyone else's) to go to the lengths of trying to describe in detail what the problem is, without supplying some photos (plural) especially when it's so easy to do so these days.

Rant over.

Next up. Your bathroom sounds like a bit of a cluster fuck, but it might just be the way you describe it. So seriously, post a few high quality photo's from a few different angles and I can likely tell you exactly what you can and can't get away with and what products to use.

Thirdly, wood and water don't mix, from your description it sounds like they've built a frame to support your bath from wood, which is always a bad idea - It won't be a 'beam' unless you live in a house incorporating structural timber (so we can rule that out).

So here's my whatsap: 6202 5777. Send me some photo's, and be kind to everyone else here too, who are also curious about what the hell is going on in your bathroom, and post them here on Geo too.

Epoxy fillers are good in some situations, but just because it worked for one guy in situation A, doesn't mean to say it will work for the guy who's bathroom sounds like something out of the X-files. (It's probably not, but post photo's, and then we can advise, otherwise it's pure uneducated guesswork on display.)

OP admits remodel needs to happen, was just looking for a temporary fix before biting the bullet.

I think we have all seen completely "half-assed" designs, remodels, etc. in Hong Kong, sounds like this is one of them. Maybe you can be the guy to handle the actual remodel when that happens.

[Zelensky2]

OP admits remodel needs to happen, was just looking for a temporary fix before biting the bullet.

I think we have all seen completely "half-assed" designs, remodels, etc. in Hong Kong, sounds like this is one of them. Maybe you can be the guy to handle the actual remodel when that happens.

Maybe I can, and at the moment indeed I'm advising on 'temporary fixes'; but one always has to consider that everything in life is temporary, so the photo's are required to advise on what one will need to "buy a year or two".

Often 'temporary fixes', as the layman understands them, can last a lot longer than just 1 or 2 years for minimal hassle; sometimes to achieve the fix the amount of hassle needed isn't worth the result, and sometimes the risk of the problem spreading (which one should always be extra cautious about with water damage) dictates that a longer term fix is most suitable.

[MABinPengChau]

Maybe I can, and at the moment indeed I'm advising on 'temporary fixes'; but one always has to consider that everything in life is temporary, so the photo's are required to advise on what one will need to "buy a year or two".

Often 'temporary fixes', as the layman understands them, can last a lot longer than just 1 or 2 years for minimal hassle; sometimes to achieve the fix the amount of hassle needed isn't worth the result, and sometimes the risk of the problem spreading (which one should always be extra cautious about with water damage) dictates that a longer term fix is most suitable.

Yes, photos definitely more helpful, I agree. And, yes, a decent temporary repair can buy plenty of time to really plan what to do with the bathroom. My point was only that the OP knows this whole situation needs a better solution in the long term. But who hasn't moved into a newly purchased place, with all the stress that entails, and said, yeah, I cannot deal with one...more...thing right now.

I have considerable empathy. Anyway, if OP posts pics or not, if you know of where to source repair materials, in general, please let everyone know because it can be challenging, to say the least.

[Zelensky2]

Yes, photos definitely more helpful, I agree. And, yes, a decent temporary repair can buy plenty of time to really plan what to do with the bathroom. My point was only that the OP knows this whole situation needs a better solution in the long term. But who hasn't moved into a newly purchased place, with all the stress that entails, and said, yeah, I cannot deal with one...more...thing right now.

I have considerable empathy. Anyway, if OP posts pics or not, if you know of where to source repair materials, in general, please let everyone know because it can be challenging, to say the least.

Sure, but what materials? As we know, HK doesn't have DIY superstores. Some materials are available in many stores, some in only a few stores, and many brands you know from the US (or sometimes even direct substitutes) aren't available at all.

To choose the right solution (often plural) in any given situation, usually takes expertise. That's why pro's are pro's.

[MABinPengChau]

Sure, but what materials? As we know, HK doesn't have DIY superstores. Some materials are available in many stores, some in only a few stores, and many brands you know from the US (or sometimes even direct substitutes) aren't available at all.

To choose the right solution (often plural) in any given situation, usually takes expertise. That's why pro's are pro's.

That's why I was looking at materials that were supposedly available in HK on 3M HKTV mall.

And...Amazon. I bought even phosphoric acid based limescale remover and had it delivered, couldn't be bothered to search for it in stores. Even hazardous materials will be delivered, go Amazon!

OP is trying to save money with DIY, I get it, every homeowner gets it.

Plenty of epoxy or other thermoset resin based products (3M Bondo, for example) on Amazon.

Not a home improvement specialist but plenty of DIY experience and also my degrees are in materials engineering and mechanical engineering so I am into the materials side of things.

[Zelensky2]

That's why I was looking at materials that were supposedly available in HK on 3M HKTV mall.

I get that, and the question still stands: For what application exactly?

OP is trying to save money with DIY, I get it, every homeowner gets it.

I clearly get that too. So if you want me to be the go-to resource to never have to spend money on contractors again, then yeah, nah, sorry, I can't help with that. But more than that - this forum is a 2 way street, if the OP want's the best information on locally available solutions (hard won information learned over many years of pounding the streets, visiting suppliers and spending serious cash with them so they trust me) they need to give something in return.

If it's you that needs a solution MAB, then ok, return to point A: For what application exactly?

Not a home improvement specialist but plenty of DIY experience and also my degrees are in materials engineering and mechanical engineering so I am into the materials side of things.

Cool.

[MABinPengChau]

I get that, and the question still stands: For what application exactly?




I clearly get that too. So if you want me to be the go-to resource to never have to spend money on contractors again, then yeah, nah, sorry, I can't help with that. But more than that - this forum is a 2 way street, if the OP want's the best information on locally available solutions (hard won information learned over many years of pounding the streets, visiting suppliers and spending serious cash with them so they trust me) they need to give something in return.

If it's you that needs a solution MAB, then ok, return to point A: For what application exactly?



Cool.

He said he wanted to shore up the ginormous hole and hold it together (where the water caused the rot) to help hold the door frame or some such. Lots of YouTube videos (OP linked to one) where people have done this to buy time.

Sure, I get that more info is better, but we're all just trying to help with what our own experiences have been, maybe OP was posting from work or the MTR and just asking for material and purchase location advice. OP painted a decent picture (mentally) of the problem- I am old enough where people didn't have pics of everything and the guy in the hardware store still could figure out what you needed from your description.

Let OP take or ignore the advice given, sounds like he/she went shopping around and, yeah, it's very hit or miss which is why the questions.

We're all on the same team here, team "let's help the OP, given the known info." If you're uncomfortable weighing in, that's fine, others, whether or not we're "pros," also have useful experience.

I get advice on writing patent applications all the time from my "non-patent attorney" inventors and I really consider it, they are some smart people. Sometimes it's not possible, but other times it's a great suggestion. So I don't denigrate any advice based on the status of the advice giver.