#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Construction in Thailand >  >  Shoestring Renovation.

## Ennis

I had my first ever thread "Perimiter Fence - Lamphun". Got the answers I need, thanks all.

The idea of this thread is to document the purchase of a house on a shoestring budget. AND the subsequent renovation on even less money....

The house



Now I need to spend a bit of time figuring out this web board..

Ennis

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## Dillinger

Good stuff Ennis, looking forward to this :Smile:

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## Warwick

Sounds interesting. I am doing something similar I suspect.

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## Dapper

Good stuff. Being frugal is to do gods work.  :Smile:

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## Pragmatic

> The idea of this thread is to document the purchase of a house on a shoestring budget. AND the subsequent renovation on even less money....


Thais always ask for too much when selling something. Why not build from scratch. Build a little at a time when you have the money and I reckon you'd do better than a renovation. Obviously that will depend on where you build.

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## Ennis

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...l_IMG_0299.JPG

Well here goes, we bought the house AFTER looking around for one year, viewed 4 trillion 750,000 dwellings and was about to murder the missus until she found this.

60sqm 2 bedroom, fair condition structurally (According to our builder). Separate outside kitchen AND when we bought it there was (and still is - an outside loo). It is on a bit less than 2 gnan of land. (746sqm)

Work started today in this space:


it is 2.2 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep. Here we will put a toilet AND a shower & Wash-basin, Plus a mirror. There will be TWO separate rooms




We also installed a new septic tank.



And fitted into the newly dug hole



Plastic door & door frames.



5000 Baht labour 10870 Baht parts (Not sure they are all here)



Finish day Wed the 9th Sep (two more days)...


More to follow....

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## Ennis

Just to recap on the above.

House cost:  Baht 355,700 inc transfers. Quite cheap. *(Three hundred and fifty five thousand, seven hundred Baht)*

Fence: 12,380 Baht for 80 metres inc Labour & Material (Part of boundary has a brick wall.)


Bathroom & Toilet: 15870. Pictures to follow when finished.

Still to come:
1. Tiling, 
2. Kitchen reno
3. Ceiling
4. Electrical.

Whatever I can do myself I will do and document. e.g.. I will paint the entire home

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## jazzmanblues

It's great to get an idea of the prices and such.Thanx.

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## nigelandjan

Not worth the aggro mate painting it yourself , I got all mine done inside + out undercoat +3 top coats £200 labour only , you'd be nuts to DIY in that poxy heat .

Are you going to rewire ?  if you put little blue led sockets + usb plugs like I have it will confuse and frighten the local ghost

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## Wasp

> House cost:  Baht 355,700


Including the land as Freehold ?

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## Dead Metal

[QUOTE=nigelandjan;3096420]Not worth the aggro mate painting it yourself , I got all mine done inside + out undercoat +3 top coats £200 labour only , you'd be nuts to DIY in that poxy heat .

How about starting at 4am for 4hrs, and then 4pm for a few hours ? just a suggestion !!! :yerman:

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## Pragmatic

Why did you have to fit new rings for your cess pit? If it was because you relocated the toilet, did you take out the old one?

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## Pragmatic

> you'd be nuts to DIY in that poxy heat .


Do it in the cold season Jan/Feb time.

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## thaimeme

> Good stuff Ennis, looking forward to this


Yeah....renovations are fun and a challenge, regardless the size of house/property.

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## pseudolus

Asbestos roof perchance? 

Good thread so far. Are you going to live in this house? rent it out? inlaws?

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## Ennis

> Originally Posted by Ennis
> 
> 
> House cost:  Baht 355,700
> 
> 
> Including the land as Freehold ?


YES...

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## Ennis

[QUOTE=Dead Metal;3096454]


> Not worth the aggro mate painting it yourself , I got all mine done inside + out undercoat +3 top coats £200 labour only , you'd be nuts to DIY in that poxy heat .
> 
> How about starting at 4am for 4hrs, and then 4pm for a few hours ? just a suggestion !!!


I'm an Aussie mate... and to this Aussie $400 dollars is a lot of money... 

I painted my Mother in law's place after renovating, so have some experience.  

Anyhow the whole thing is on a shoestring... 

Ennis

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## Ennis

> Why did you have to fit new rings for your cess pit? If it was because you relocated the toilet, did you take out the old one?


I fitted an entirely new one, as to "pipe it" to the old (perfectly functional) one - it was simply too far.

We are going to renovate the old loo as well..... down the track.

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## Ennis

> It's great to get an idea of the prices and such.Thanx.


Yes mate I agonised over prices, particularly putting it out there "how much we paid for house & land"...

Anyhow you cannot unring a bell.... Done now

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## Loy Toy

> Anyhow you cannot unring a bell.... Done now


Baby steps mate.

Get the house habitable and then work through the improvements gradually.

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## Ennis

> Asbestos roof perchance? 
> 
> Good thread so far. Are you going to live in this house? rent it out? inlaws?


Not sure about the roof material, however we have no plans to disturb it as it is in very good nick. I am well aware of mesothelioma (and other asbestos related issues)..... and its consequences. 

We are going to live in the home... Will leave investing and renting to the "super rich", most of whom are on this forum it appears, (Looking at some of the builds )

Ennis

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## pseudolus

> Originally Posted by pseudolus
> 
> 
> Asbestos roof perchance? 
> 
> Good thread so far. Are you going to live in this house? rent it out? inlaws?
> 
> 
> Not sure about the roof material, however we have no plans to disturb it as it is in very good nick. I am well aware of mesothelioma (and other asbestos related issues)..... and its consequences. 
> ...


I would be tempted to get rid of that roof. Aside from that, nice little house. Easy to cool, and heh, what else do you need? PLace to sleep and shelter from the sun and rain, and the rest of the time get the garden going a storm.

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## Ennis

> Originally Posted by Ennis
> 
> The idea of this thread is to document the purchase of a house on a shoestring budget. AND the subsequent renovation on even less money....
> 
> 
> Thais always ask for too much when selling something. Why not build from scratch. Build a little at a time when you have the money and I reckon you'd do better than a renovation. Obviously that will depend on where you build.


Simple answer is I do not have the money. Buying (especially 2 Gnan) land separately was impossible on our budget.

We are 36 k's from Chiang Mai international Airport - we are not out in the sticks either, but in a nice village with lots of typical village facilities. 

Have to thank my beautiful bride... (She is still my bride after 17 years). 

Ennis

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## Ennis

> Originally Posted by Ennis
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by pseudolus
> ...


Thats about it mate. We will look at the budget after we get the place livable, re the roof, as I am concerned too. I changed the mother in laws roof for 12,000 for similar reasons.... Having said that it was MUCH worse than this one.

Garden is already "promising", Mango, longon, lime,tamarind, etc.. are just some of the fruit trees. Block is well laid out and the house is sensibly placed - something we found quite rare when searching for houses.

Ennis

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## terry57

Mate, that's a great price for the house and land. 

Price of a new car innit.

_Really like the idea of buying and renovating, right up my alley. 

All the best with it. 
_

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## Ennis

> ..The trouble with most renos be they be shoe string or blank cheque, is that they are fraught with..*so* many buggers!!wish I had thought of thats, should haves, could haves etc.
>   Case in point as to your reno  is that perhaps _could have_ tied the extension roof into existing roof after removing a few roof panels maybe sacrificing ½ meter of ceiling height?..Ergo no need for intermediate gutter and maybe less expensive than 4kbt?


We looked at that, but we had a gable end facing a sloping roof - we have tried to retain the old building (probably 25yrs or so.) and connected it to the house (Probably 15yrs old or so).
Our builder advised "never the twain shall meet"...

Our reasons for a reno, rather than use a bulldozer are many. There is a significant "human factor". of which we are acutely aware.

*Fully agree with you on the "Could have", "wish I had", "will never do that again" and all other possible scenarios. 
*

But hey Crepitas, "lifes too short" and all that stuff.. We Aussies did not invent "Mai Pen Rai", but we did coin the phrase "she'll be right"  

*Thanks for your comment - Ennis*

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## Ennis

Counter tops started today.
Steps

After the supporting walls are put in and left to "cure" a Gypsom sheet is used as a level, with lots'a sticks to get it level.Rebar is used quite extensivley to reinforce the topsCement is pouredNext day the tiles will be laid

Bellow is a group of pictures showing some of the process.








Not real good at photography and even worse in confined spaces....

More to come... As it starts coming together.

Ennis

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## crepitas

looking good!...555 a big "shoulda never have" from me: Tiled counter tops with small tiles...frickin grout has it's own eco system!  If ever a next time... large un-chamfered edge floor tiles ....butted ...no grout!

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## Ennis

> looking good!...555 a big "shoulda never have" from me: Tiled counter tops with small tiles...frickin grout has it's own eco system!  If ever a next time... large un-chamfered edge floor tiles ....butted ...no grout!


Great minds think alike... Just what we are  doing 

Thanks mate 

Ennis

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## crepitas

Goodonya!!

Ya gotta wonder the utility of grout?..Just a _make work_ campaign, adds no value so why do tiles need it....'cos we always do/did it this way"? Think technology would come up with a grout that does not go black and mouldy?? 
Told my one son about my black disgusting counter top grout..."dad why don't you just use black grout?"..mouths of babes..lol

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## David48atTD

> Goodonya!!
> 
> Ya gotta wonder the utility of grout?..Just a _make work_ campaign, adds no value so why do tiles need it....'cos we always do/did it this way"? Think technology would come up with a grout that does not go black and mouldy?? 
> Told my one son about my black disgusting counter top grout..."dad why don't you just use black grout?"..mouths of babes..lol


We need grout because tiles are generally not perfect.

Not every tile is exactly the same dimensions (after firing).

The clay and it's water content varies and, in the drying process of the kiln sometimes the dimensions of the tile vary, ever so slightly.

In a 300 mm  x  300 mm tile, a variance of 0.3% ... 1 mm, would ruin the tile layout pattern.

With a 3mm grout channel, that variance is almost indistinguishable.

IMHO

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## Ennis

> Originally Posted by crepitas
> 
> 
> Goodonya!!
> 
> Ya gotta wonder the utility of grout?..Just a _make work_ campaign, adds no value so why do tiles need it....'cos we always do/did it this way"? Think technology would come up with a grout that does not go black and mouldy?? 
> Told my one son about my black disgusting counter top grout..."dad why don't you just use black grout?"..mouths of babes..lol
> 
> 
> ...


I get what you are saying and on large areas I guess we must defer to grout, however the counter top is 60cm wide & 3.x m long hence each tile only has one edge to contend with. They are in place now, with no discernible gap - so we may have been lucky??

When in OZ visiting immigration in Perth I was looking at the tiles on the entrance floor, there is a gold coloured grout that seemed as hard as metal with no loss of colour anywhere - never was able to find out what that "grout" was - of course the Gov have UNLIMITED money - I don't 

Thanks for your comments guys...

Ennis

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## crepitas

Have seen brass used as delineating '_grout'_ . To make floors l_ook_ tiled or maybe for expansion ?

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## Ennis

> Have seen brass used as delineating '_grout'_ . To make floors l_ook_ tiled or maybe for expansion ?


Looked for this online but could not find it - sounds too expensive anyhow. As it stands now our tiles are butted up to each other - our builder said he will be using "something" to finish off - will post pic's when it is done.

Thanks for your comment

Ennis


.

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## hawkeye

In many Thai Govt offices the floors are large slabs of concrete with small stones showing clearly. They have been buffed up to have a semi sheen and the grout is brass.
See them in the hospitals, all service areas, hallways and wards. I presume the slabs are cast then buffed at the factory and laid with the brass onsite. Some slabs are a decent size 2 mt x 3mt. 
cheers 
HAWKEYE

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## crepitas

> Originally Posted by crepitas
> 
> 
> Have seen brass used as delineating '_grout'_ . To make floors l_ook_ tiled or maybe for expansion ?
> 
> 
> Looked for this online but could not find it - sounds too expensive anyhow. As it stands now our tiles are butted up to each other - our builder said he will be using "something" to finish off - will post pic's when it is done.
> 
> Thanks for your comment
> ...


Edge of tiled counter top is a problem ....I tried tiling and it looked shitty as does much of my tiling..so used varnished 1 by two wood battens same shade almost as cupboards...not perfect but looks better than cut edge of tile on exposed concrete edge .

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## crackerjack101

I'm pretty sure you can get edging tiles. i.e. one side is rounded off. Or did I just dream that?  :Smile:

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## Ennis

> Edge of tiled counter top is a problem ....I tried tiling and it looked shitty as does much of my tiling..so used varnished 1 by two wood battens same shade almost as cupboards...not perfect but looks better than cut edge of tile on exposed concrete edge .


Mine looks "ordinary" too. sounds like a good plan to use wooden battens.....

Will talk with my builder... I'm not real handy with wood... OK with metal.

Thanks

Ennis

.

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## Ennis

> I'm pretty sure you can get edging tiles. i.e. one side is rounded off. Or did I just dream that?


Wished I knew that before we laid the tiles...... I would have hunted high & Low for them - Thanks for the heads up..


Ennis.

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## Ennis

Ceiling is partially finished... Nothing fancy but nice when new.



Kitchen has the stove/oven in and that too is partially finished... The sink has been "silicon-ed" in place and seems firm and functional. 



Windows and fly screen door is in....






COSTS: Ceiling B6000 Labour and each gypsum tile 14 Baht - insulation (1/2" thick) 302 Baht for 10. We could have used 1/4" insulation tiles for less cost, but as we will AC the area, we felt thicker is better..

Plus the metal - about 1500 Baht at our local hardware. Few bits less than 100 baht - we used 62 tiles with some waste due to the "cuts".

Windows and flyscreen door B15000 supply & fit. These are very big windows, the glass is tinted light green, which beautifully accentuates the gardens. - very pleased with these windows. 

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we hope to be finished in a week or so...

Ennis

.

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## crackerjack101

Good for you. An excellent thread. Thanks.

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## runker

If you're seeing brass "grout" on the floor, you're probably looking at terrazzo floors.  Terrazzo is very common in government buildings around the world.  It is a outstanding flooring that will probably outlast your house.

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## David48atTD

Back to your tiling edge you aren't happy with, was tile edging strip not an option?



Comes in heaps of colurs.




Or a metal one if you are matching a SS splashback ...



Could just rip up the edge of tiles where you don't like the look of?

Used also in the bathroom/laundry

One other option is to bevel the edges of the 2 tiles surfaces at a 45 degree level.

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## jimbobs

Excellent thread Ennis I hope you have many happy and healthy years in your home

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## jonnyenglish

> Back to your tiling edge you aren't happy with, was tile edging strip not an option?


Hi David, had these in a couple of houses where they were used as edging on tile kitchen worksurfaces, they are a work-around, but have one or two issues, the main one being that behind them there is a void which makes for nice ant hotels.

I like the look of the metal strip edging though, still undecided which way to go with the kitchen surfaces in my build (when I get to that stage)... It's something I only want to do once, so will take some more pondering I guess.

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## Ennis

> Back to your tiling edge you aren't happy with, was tile edging strip not an option?
> 
> Comes in heaps of colurs.
> 
> Or a metal one if you are matching a SS splashback ...
> 
> Could just rip up the edge of tiles where you don't like the look of?
> 
> Used also in the bathroom/laundry
> ...


Hi David, clearly I did not do my homework here... The tiles are bothering my wife & I so we may end up replacing them - they are about B250 each +++ materials & labour. So there is a price.- Maybe just maybe we can tidy  those insitu 

"*Crepitas*" suggested wooden batton's - we will look at that...

Welcome any other suggestions....

Ennis

.

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## Ennis

> Excellent thread Ennis I hope you have many happy and healthy years in your home


Thanks Jimbobs...

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## Ennis

> Good for you. An excellent thread. Thanks.



Thanks Mate..

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## Ennis

> If you're seeing brass "grout" on the floor, you're probably looking at terrazzo floors.  Terrazzo is very common in government buildings around the world.  It is a outstanding flooring that will probably outlast your house.


Thanks for your comment

Ennis

.

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## Ennis

Looking at *"Crepitas"* suggestion in more detail, we think we will try the wooden baton approach...



Looks a bit like this on a tiled counter top...

ANY other suggestions welcome, before we commit.

Ennis

.

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## crackerjack101

What about a one piece granite surface. We did our kitchen with this and it wasn't too expensive. Nicely fitted with clean rounded edges. A company in Chiang Rai do the job and I'm sure there are others. A nice clean job with not rotting wood or ant nests.

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## Ennis

> What about a one piece granite surface. We did our kitchen with this and it wasn't too expensive. Nicely fitted with clean rounded edges. A company in Chiang Rai do the job and I'm sure there are others. A nice clean job with not rotting wood or ant nests.


First thing we looked at, but, we could not afford it. At first it seemed possible, but the woman quoting, started adding baht for cutting out the sink, rounding edges, on and on - we put it in the "too hard basket", but I must admit, this is the BEST way if the budget permits..

Thanks for your post

Ennis

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## crackerjack101

> but the woman quoting, started adding baht for cutting out the sink, rounding edges, on and on


Really. we paid for the granite and the fitting and cutting was part of it all. The only thing we had to promise was that the 3 guys could camp the night as they'd traveled a fair way.

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## David48atTD

> Looking at *"Crepitas"* suggestion in more detail, we think we will try the wooden baton approach...
> 
> 
> 
> Looks a bit like this on a tiled counter top...
> 
> ANY other suggestions welcome, before we commit.
> 
> Ennis
> ...


At our home in the West, we have a similar timber edging for the kitchen benchtop.

About 30 years old ... 20 of which was a rental.

Still looking good.

The two wear points are next to the stove where the cut marks have soaked some oil and darkened and at the sink where the forearms doing the washing-up have slowly rubbed the timber varnish off and the timber has bleached.  I'm sure the colour could be returned with a coat of clear varnish.


So, generally they are maintenance free and a decade on, will still be looking good.

Personally, I like the timber look.

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## crackerjack101

David, did you treat the timber edging with anything?

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## Ennis

> Originally Posted by Ennis
> 
> 
> Looking at *"Crepitas"* suggestion in more detail, we think we will try the wooden baton approach...
> 
> Looks a bit like this on a tiled counter top...
> 
> ANY other suggestions welcome, before we commit.
> 
> ...


Thanks David, very encouraging, we looked in Global House today and there is some good edging material at a  reasonable price and many types of wood.

Ennis

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## David48atTD

> David, did you treat the timber edging with anything?


Mate I bought this place maybe 15 years ago, it had always been a rental till I moved in about 10 years ago.

The build date seems to be the mid 80's.

The wood is simply coated in a clear varnish/polyurethane coat (or two).

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## crackerjack101

> The wood is simply coated in a clear varnish/polyurethane coat (or two).


OK as I imagined. I was wondering whether you coated it on all sides before fitting?
It's what I tend to do with any wood fittings. But we do live in the country and insects and bugs are an issue.

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## Eleven1101

Yes how are you?

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## crepitas

!0 years now ..some bald patches from over zealous cleaning..a round tuit job..

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## crepitas

Perhaps I should add:
  Attached with construction adhesive...Used like contact adhesive. Coat both surfaces wait to skin and push into placevery forgiving.... Too much adhesive will sag of courseand you will need to employ the wife or GF to hold for a an hour or solol

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## Ennis

> Perhaps I should add:
>   Attached with construction adhesive...Used like contact adhesive. Coat both surfaces wait to skin and push into placevery forgiving.... Too much adhesive will sag of courseand you will need to employ the wife or GF to hold for a an hour or solol


Thanks, was wondering about the adhesive.. Will check with Global House - (Only big store option in Lamphun) IF they carry "Construction Adhesive"...

Next chance I get will be this coming weekend....

Will post pictures soon

Ennis

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## Amanda wong

any contractor here?

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## Davis Knowlton

^If you're trying to bump your post count, go do it in the Games Forum instead of posting stupid crap all over the place.

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## TJTR

excellent thread Ennis best of luck with everything.

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