alternatives to tile

[cruzing]

Here is a link and info you might want to look at if building a swimming pool.

http://thaibondall.com/index.htm

http://thaibondall.com/swimmingpools_eng.htm

info@thaibondall.com

cruzing

[jazzman]

I followed your links Cruising. Thai Bondai's website does more to scare potential customers away than awake interest in its products.
Apart from its misfunction and poor design, it asks for a lot of sensitive personal information before they will allow you to submit an enquiry.
Very difficult to contact and get response although their VM3 liquid pool coating may be a serious product which they are importing from somewhere.
Do you know more about these people?

Jazzman

[cruzing]

I followed your links Cruising. Thai Bondai's website does more to scare potential customers away than awake interest in its products.
Apart from its misfunction and poor design, it asks for a lot of sensitive personal information before they will allow you to submit an enquiry.
Very difficult to contact and get response although their VM3 liquid pool coating may be a serious product which they are importing from somewhere.
Do you know more about these people?

Jazzman

You know I had the same problems and concerns. I did e-mail them a couple of times. I'm sure it's a foreigner that has the business, but don't know who's actually running it. Everytime we go to an architecture show someone has their pamphlets, but I've never been able to get in touch with them. It's very frustrating as the products fill a real niche here. I finally found some sealer for my terra cotta tiles and bricks that is made by TOA. How it will stand up I've not a clue. So far so good. Wait for the next rainy season.

However, the other things that look especially interesting are the coatings for swimming pools, but all the advertising in the world will not get you business if people can't get in touch with you OR more importantly inquiries are not responded to. I do know they are in Phuket, so maybe if anyone on CTH is in that area they could check it out for all of us.


Cruzing

[jazzman]

Have you tried looking into Beadcrete?
http://www.beadcrete.com/
I'm waiting for the Thai agent to send me a sample.

Jazzman

[cruzing]

Have you tried looking into Beadcrete?
http://www.beadcrete.com/
I'm waiting for the Thai agent to send me a sample.

Jazzman

This is more like it. I don't like the tiles at all......not that we'll be building a pool anytime soon. My friend is building across the canal from me though, and Will be putting in a pool within the next year, so I will forward on to them.

Is the thai rep in BKK? or????

Cruzing

[jazzman]

Because it is pool stuff, the 'Thai' rep is a frang, naturally, and based in Phuket. Unfortunately all the ingredients for an unreliable service
I'm impatient to know abot the stuff because I have three pool projects on the boil right now.

All the pools I built up to now, I have tiled. It's not expensive at only 180 baht per sqm, but doesn't look nice for small radius bends/round corners. There I always used mosaic, but it can risk breaking up the aesthetics rather than enhancing them. Mosaic is ok for pillars for a bridge or going round a small island. It's excellent for freeform pools of course, if the owner is prepared to accept a cost of 1,000 baht or more per sqm.

Jazzman

[dozer]

Have you tried looking into Beadcrete?
http://www.beadcrete.com/
I'm waiting for the Thai agent to send me a sample.

Looks nice, can you post costs when you find out? Also would be interested to know if the raw materials are imported or is it manufactured locally.

[jazzman]

I finally got a reply from Thai Bondai:

The stuff he proposes includes a site inspection and application and a guarantee ans it works out 3.5 times more expensive than swimming pool tiles including labour. If you don't like it, you would never be able to tile it later, or use Beadcrete or any other cement based adhesive or rendering.A friend in France once asked me to renovate his pool which had been coated with viny paint and tile it. I had to chip all the vinyl off using a small power hammer with a wide blade. It took ages...
Jazzman

Dear Sir
Thank you for your inquiry, however we no longer handle the Vm product range due to the problems arrisingt out of the import
Our current range of products are the Cormix manufactured equivelents, manufactured out of Bankok.
The product we would be recommending is Cormix Elastoclad, our strong recommendation is that the product be applied with an AIRLESS SPRAY GUN system to achieve the desired result if you are planning to apply the product using your own labour.
There are many steps in the application of this product as you can well imagine, and they must all be maticasly carried out to retain the manufacturers warrantee for the product.
An estimate of cost is 750 baht per sq.M including application in the Phuket province. A firm quotation is available after a site inspection has been carried out.
Assuring you of our best attention at all times.
Kind Regards,
Skulna Varayu
General Mandger

[cruzing]

Jazzman,

Hard to believe you actually got a reply. I tried several times and got zilch.

Looks like it's not the best way anyway. I think the beadcrete is a much better way to go. Prices per sqm. would be nice if you find out.

cruzing

[jazzman]

AS promised, here is the info about Beadcrete.

Quality / Beschaffenheit: Excellent. I received Five different samples - 10cm diametre , 1/2 inch thick discs today, which I promptly dropped into the Thai bathroom 'water tank' in my in-laws house to study the effect. Truly amazing. It is a non slip surfce, not glass smooth like ceramic tiles, but will not hurt the skin.
The range includes over 40 different colour combinations and effects.

Packing: Comes in 20 Kg bags, ready to mix with water.

Ease of application: Difficult (if you believe the importer, but he wants a minimum of a half-a-million million baht order to do it, and then wants another 90,000 to lay the stuff.
Actually, the info pack is very good, and anyone who has already rendered a wall with a trowel could do it himself. A great deal of precaution is needed however not to waste any of it or to spoil the job.
I would do it myself, but I have confidence in my handiwork - I also know my limits

Price:
Cost per bag: 1,785 - 3,110 baht.
Cost per m2: 1,428 - 2,252 baht.

Quantity: About 60 bags are need for a normal, no frills domestic 40,000 litre pool (4 x 10). Investment: 107,000 - 186,600 baht.

Compare with tiles: Investment: 12,240 baht plus cement.

Disadvantages: None, except the price for a lot of people. It has to be laid 8mm thick, and this is probably as thin as it can be reasonably applied, so no savings can be made by making it thinner. The wastage is in the beautiful micro balls of glass and coloured quartz which make up the mix (they seem to be mixed with a pigmented grouting). They go all the way through, but only the top one millimetre is responsible for the superb effect.

Jazzman's VERDICT:
As a non-essential, it is a very heavy investment for an effect for a small, domestic pool. For an unleashed budget for a commercial, or hotel pool, or any pool where the basic investment of earth moving, masonry casting and equippment is already in excess of 1 mio baht, it would be worth considering the extra investment. People will find the effect is really astounding (if you draw their attention to it). Nice effects can also be created with a combination of underwater lights and a fountain for a maximum of 10,000 baht. They are also far more likely to get Oohs! and Ahhs! from your guests. People don't usually go around saying "Oh what a lovely pool floor you have..."


NOTE: I'll mention again that with a little knowledge of the right kind or some help from someone really in the know but not on the make, a pool can be built for ONE THIRD of the price quoted by the pool firms. Remember, the materials and equipment are accurately calculable, the rest is just labour, Thai labour. What was that someone posted about there being loads of British pool builders in Pattaya? What kind of car did Del Boy drive? Oh, don't remind me...
Pattaya D.B. comes to work in a big Merc with specially applied mud and concrete stains, gold cufflinks as big as dinnerplates, a teenage toygirl (or toyboy) and just dig those tatoos... he drinks Merlot and Cabernet and thinks it is wine but prefers Chang or 100 Pipers, and spends his spare time playing darts in Ray's Irish Bar, paying 600 baht for a pint of Guinness on the profits off his pool business.

Jazzman
http://coolthaihouse.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637

[oil]

i wanted to give a 2015 update on the BeadCrete Pricing for anybody which is interested
Prices range now from 1.025 THB/sqm to 4.000 THB/sqm
the installation price is 350-500 baht/ square meter
Also, the brochure of Prema Pave attached. The selling price is around 800 – 900 baht per square metre, any colour.

However, if the quantity is less than 100 square metre (both Beadcrete and Prema Pave) we may need to charge as a Lump sum price

Here the full price list 2015 -
Color Name / per Bag / per sqm
PR 2010 Noosa 1,282.00 1,025.60
Palm Beach 1,762.00 1,409.60
Black Point 1,702.00 1,361.60
Surfers 1,762.00 1,409.60
Bondi 1,960.00 1,568.00
Byron Bay 2,200.00 1,760.00
Sapphire 3,220.00 2,576.00
Danube 2,848.00 2,278.40
Miami 2,644.00 2,115.20
Diamond 2,068.00 1,654.40
Emerald 2,644.00 2,115.20
Honey 2,068.00 1,654.40
Jade 2,200.00 1,760.00
Kimberly 2,644.00 2,115.20
Smokey Quartz 2,644.00 2,115.20
BC2010 Millenium
Avarua 2,722.00 2,177.60
Tahiti 2,902.00 2,321.60
Moorea 2,902.00 2,321.60
Caribbien 2,980.00 2,384.00
Honolulu 3,460.00 2,768.00
Papeete 2,842.00 2,273.60
Seychelles 1,942.00 1,553.60
Pattaya 2,200.00 1,760.00
Reunion 2,260.00 1,808.00
Mauritius 2,536.00 2,028.80
Koh Samui 2,200.00 1,760.00
Cocos 2,200.00 1,760.00
BC Islands Range
All Colours 2,362.00 1,889.60
BC Crystal Range
Special Colours 3,352.00 2,681.60
BC8000 Zulu Stone 3,652.00 2,921.60
Black Opal 3,652.00 2,921.60
Black Lapis 3,652.00 2,921.60
Azure 4,024.01 3,219.20
Lapis Lazuli 3,652.01 2,921.61
Torres Blue 3,652.01 2,921.61
Amazon 3,652.01 2,921.61
White Opal 3,652.01 2,921.61
Tanzanite 3,652.00 2,921.60
BC8000 Specials
Special Colours 4,672.00 3,737.60
BC9000 Bora Bora - all 3,772.00 3,772.00
Maldives - all 3,772.00 3,772.00
Hawaii Flash 3,772.00 3,772.00
Hawaii Blue / Le Meridien Flash 4,072.00 4,072.00
Hawaii / Le Meridien Blue 4,372.00 4,372.00
Le Meridien 4,552.00 4,552.00

[bkkdave]

That is very helpful jazzman. I'm also keen to know the other good alternatives for tiles but it looks like tiles are of course the most reasonable option. Beadcrete and glass tiles are indeed awesome, if budget is not an issue.