Our builders

[graham59]

Considering folk are so poor here, they are good at damaging and wasting stuff, especially when somebody else (ME !) has paid for it.

I supervise closely all building work, and make sure that materials and tools are used properly, without unnecessary damage and wastage.  Anything that can be, is saved to be re-used .  

As there is absolutely no concept of H and S here either, I also walk around and clear up all the discarded nails, wire , etc, that my 4 year-old might injure himself on. 

[JDDavao II]

2 hours ago, jimeve said:

They are crap, go to a local trade center (Crown or Dulux) and ask for their cheap brushes and rollers. last 10x more than those poundland brushes. Speaking from over 40 years in the Decorating trade.

I bought quality brushes a long time ago. With care while painting and cleaning and even a comb out now and then, they've lasted for years. Of course, the best thing to do here is gauge the expertise of your painters. I wouldn't let the guys who painted our house within 10 feet of my good brushes.

[jimeve]

5 minutes ago, JDDavao said:

I bought quality brushes a long time ago. With care while painting and cleaning and even a comb out now and then, they've lasted for years. Of course, the best thing to do here is gauge the expertise of your painters. I wouldn't let the guys who painted our house within 10 feet of my good brushes.

I sent about 20 Purdy brushes USA made in BB boxes 5 years, most have either been nicked or the local painter has ruined them. Got about 8 left.

[JDDavao II]

2 hours ago, graham59 said:

Considering folk are so poor here, they are good at damaging and wasting stuff, especially when somebody else (ME !) has paid for it.

I have an old Stanley brand hammer that my father bought back in the 60s. It's nothing special, just a claw head, metal handle and plastic grip. But it was my father's and it's very special to me.

My wife had a couple of guys here doing some work around the pig cesspool. The pigs are gone and the pit is usually covered but they decided to use it as a burning pit. One of them was using my father's hammer. Yes. Right into the pit it went. It took him 40 minutes to fish it out of the muck on the bottom but he finally got it.

Certainly, he didn't know it was a legacy tool but, damn. What the hell was he doing with it?!

[JDDavao II]

3 minutes ago, jimeve said:

I sent about 20 Purdy brushes USA made in BB boxes 5 years, most have either been nicked or the local painter has ruined them. Got about 8 left.

Purdy are what I bought!  Sorry to hear of their demise.

[hk blues]

For me, i buy cheap brushes and rollers and throw them away after 1 use.  By the time you buy the cleaner/thinner and clean them etc etc and then misplace them i find it's not worth it! 

[Mike J]

On 12/4/2019 at 4:45 PM, stevewool said:

Years ago many made a tool you needed a float for plaster you made one and so , but watching these workers chisel concrete with a nail pushed through a piece of wood and a hammer just hitting the nail, I have chisels at home I used just the once and maybe they are rusting away in the shed.

Works even better if you use a short piece of garden hose instead of the wood.  The hose eliminates any shock to your hand that you get if you use wood.  I even have one tucked away in my tool box. 

[Tommy T.]

20 hours ago, JDDavao said:

My wife had a couple of guys here doing some work around the pig cesspool. The pigs are gone and the pit is usually covered but they decided to use it as a burning pit. One of them was using my father's hammer. Yes. Right into the pit it went. It took him 40 minutes to fish it out of the muck on the bottom but he finally got it.

JD... My experience, so far, is that, for some reason(s), Filipinos seem to not respect or care for tools. They will leave them in the rain, drop them on the ground or simply lose them or "loan" them to someone when they will be lost or not returned... They also tend to abuse them for purposes other than the designed usages... It frustrates me and I so I will not loan out tools. If they need some, I will either buy them (for the workers here) or let them find them...

[stevewool]

23 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

JD... My experience, so far, is that, for some reason(s), Filipinos seem to not respect or care for tools. They will leave them in the rain, drop them on the ground or simply lose them or "loan" them to someone when they will be lost or not returned... 

That’s the world over until you learn to say ‘Buy your own’

[jimeve]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

Works even better if you use a short piece of garden hose instead of the wood.  The hose eliminates any shock to your hand that you get if you use wood.  I even have one tucked away in my tool box. 

Ours used short piece of plastic pipe with a nail pushed through the pipe. Same principle.