Tiles

Choosing tiles for our home was not an easy task.  We spent many weekends visiting tile shops, comparing tile prices and quality.  We were so spoilt for choice, from ceramic to homogeneous, different types of grades, colors and sizes.  I roughly knew what color tile I wanted for the hall, dining and kitchen.  When it come to bathroom tiles, it was a little more challenging.

We bought our tiles from Super Ceramic Tiles in Jalan 222, Petaling Jaya.  We were serviced by a very friendly, approachable and experienced sales lady.  I strongly believe in good customer service and this lady sets a good example of how customer service should be.  She gave us advise on the tiles, gave us suggestions on design and so many more advise.  Their prices are reasonably priced too.

We used the same tile for our living and dinning ~ 60x60cm, color : Off White, price : RM6.50 per piece.  For the kitchen and domestic helper's room ~ 60x60, color : Ash Grey, price : RM7.00 per piece.  For the kitchen wall ~ 20x40cm, color : White with Grey stripes and for the wall boarder and floor insertion ~ 30x30cm, color : Vivid Pumpkin (basically it's Orange color).

We used the same tile designs for all three bathrooms (didn't want to spend too much time thinking of which bathroom has which tile color).  For the bathroom wall ~ 20x40cm wall tiles, color : Black (RM3.00 per piece) & White (RM2.70 per piece), for the bathroom floor : 30x60cm, color : Black, price : RM5.40 each.

For the porch, we used Terracotta tiles ~ 30x30cm, price : RM3.60 each and for the boarder ~ 30x60cm, color : Black

To lay the tiles, we had hired help of Indonesian tilers and price paid for their labour was about half of what the contractor wanted to charge us.

Trying to match the kitchen wall tile with a boarder

More options to choose from

Trying to match the kitchen floor with an insertion

Part of the tiles that arrived at our home

The Indonesian tilers tiling the dining area

The Indonesian tilers tiling the dining area

Dining area all tiled up

One of the hired help cutting the tile

Trying to match the Terracotta tile with a boarder

The kitchen wall tile ~ finally decided on a orange color tile

The kitchen floor tiles, with orange insertion

The Master bathroom with white insertion

The Master bedroom with pebble wash at the shower
area to avoid 'mishaps'

The Children's bathroom 

Tiling completed for the Children's bathroom
and with pebble wash at the shower area

The Guest bathroom, also with pebble wash 

The entrance landing with Terracotta tiles
and orange insertion

House Tour : Mezzanine Floor

We have created an extra space, or rather an extra floor to the house.  It's another floor after the 2nd floor.  Typically in Malaysia, when you say you live in a double storey home, you just say, downstairs and upstairs. So I suppose you can say that we created another floor after the upstairs and this would make our home a 2.5 storey home ...

We loving call this the "M Floor", M for Mezzanine.  It's basically an open space where the TV and library are. This is also a place where the children can sleep when guest use their rooms.  They just love it up there, it's like 'camping' they said.  

It's also has a small little storage area in the roof.  Yes, you read right! Our store room is IN THE ROOF!

Can't visualize?  Well, I think I'll photo blog this post!

Before renovation, the upstairs and landing area

Before renovation, the upstairs and landing area,
will eventually lead up to the M Floor

During renovation, the M Floor in the making

During renovation, from down looking up

During renovation, the 'raw' M Floor

During renovation, the M Floor being screed

Overview of the M Floor, the 2 windows faces the backyard

The M Floor with walls painted in lilac

The M Floor with the timer flooring,  if you can see a
little entrance on the left, that is the door to the store room
which is also the roof

View when standing at the staircase, we later fixed the railing

The timber flooring at the M Floor has been varnished

The personal library being organised

Recycled and Reused Dining Bench

The two Dining Benches for our Dining table is another project that Hubby did.  The bench is made out of Kempas Wood and the legs are made out of two single 2ft louver.  The bench itself is about 7ft long and can easily sit 3 adults.  So our Dining table has two chairs on each end and the two dining benches on the left and right.

These louvers are from old colonial bungalows which was built circa 1880s.  It would therefore make these louvers about 100+ years old.  Kudos to Hubby who comes up with these creative and innovative ideas.  Who would have thought of  making louvers as bench legs.

You can read more about the louvers that we made as an air-conditioning compressor cover in my other blog post here

Like all other wood projects, we had to clean, scrape and sand down the wood.  Once all this is done, these woods were given a chemical treatment.  We would normally varnish our woods but for these benches, we have decided to leave it with it's natural wood color.

One of the four 2ft louvers that we bought

A close up of the louver with it's before clean up condition

Another one of the four louvers

Child labour? Nah ... they just love scraping the old paint out!

Left : A 'clean-up' louver
Right : Paint scraped out and waiting to sand down

Fixing the louvers to the bench

A close up of the wood and the louvers

For extra support and for decorative purpose,
we used the Ikea bracket for shelves 

Completed : The dining bench with louvers as it's legs

The Dining Bench in use!

Recycled and Reused Louvers

For this blog post, I will be taking a detour from the House Tour and would like to share with you on some of the wood projects that we have been up to.

Hubby had his eyes set on some louvers that we saw at a lumber yard that recycles old wood items like doors, windows and woods.  These louvers are made out of Chengal wood and is easily about 100 over years old.  Just lifting a 2ft Chengal louver is heavy enough!

What is a louver you ask?  Well, according to Wikipedia, a louver (American English) or louver (British English) is a window blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine and noise.  The angle of the slats may be adjustable, usually in blinds and windows or fixed.

In Malaysia, you can find louvers in old colonial houses like those in Kuala Lumpur, Penang & Ipoh.  However, in newer houses, you'll not find them anymore as modern louvers (if any) will be made out of metal.

So Hubby had this idea of covering the air-conditioning compressor area with the 4ft louver we purchased.  He also had the idea of making the smaller louvers as bench legs which were 2ft each for our dinning bench.

An old colonial house with the louvers above the window shutters

Another picture of the colonial louvers

We were deciding on which louvers to choose.
Initially we thought of the louver lying on the floor with the hold in
middle.  We thought of adding in a Nyonya glass but decided against it
as it would be too much work to do.

So in the end we decided on this louver, 4ft and perfect
for the air-conditioning compressor area.

This is the louver that we bought for the air-conditioning compressor area.

Once we brought it home, we had to take out the planks,
sand each one down as well as the frame.

The planks which had about three or four coats of paints over the years.

After sanding down the frame, hubby varnished the frame
and gave it some chemical treatment.

In the end, this is the varnish color that we choose. 

The planks were also varnished and fitted back.

Here is Hubby fixing the louvers onto the air-conditioning compressor area.

Before : The air-conditioning compressor area is empty and open.

After : The air-conditioning compressor area is now covered up with the
beautiful restored and recycled louver.

After : Another after picture of the facade.