Paint shop in Da Nang

dew_point wrote:

My wife's family in need for some cosmetic touch ups around the house. As a professional painter I offered my help. Went to a few local paint shops and was amazed how little tools and paints were available. Does anybody know any paint shop with choice and tools as we mean in western world?

Welcome to Đà Nẵng!

I've seen at least five paint stores since I returned here in October. Unfortunately, none of them show up on Google Maps.

My impression: all of the stores I've seen appeared to be geared toward commercial clients, meaning that there wasn't anything more than a lot of very large paint buckets visible when walking by.

However, I was hunting through a local "hardware" shop recently, and I noticed that they had some brushes for sale. I'm guessing that painting tools and paint are not necessarily sold together at the same place.

Wish I could be more help, but I haven't seen anything like a "Sherwin Williams" store in The States. Also nothing like a "Home Depot" home improvement store.

You must have looked around at shops before Tết began, as I can't imagine that any paint shops have remained open during the holiday period.

Based on your introduction post in "new members", I had thought you weren't here yet. Is this a visit before deciding to relocate?

Yeah I understand it's not Australia or USA around and I'm not even hoping to find a “Home depot class” store around. What I mean is that all local painters I saw so far were using very basic tools or no tools at all. No paint buckets, no trays, bamboo sticks instead of telescopic extension poles, etc. I refuse to believe that even large commercial jobs are done by using no tools at all. It's too good (for potential business for me) to be true and too bad to industry in 2019.
I already purchased some gear from Australia, waiting for the end of holidays to receive. I'm just wondering why there is so little offer on the market.
Speaking of us, we are in Da Nang till March. Just married, walking around “probing waters”. Talking to people and trying to understand how things work here. It's not a first visit for us, it's 4th for me but previous 3 were 2-3 weeks long. Barely long enough to see the facade.
This one is solid 3 months stay.

I hope you are not thinking of making a living by painting houses in Da Nang.  Those fellows you see with the bamboo poles are making about $300 per month.

I'm not going to paint myself. I'm thinking to organize a shop supplying tools and paints. Plus maybe painter's school. No offense but quality these $300 guys doing is below any compromise.
Plus somehow, in very wet and moldy country the only official Zinsser paints dealer doesn't sell the best anti-mold undercoats. I don't understand why.

There's more or less professionalism in Vietnam when you find it.

My wife told the painter that I expect good quality.

He recommended Dulux (AkzoNobel).  I have chosen the best color that you also can order in the desired shade.

Also the painting equipment (paint roller, brush, etc.) was in very good quality.

They also did not use bamboo scaffolds. 

That was in Long An, but I think it's the same in other areas as well.

You just have to search longer in Vietnam to find good quality.

https://www.dulux.vn/vi

The paint shop near me in the An Thượng neighborhood opened up yesterday after closing for Tết.

I'd never been inside and I was impressed with his modern office/sales area, where he offered to show me his collection of a billion paint samples.

He didn't have any professional tools available, and when I asked him where you could purchase some, he said he didn't know.

Maybe he wants the job himself. I don't know. But that's the feedback I received.

Can I ask for exact address?
I already gave up on finding tools. $600 worth  parcel from Australia arrives next Friday.

But I still have hope in finding decent quality paints and undercoats. I tried Dulux - rubbish. Maxilite- even worse. Still trying to understand why Zinsser oil based products aren't available. Even in Saigon.

dew_point wrote:

Can I ask for exact address?
I already gave up on finding tools. $600 worth  parcel from Australia arrives next Friday.

But I still have hope in finding decent quality paints and undercoats. I tried Dulux - rubbish. Maxilite- even worse. Still trying to understand why Zinsser oil based products aren't available. Even in Saigon.

The shop I'm talking about has a Dulux sign.

Also a Joton paint sign

Info from their signs:

CÔNG TY TNHH MTV - BAKA - Đại Lý Sơn

22 Ngô Thì Sỹ
Bắc Mỹ An
Ngũ Hành Sơn
Đà Nẵng 550000

Google Maps link:
https://goo.gl/maps/6uLjresJcRE2

The business contact info listed on the sign:

0236 3950 326
baka.paint at  gmail DOT com

Thank you!  I'll visit them on the week.

dew_point wrote:

I tried Dulux - rubbish.

Expert judgment?

I don't think millions of people buy garbage for expensive money.

Andy Passenger wrote:

dew_point wrote:

I tried Dulux - rubbish.

Expert judgment?

I don't think millions of people buy garbage for expensive money.

I have three brothers with 120 years painting experience, they also say Dulux is below par. Dulux advertises heavily, hence the average person knows about them and uses it. There are way better products on the market, but here in VN it may be a bit limited.

Andy Passenger wrote:

dew_point wrote:

I tried Dulux - rubbish.

Expert judgment?

I don't think millions of people buy garbage for expensive money.

I've been professional painter for 9 years. After thousands of completed jobs and working with all brands (including exclusive) available in Australia I guess I earned some weight in judgement about painting. Argument of millions of guys painting directly from bucket not knowing about trays, telescopic poles and filament brushes is invalid.

I don't know about in AU but in the US, painters are at the bottom rung of the building trades ladder.

THIGV wrote:

I don't know about in AU but in the US, painters are at the bottom rung of the building trades ladder.

Do you know what the number one renovation tip is......painting. A good painter is worth his weight in gold.

colinoscapee wrote:

Do you know what the number one renovation tip is......painting. A good painter is worth his weight in gold.

That may be true but my comment was based on wage rates and education and training requirements.  Union journeyman painters in the US make about $20/hr while journeyman carpenters, plumbers, and electricians make over $30.

THIGV wrote:

I don't know about in AU but in the US, painters are at the bottom rung of the building trades ladder.

It's very sad to hear (
Australians painters (especially licensed ones) are true experts in decoration. Capable to convert a brick wall to a piece of art. Plus never forget, painting is much more than adding a color to a surface. It's protection from water and gapping the cracks which are so beloved by ants and cockroaches here. I'm actually winning the battle with small ants right now by gapping tiny gaps between tiles and walls. As I descovered this ants love to live behind tiles and all my tetraborate poisons are useless without complete isolation colony from outside. Unlike Australians ants which are relatively easy to get rid of.

THIGV wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Do you know what the number one renovation tip is......painting. A good painter is worth his weight in gold.

That may be true but my comment was based on wage rates and education and training requirements.  Union journeyman painters in the US make about $20/hr while journeyman carpenters, plumbers, and electricians make over $30.

For Australia, painters 30-40 ph (50-60ph for exclusive art decor), plumbers 50-90ph, carpenters 50-65ph, electricians 45-65ph. Every licensed electrician is capable to do all required cable work around the house. From meters to low voltage security data cables. In offices they wire server rooms. Everything done by high standards and visually pleasant.
All of them highly skilled, licensed professionals with tools and capable to show amazing speed and quality.
Note, my figures in AUD, not USD.

I think Dulux is a good choice here in Vietnam.

Whether it really is such a crap as some say, I can judge in a few years.

But I think the substrate is more important than the colour.  If the plaster starts to crumble quickly, the best paint won't help.

In my case, they used enormously expensive sand for concrete and plaster which allegedly prevents the formation of moss.

But the way they mixed and applied the concrete and plaster makes me doubt the longevity in general.  I am of the opinion that pre-mixed concrete and plaster is better.  But everyone here says the opposite.

But I won't know for a few years.

Andy Passenger wrote:

I think Dulux is a good choice here in Vietnam.

Whether it really is such a crap as some say, I can judge in a few years.

But I think the substrate is more important than the colour.  If the plaster starts to crumble quickly, the best paint won't help.

In my case, they used enormously expensive sand for concrete and plaster which allegedly prevents the formation of moss.

But the way they mixed and applied the concrete and plaster makes me doubt the longevity in general.  I am of the opinion that pre-mixed concrete and plaster is better.  But everyone here says the opposite.

But I won't know for a few years.

Pre-mixed concrete will have a more consistent strength, I would never use hand mixed concrete for anything except a shed floor. The locals are hard to show anything different, they are not open to change.

I base my thoughts on working in the building industry for 25 years and owning a small construction business for 15 years.

dew_point wrote:

I'm actually winning the battle with small ants right now by gapping tiny gaps between tiles and walls. As I descovered this ants love to live behind tiles and all my tetraborate poisons are useless without complete isolation colony from outside. Unlike Australians ants which are relatively easy to get rid of.

I'd give a lot for someone doing something against ants like you described.

But here the construction workers are only average and only in the work they've been doing for years. For everything that is different from the standard (what they have been doing for years), already the explanation what you want is a challenge.
They don't understand that someone wants something (more expensive) that deviates from the standard and want to talk you out of it.  And if they finally do it your way, the execution is below average.

For the work you described,nobody (except me) would pay you expensive money here.

colinoscapee wrote:

I base my thoughts on working in the building industry for 25 years and owning a small construction business for 15 years.

In Vietnam?

But now it's too late. 
The house is near finished.

Andy Passenger wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I base my thoughts on working in the building industry for 25 years and owning a small construction business for 15 years.

In Vietnam?

But now it's too late. 
The house is near finished.

Hell no!!!
In Australia.
If its a single story dwelling it will be fine, a few extra floors on top will still be ok.

Andy Passenger wrote:

For the work you described,nobody (except me) would pay you expensive money here.

Well, like in Australia, there is a buyer for your service. I'm not a cheap guy in Australia and I earn my bread and butter working for premium households. Of course  they expect superior quality which will last. Cheap Chinese painters sleep safe and sound. I'm off their market

Andy Passenger wrote:

I'd give a lot for someone doing something against ants like you described.

Come and get some borax from me. Also I have silicone applicators coming to help with gaps. I've got 4 sets. Can spare one or two. Applicators also aren't available enywhere I asked. And I asked a lot trust me.

colinoscapee wrote:

Andy Passenger wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I base my thoughts on working in the building industry for 25 years and owning a small construction business for 15 years.

In Vietnam?

But now it's too late. 
The house is near finished.

Hell no!!!
In Australia.
If its a single story dwelling it will be fine, a few extra floors on top will still be ok.

It's 2.5 floors.
But as long as there is no earthquake I have no doubts.
My wife told the architect that I want good quality.
He then overdimensioned everything so much that I could add 5 more floors.

By the way, at the QL50 direction D5 there is a tetached hotel, about 8 floor high 5m wide. Only the sight frightens me. I can't imagine that it won't collapse at a small earthquake shock.

Andy Passenger wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Andy Passenger wrote:

In Vietnam?

But now it's too late. 
The house is near finished.

Hell no!!!
In Australia.
If its a single story dwelling it will be fine, a few extra floors on top will still be ok.

It's 2.5 floors.
But as long as there is no earthquake I have no doubts.
My wife told the architect that I want good quality.
He then overdimensioned everything so much that I could add 5 more floors.

By the way, at the QL50 direction D5 there is a tetached hotel, about 8 floor high 5m wide. Only the sight frightens me. I can't imagine that it won't collapse at a small earthquake shock.

If there ever was a strong quake, many houses would fall like a house of cards.

dew_point wrote:

Andy Passenger wrote:

For the work you described,nobody (except me) would pay you expensive money here.

Well, like in Australia, there is a buyer for your service. I'm not a cheap guy in Australia and I earn my bread and butter working for premium households. Of course  they expect superior quality which will last. Cheap Chinese painters sleep safe and sound. I'm off their market

Andy Passenger wrote:

I'd give a lot for someone doing something against ants like you described.

Come and get some borax from me. Also I have silicone applicators coming to help with gaps. I've got 4 sets. Can spare one or two. Applicators also aren't available enywhere I asked. And I asked a lot trust me.

Thank you.
Maybe I'll get back to you in a few months when the first ants come.

But the ants here in Vietnam are very special.
They are tiny and very fast.
Are you sure that your method also works here in Vietnam?

I currently live on the 18th floor of an about 8 year old skyscraper.
The ants are everywhere.
If you leave your food uncovered it will only take a few minutes and hundreds of ants will besiege the food.
Only if you always clean and clear everything up immediately can you keep them within limits.

I think I need to learn to live with the ants. 

Andy Passenger wrote:

I currently live on the 18th floor of an about 8 year old skyscraper.
The ants are everywhere.
If you leave your food uncovered it will only take a few minutes and hundreds of ants will besiege the food.
Only if you always clean and clear everything up immediately can you keep them within limits.

I think I need to learn to live with the ants. 

Nah. Science work everywhere. If there are no gaps and borax used to kill colony plus place kept clean - they will go away. You can not get rid of them completely but you can cut their population big time.
We have a small production kitchen and when I arrived ants and cockroaches were everywhere.
One week later I still can find ants here and there but it's not “everywhere” situation. Cockroaches die like it's cockroach Holocaust going on.
Science, common sense and tidiness are keys for comfort and hygiene life.

Quick update on ants battle. I repainted my wife's shop (it's a cafe actually and they serve sweets there), cleaned everything with high pressure gun and sealed all gaps between tiles where I spotted any ants activity. Plus sprayed some Raid around corners and set up cockroach traps.
3 days of normal cafe operation: zero ants spotted. Dead cockroaches appear every morning as a proof that traps are working good.
Conclusion: victory on insects is possible. Proven by me.

Next battle: getting rid of occasional rat visits which (according to YouTube) is far more challenging that I had thought.

dew_point wrote:

Conclusion: victory on insects is possible. Proven be me.

Take a 30 day trip back to Oz and see how things are when you get back.  Whether mankind is destroyed by nuclear radiation or global warming, the cockroaches will remain.

Take a 30 day trip back to Oz and see how things are when you get back.

We will leave written instructions on how to clean properly and year worth supply of traps and chemicals.
I firmly believe that keeping place well cleaned will prevent insects invasion big time.
Plus I'm going to get export license in AU and start delivering some stuff from AU. I'm very skeptical  about chemical composition of local cleaning liquids and quality of goods in general.

Whether mankind is destroyed by nuclear radiation or global warming, the cockroaches will remain.

I remember 30 years ago in Russia we had exactly the same problem. In Siberia where winter temperature drops down to -40 we had cockroaches and mice all year around. Since than building standards improved and I don't recall any problem with insects or mice.
Isolating floors, filling gaps and some common sense made it history.
Don't think that Vietnam is very different

dew_point wrote:

Take a 30 day trip back to Oz and see how things are when you get back.

We will leave written instructions on how to clean properly and year worth supply of traps and chemicals.
I firmly believe that keeping place well cleaned will prevent insects invasion big time.
Plus I'm going to get export license in AU and start delivering some stuff from AU. I'm very skeptical  about chemical composition of local cleaning liquids and quality of goods in general.

Whether mankind is destroyed by nuclear radiation or global warming, the cockroaches will remain.

I remember 30 years ago in Russia we had exactly the same problem. In Siberia where winter temperature drops down to -40 we had cockroaches and mice all year around. Since than building standards improved and I don't recall any problem with insects or mice.
Isolating floors, filling gaps and some common sense made it history.
Don't think that Vietnam is very different

The weather is the difference, cockies love warm environments.

dew_point wrote:

We will leave written instructions on how to clean properly and year worth supply of traps and chemicals.
I firmly believe that keeping place well cleaned will prevent insects invasion big time.

That's a GREAT idea!

It's about time someone explained the right way to clean to the Vietnamese.

Your inlaws, right?

Please give us an update a year from now and let us know how that works for you...

P.S.: Did you warn them about eradicating the cockroaches? To some people here, they are as sacred as cows in India...

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

It's about time someone explained the right way to clean to the Vietnamese.

Your inlaws, right?

Please give us an update a year from now and let us know how that works for you...

P.S.: Did you warn them about eradicating the cockroaches? To some people here, they are as sacred as cows in India...

You are god damn right! (c)
We started a year ago by introducing them to expensive and powerful high pressure cleaner. Before that ice chillers had a finger width mold layer. All the family adopted the technique and bought their own. Now we are trying to introduce them to industrial grade floor cleaning liquids and bleach. They had no idea that bleach may be that powerful. What led me to a conclusion that Vietnamese people don't understand cleaning procedures at all. Simply nobody taught them how to do it right way. Plus chemical industry doesn't provide high quality solutions. As a result we have moldy walls and insects invasion.
Folks, since we are coming from so-called “developed countries” I think it's our duty to teach locals how to do things. Step by step, product by product. First to help in-laws, second to improve others.
I believe slowly but surely we can push Vietnam to some acceptable levels of hygiene.

Quick ants update.
I'm not a specialist on insects but i assume Vietnamese small ants can't travel much of a distance. In our cafe (where everything was properly sealed and repainted) I still can't spot any of them but at the back, where I didn't do any gapping I spotted them coming from ceiling. There are huge gaps between walls and ceiling yet not filled.
So general advice is to seal all gaps and since they can't travel large distances they will not be bothering.
Australian anti insects sprays have long lasting effect and stay active even after volatile components evaporate.
I'm seriously considering supplying chemical product to Vietnam.

dew_point wrote:

I believe slowly but surely we can push Vietnam to some acceptable levels of hygiene.

It is not the lack of knowledge but the lack of motivation.

In addition, the sense of hygiene in Vietnam is different from that in the West.

They do not perceive it as dirty what a foreigner finds disgusting.

So they do not see the expediency to clean what they feel is not dirty.  And the nap in the hammock has a higher priority anyway.

Stayed in my friends hotel in Saigon back in 2007. The lady doing the cleaning or lack of cleaning, went to clean the glasses with the same rag she had just cleaned the bathroom. I had to contact the owner as it was quite disturbing to witness what this woman was doing.

You would think that in a country where they name streets for Pasteur, people would understand the germ theory of disease.   

dew_point wrote:

Quick ants update.
I'm not a specialist on insects but i assume Vietnamese small ants can't travel much of a distance. In our cafe (where everything was properly sealed and repainted) I still can't spot any of them but at the back, where I didn't do any gapping I spotted them coming from ceiling. There are huge gaps between walls and ceiling yet not filled.
So general advice is to seal all gaps and since they can't travel large distances they will not be bothering.
Australian anti insects sprays have long lasting effect and stay active even after volatile components evaporate.
I'm seriously considering supplying chemical product to Vietnam.

Andy, Colin and THIGV are all zeroed in on the real problem.

If all you do is teach people what to do, I believe your efforts will eventually fail, because your in laws won't understand and accept the WHY behind vector control.

This country has a severe toilet shortage in schools because no one is connecting the dots between human waste and myriad health problems.

Colin's story is especially worth reading, because that kind of sh*t (I mean cr*p) still happens in lodgings here, even in the cities.

I'm thinking there must be books and YouTube videos in the Vietnamese language which you can share with your inlaws to help educate them about the WHY's behind good hygiene.

As for the chemicals, the Vietnamese may surprise you with more natural solutions.

Just get them to understand WHY it's important and set them loose with their understanding of their own natural resources.

Maybe @Ciambella can give specific input about this when she takes a break from being on a break. Just her extensive knowledge of essential oils could likely be helpful in exploring alternative cleaning "solutions"...