D.I.Y. materials

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Thu, 16 Jan 2014 6:58 pm

I have been wandering around the DIY stores here in the UK thinking about things I might bring back to Singapore (I do all my own repairs and renovations).

I want to get things we don't find in Singapore but I doubt I know the answer to that having not visited every hardware store on the red dot.

So, have you seen or bought the following somewhere in Singapore:

'No More Nails' fixing adhesive

Tile grout repair. Its a liquid which can be painted onto tile grout to refresh the colour.

Is there anything else you wished you had brought with you?

Post by **PNGMK** » Thu, 16 Jan 2014 9:13 pm

Steve1960 wrote:I have been wandering around the DIY stores here in the UK thinking about things I might bring back to Singapore (I do all my own repairs and renovations).

I want to get things we don't find in Singapore but I doubt I know the answer to that having not visited every hardware store on the red dot.

So, have you seen or bought the following somewhere in Singapore:

'No More Nails' fixing adhesive

Tile grout repair. Its a liquid which can be painted onto tile grout to refresh the colour.

Is there anything else you wished you had brought with you?

Yes (but crap quality), no.

"No more cracks" - quality putty for filling cracks and holes in plaster walls. The contractors here just mix it up plaster paste but it's crap.

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Thu, 16 Jan 2014 9:32 pm

PNGMK wrote:
Steve1960 wrote:I have been wandering around the DIY stores here in the UK thinking about things I might bring back to Singapore (I do all my own repairs and renovations).

I want to get things we don't find in Singapore but I doubt I know the answer to that having not visited every hardware store on the red dot.

So, have you seen or bought the following somewhere in Singapore:

'No More Nails' fixing adhesive

Tile grout repair. Its a liquid which can be painted onto tile grout to refresh the colour.

Is there anything else you wished you had brought with you?
Yes (but crap quality), no.

"No more cracks" - quality putty for filling cracks and holes in plaster walls. The contractors here just mix it up plaster paste but it's crap.

Good tip thanks

Post by **x9200** » Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:16 pm

The cellulose based plaster filler is pretty good but the quality vary from lot to lot.
http://www.chuanhenghardware.com/index. ... t=&subcat=

What is in Singapore rare and only in large quantities are all sorts of polyester putties (the ones with a hardener).

Another thing that could be horrendously expensive or difficult to find are wood stains, especially water based.

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 5:22 pm

Here is the haul so far. I have time Wednesday to add more just not sure what yet.

No more nails

Tile grout paint

Wood stain

Assorted Disney toys for our daughter which seem to come out in the UK before reaching Singapore

480 Decaf tea bags

24 packets of Walkers cheese and onion crisps

3 boxes of pork stock cubes

10 Chili Con Carne packet mix (wife likes it better than my own recipe)

Post by **nakatago** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 5:34 pm

Steve1960 wrote: 10 Chili Con Carne packet mix (wife likes it better than my own recipe)

Filipina wife, right? Add (canned) pineapple juice to your recipe. Or banana ketchup. Filipinos have a sweet tooth.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not fond of sweet dishes that are not desserts.

Post by **PNGMK** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 6:46 pm

Some gap filler for the parquet floors - they always shrink and gaps show up. Nothing here is worth using.

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 7:19 pm

nakatago wrote:
Steve1960 wrote: 10 Chili Con Carne packet mix (wife likes it better than my own recipe)
Filipina wife, right? Add (canned) pineapple juice to your recipe. Or banana ketchup. Filipinos have a sweet tooth.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not fond of sweet dishes that are not desserts.

Actually she is pretty good with the sweet stuff and there are so many Filipino stores in Singapore I don't need to pick it up outside the country.

Salt is the main issue and trying to get her off that. We keep having conversations about her relatives who have died young of a stroke or heart attack and I am trying to educate her about the contributory effects of salt.

Post by **nakatago** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 7:22 pm

Steve1960 wrote:
nakatago wrote:
Steve1960 wrote: 10 Chili Con Carne packet mix (wife likes it better than my own recipe)
Filipina wife, right? Add (canned) pineapple juice to your recipe. Or banana ketchup. Filipinos have a sweet tooth.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not fond of sweet dishes that are not desserts.
Actually she is pretty good with the sweet stuff and there are so many Filipino stores in Singapore I don't need to pick it up outside the country.

I was suggesting on how she'd maybe prefer your chili con carne recipe with a slight alteration.

Steve1960 wrote: Salt is the main issue and trying to get her off that. We keep having conversations about her relatives who have died young of a stroke or heart attack and I am trying to educate her about the contributory effects of salt.

And even after that, there's still the saturated fat you have to worry about.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 8:26 pm

How are you going to bring that stuff back here? Some of those products are mega-solvent based! (esp the likes of grout cleaner).

Er....
Sausages
Bacon
Stock cubes and/or powder.

nuanced stuff like 'anchovy sauce' for making fish pie. Christmas pudding. Proper jam. Custard powder. Horseradish.

Otherwise I've found over time, that most stuff is imitable if not replaceable locally.*

* Sometimes you get cornered into some recipe like having to make a home made tomato ketchup ---but then WOW!, how such things open your eyes

Bring a stick blender too

Hannieroo · Post by **Hannieroo** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 8:34 pm

A massive pork pie and smoked paprika.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 8:38 pm

Mmmm pork pie!

And hot sausage and fried egg sani

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 10:50 pm

JR8 wrote:How are you going to bring that stuff back here? Some of those products are mega-solvent based! (esp the likes of grout cleaner).

Er....
Sausages
Bacon
Stock cubes and/or powder.

nuanced stuff like 'anchovy sauce' for making fish pie. Christmas pudding. Proper jam. Custard powder. Horseradish.

Otherwise I've found over time, that most stuff is imitable if not replaceable locally.*

* Sometimes you get cornered into some recipe like having to make a home made tomato ketchup ---but then WOW!, how such things open your eyes Bring a stick blender too

Hmm good point about the solvent will have to think about that. I brought back the grout whitener before in hand luggage!

Got custard powder already and found horseradish here and it seems to taste fine I am not a connoisseur. The sweet stuff I dont particularly like anyway

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 11:02 pm

Grout cleaner... in hand luggage ? Wow, I'm surprised you got through with that.

In any case IME there are two variants of products, one DIY, like a toothpaste, apply, leave a few hours, scrub-off. That works pretty well. The other (more dangerous one) is the full on solvent one, which has more of a bleaching action IIRC.

Good luck!

p.s. Deffo straight-up horseradish, over 'cream of horseradish'....

katbh · Post by **katbh** » Sun, 19 Jan 2014 11:12 pm

Have to say, with the exception of good sausages...you can get everything you have listed in Singapore. Woodstain - go to wood stores behind little india. All the other hardware items, there are big hardware stores - mainly trade based but still easy to use and plenty of range. The one I use is in Ubi. Has everything you could want for home maintenance, building etc. There are plenty of 'lumber yards' dotted all over Singapore.

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