Better Understanding of the Materials Needed for Home Repairs or Upgrades Can Save You Money.
Over the years as REALTORS we find many issues in homes that have had upgrades and repairs that left the property in a more vulnerable condition to expensive redo's especially when we are put the property on the market for sale.
One obvious example is in the upgrading of Kitchen cabinets. There are lots of different types and fabrications of cabinets in the market place in all price ranges. These cabinets are not all equal in quality and selecting the wrong type of cabinets could be very costly. Many of the most inexpensive cabinets are made of MTB or particle board. MTB in my definition is little more than pressed paper. A lot of the cheaper particle board is made from wood scrap and saw dust. They both have the ability to soak up and retain water. The importance of that is if there should ever be a leak, you have a very good chance that when the cabinets get wet they swell up and or disintegrate. Meaning if you have a bad leak at the sink, you are going to have some serious damage. If the leak gets out to the floor level, even the kick base of the cabinets will also be damaged causing a very difficult if not impossible repair job. My recommendation is to either select at least moderate quality wood cabinets or don't waste the money changing them.
When Selecting Kitchen sinks, make sure you use a high grade stainless or a good quality of porcelain and it should be in a standard configuration and size. Some of the newer pre-formed materials may also be good choices.
I have a client that had installed a large fancy shaped Kitchen sink into a granite counter about 5 years ago. The sink was not a very good quality ( on sale as a close out) and the porcelain finish has now cracked in several places. The cracks are now stained and no way to get it clean. There is no sink available in that almost free form shape and the granite was cut to the unusual shape of the sink in an under mount installation. The only way to replace the sink is now to replace the granite counter tops since no other sink will fit the opening. If a standard size and shape Kitchen sink had been used, it would have been an easy replacement. My recommendation is create good basic design and use quality materials and leave all the fancy tricks of unusual materials and shapes to the very rich who can afford to replace when things need changed.
In many of the western states, budget baseboards are often sold that are made out of painted MTB board. The problem with it is that it is subject to water damage. You don't need to have a flood, you can simply steam clean your carpets or use water based cleaners for hard surface floors and the baseboard will soak up the moisture and begin to swell while still being attached to the wall. Once it swells, the glue disintegrates and the base begins to chip apart. It creates an issue that to repair it, it has to be replaced. Wood or even the molded plastic does not disintegrate if wet. Choosing the cheap MTB will create problems for whatever owner is unlucky enough to get baseboards made out of this material.
When buying paints, don't buy the least expensive material. It takes the same amount of time and money to paint a cheap paint as a very good one. Some paints are washable and some paints just wash away. Never paint a latex paint over enamel or enamel over latex. They are not compatible and the latex will chip off and the enamel will peal.
When putting in hard surface flooring like tile or vinyl, it would pay dividends if you selected colors and textures that will not look obsolete in a few years. Good materials are out there and plenty of excellent choices to select from. We have Kitchens and Baths will floor tile that is so awful, it is hard to believe that it was ever in good taste. Beware of fashion trends and be very careful to consider what your selection will look like in 20 years. Will it still be in fashion? Avoid things that are gimmicky or cleaver as they will be the first surfaces to become obsolete, costing someone a great deal to replace.
I think you get the idea here that choosing materials is not just about picking colors and buying the cheapest thing out there or the trend of the day. Builders often do this and while the new home looks great when new, it can deteriorate rather quickly leaving the homeowner with some major bills to repair or replace the poor selection of materials. There is an old saying that you get what you pay for and it is simply not always the case. Being an informed homeowner and investing in the right quality materials will save you lots of money over the years.
Comments(13)