INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECT CO-ORDINATION

GUIDELINE

By Tan Huey Jenn

Updated 21st Nov 2010

Importance of Chronology

- Feature Wall at Vivaldi Service Area at Wall with Fire Alarm

- Before installation, to plan on treatment of the Fire Alarm
- Option: To remove fire alarm & its glass break, or cover completely
- All touch-up and wall plastering to be done before hand
- Install Feature
- Final touch-up for wall
- Experience:
o Bell removed without patch-up done
o Feature installed
o Electricians patched-up, and damaged part of feature
- Proper planning in chronology very important! Saves cost & time

Detailing Points

- Remember to Run & Hide Wires

- Outlets for Electrical Appliances Especially for Built-Ins
- Feature Walls and Socket Points
- To Create a Floating Impression
- Height of Racks & Children Safety Measures
- Practicality for Real Life Applications
- Indicate where Real Walls Are (dotted lines)

Stickers

- Soap water is used during installation to adjust location

- Takes 3 – 7 days to dry completely
- Reverse-side sticker is tough to install (if it has a white solid backing), unless it is translucent
in nature.
- Installation behind glass panels
o Inkjet suppliers tend to enlarge stickers to make allowance for mistakes
o To be divided again afterwards risks lines going haywire
o Best to design in jagged lines, instead of a straight line which runs across several
panels
- Defect types: Air bubbles (translucent), ink bleeding

Signages

- If sticker is placed behind perspec, ensure hole is drilled prior to sticker installation else the
sticker may crease during drilling
- If clear perspec is used, any crease will be very obvious where the studs are (which is
required to secure the perspec to a wall-backing
- Perspec is heavy. E.g. for a 1500 by 600 perspec, 6 studs will be required (3 top, 3 bottom)
- Ensure backing is a flat surface, or ensure there is symmetrical areas which are flat to enable
mounting
 - Note that perspec may warp when there is a heat source nearby

Glass/ Mirrors

- Heavy especially when large

- Brittle and easily damaged
- Takes 3 – 7 days to dry when glued to a wooden backing e.g. for wardrobe door purposes/
mirrors in the bathroom, etc
- Support will be required in the interim, else the glass will start slipping
- Support can be in the form of cubes of plywood just to keep it up (large pieces) or masking
tape (for light pieces)
- Both materials can only be manipulated in the factory
- Sizes are rigid and fixed once they are manufactured in the factory
- Any drilling that takes place after will break the glass- possible to grind sides to make smaller
- When mounted on surface that is not flat, slight force will cause the glass to crack
- Comes in standard sizes
- Always consider the limitations of:
o Transportation method
o Project Site
o Which floor? What entrance?
o Availability of non-standard glass
- When an ‘L-shaped’ cut needs to be made at the corner of a glass, a circle should be drilled
where the cutting edges are supposed meet. This is to ensure that the first and second cuts
do not overlap into each other and cause the glass to be fragile & easily cracked with any
slight force.
- Glass can only be cut in the factory before it is tempered. Once tempered, it can no longer
be amended
- Untempered glass can still be amended but may need to be brought back to the factory
- Where switches/ iLux-s are used and intended to be mounted on glass, ensure that the final
opening size is confirmed with the fitting supplier. E.g. iLux at TKM. Opening for the
mechanism to hide the wiring on the plywood partition/ cabinet panel is different from that
required on the same glass to be stuck on the surface. Remember that there will usually be
screws needed to secure the switch panel onto the plywood hence the opening on the glass
may need to be bigger

-
 - Glass partitions require u-channel at the top & bottom to hold it in place. They are then
sealed in place, and with each other using clear silicone
- Bottom u-channels can be concealed in the floor/ concrete but this requires hacking to be
done prior, and re-sealing the sides with cement
- The hinges for glass doors, together with their locks require hacking & re-plastering works to
be done on the floor prior to installation
- Where glass doors come with locks (the standard), the glass will have holes drilled into them
to be able to screw/ clamp on the respective locks
- If the glass doors are not to have locks, this is to be instructed to the supplier expressly else
the standard will be supplied

Glass and Wood

- Mixing & matching materials is great

- But note that glass, because it is cut in the factory, will always have accurate, sharp lines
- When combined with wood, be careful as wood has tendency to warp a little here and there
- Hence there may be gaps here and there when both materials are used side by side
- These gaps are usually filled up with clear/ white silicon, whichever matches best

Carpets & Sliding Doors

- Note that carpets have a thickness

- Where sliding doors/ any doors are being planned (those without tracks on the floor), carpet
height has to be conveyed to the carpenters so that an allowance is made for it
- Else ugly lines will start to appear on the carpet where the sliding doors frequently brush
against
- When using carpets from different suppliers/ textures, always check & compare the height

Laminates Vs Veneers

- Laminates – man-made
- Veneers – natural with help

Membrane Press vs Laminate

- Cannot drill holes in membrane press finish

- Can drill holes in Laminate finish
- Post form laminate tops: Laminates are hard materials which are usually joined at 90
degrees, with corresponding join lines exposed. Post-form tops are laminates bent in the
factory so that the usually unsightly black join lines are not required. To the carpenter, a
straight join line depicts good workmanship. However, customers usually do not like the
black join lines as they look inexpensive, unfinished & rough at the edges. Darker colour
laminates can be proposed as these join lines, whilst still there, are not so apparent.

Granite, Marble, Solid Surface

 - Cement during installation needs to be wiped off when it is still damp. Once dried,
contractors usually wash it with acid and in many cases, use too much. This causes the color
to fade from the washed surfaces. This cumulates to a defect.
- Marble’s natural veining may be difficult to match and may result in a very messy finished
product
- Granite: 1) Flamed, 2) Chiseled

Wallpapers

- If wall is freshly skim coated, to paint a layer of (emulsion) white paint before wallpapering
- The white paint used for ceilings helps to absorb the powder on the fresh skim coat surface
and helps bond the wallpaper to the wall better
- It is not preferred for wallpapers to be stuck directly on walls painted with wall paints –
whether gloss or matte (pentalite)
- Recently (2009-2010), installers have been shocked by wall paints which do not bond well
with the internal wall. Especially where wallpapers need to overlap and a penknife is used to
cut the paper, the paint is cut and when it does not bond well, the tear continues and the
whole wall paper may come off with the paint which has totally dislodged from the wall.
- There may be some dampness in newly constructed walls which cannot be seen by the
naked eye. This may show up in nasty patches on wallpapers especially those which are
white in color. To resolve, remove wallpaper, paint with a layer of waterproof paint and
once dry, re-wallpaper the area.
- When a certain area’s wallpaper is removed, ensure that the new ‘join’ is not at eye level.
This will be very obvious especially if the wallpaper is textured with long grains. To resolve,
remove entire panel or replace higher/ lower than eye level.
- Best surface for wallpapering:
o Gypsum board partition (stable property)
o Plywood (matured- more stable)
- Plywood problems:
o Sometimes does not appear on surface until the wallpaper has been installed
o May be due to insufficient glue at certain points where plys are glued together
o Certain layers may pop up after absorbing water from the wallpaper glue
o To rectify – 1: Cut out affected areas 2: Re-skim 3 Re-paint with water-based sealer/
primer.
- Where wallpaper designs are with random wavy lines, straight join lines may be concealed/
hidden by touching up with appropriate filler colours

Customers & Project Finishes

- All surfaces must be protected before commencing work

- All new furniture delivered must be protected up till hand-over date to its owner
- Owners will not hesitate to reject items considered scratched
Powerpoints

- Standard heights is around 1 feet high

- Synchronise with appliances/ lighting in area
- Electric hobs require a powerpoint/ wirepoint under the cabinets
- Electric heaters at shower areas require a direct power supply/ powerpoint

Hoods/ Hobs

- Requires coring of the walls for ducting to be concealed inside box ups
- Requires a powerpoint/ loose wire point (with associated switch on wall) in the ceiling
- Electric hobs require a powerpoint/ loose wire point with associated switch elsewhere under
the cabinets

Lighting Position

- Centralise with doors/ windows/ cabinets

- Take note of paneling near curtains with wall lights. The centralized position may not be
quite applicable.

Plumbing

- At kitchen area, ensure it is low/ high enough for selected kitchen basins’ depth
- Else request to redo piping before work commences. To avoid the hassle of removing &
reinstalling carpentry works
- Need to check basins’ plumbing connection whether on floor or wall. This will affect the
plumbing type to be used

LED Lights

- Comes with drivers

- Drivers need to be hidden
- Drivers vary in sizes & increases in size with the length of the LED

Running Wires for Switches & Powerpoints

- All switches & powerpoints have a thickness

- Always best to install casing at the back
- Allowance should be around 2” at least
- The casing houses the switches/ powerpoints circuits & acts as the medium to which the
front cover is secured into
- All new wires run should be secured in a conduit
 - For cabinet/ feature wall areas with back panels less than 75mm in depth, all new points are
compulsory to come with casing

Solid Surfaces

- Usually sticks out a little from the table/ cabinet

- Make allowance for this (20mm) & take note when any feature wall is nearby so it does not
clash (Villa Manja)
- Usually come in separate pieces, if L-shapes/ very long
- The solid surface contractors will join them & grind the surface till the joins are no longer
visible
- The grinding process is a very dirty one whereby fine dust will be released, causing the entire
surrounding area to be coated with a layer of fine dust. This dust is difficult to clean and may
take thorough cleaning before completely cleared.

Plaster Ceiling Works

- L- Boards/ U-boards are standard batch manufactured by plaster ceiling for light troughs
- If making special shapes with U-boards, measurements given to the plaster ceiling
contractor should be to the sharp edges, not rounded edges, as they will be using another
standard corner board to make the curve.
- E.g. if the shape is A, give dimensions in B. Else the design will turn out smaller than
expected

- Keep all plaster ceiling light troughs areas clear of wiring on the concrete wall/ ceiling
- Ensure that reinforcement is provided for hanging lights, blinds, curtains, etc. Reinforcement
can be in form of planks, plywood, addition of aluminium frames at a certain part of the
plaster ceiling. Ensure that the weight of the load to be hung is spread across several frames.
- Openings in plaster ceilings can be re-enforced by using aluminium frames or wood
- Plaster ceiling which is amended i.e. should the design be changed midway during
installation & the existing boards are reused, may not be as strong as the original. May result
in cracking after installation where there are subsequent works done e.g. air cond vents/
lights close by.

Size Does Matter

 - Find out the number and sizes of equipments to be stored at all areas, especially appliances,
video/ dvd players, sound systems & their respective connections etc
- Identify where to store equipments, exactly
- Identify equipment requirements of: phone lines, network, powerpoints, etc & ensure that
the necessary wires are put in place and TESTED to be working.

Painting Works

- Where 2 similar or different materials are joined together e.g. 2 pieces of plywood, or 1
piece of plywood with wall, ensure that the joining has a ‘net ‘ secured prior to plastering &
subsequently painting. The net helps to reduce the impact of material expansion/ retraction.
- To avoid cracklines in between materials, the net is a pre-requisite. Some suggest the use of
‘car putty’ which is slightly stronger than the normal plaster. Yet to verify this.

Air Conds

- For any air-cond point, ensure that there is the water pipe, copper pipe & wires for incoming
power supply to the air-cond
- Air-cond plumbing works should be tested by pouring water into the piping to ensure that
water flows correctly & well
- All water pipes need to have a sloping angle to its respective outlet so the water can flow

Co-Ordination

- Electrician & the plaster ceiling contractor: During the finishing stages of the plaster ceiling,
the electrictian should be on standby to ensure that the correct wiring is located at the
correct position. Should the electrician not be on standby, the plaster ceiling contractor will
cover the entire ceiling with no regards to the wiring, leaving them all concealed inside.
When the electrician subsequently needs to recover the wiring, they will need to reopen
many parts of the ceiling to find the necessary. This will result in the ceiling being damaged
& more work for the plaster ceiling contractor.
- Electrician & the carpenter: The electrician should ensure that all wiring in marked
accordingly and at the correct locations so that the carpenters are able to complete their
furniture works smoothly. Otherwise, they should also be on standby to advise when the
carpenters are around. Else, they again will need to request the carpenters to keep opening
holes in the wood work to search for their wires.
- Remember that at project sites with complicated management, higher costs will be incurred
in terms of cleaning, throwing & disposing of renovation debris. This should be charged out
to the client from start else will reduce margins.
- Contractors do not have the mentality of being cautious or clean when working and may
damage or dirty surrounding area. Brief from start that this act can result in deduction of
final payout due to cleaning works that needed to be done as a result of their actions.
- When supervising works (especially floor or massive hacking work) in toilet areas with
outlets such as floortraps/ water closets uninstalled, ensure that the outlets are adequately
protected (covered) so that the pipes do not get stuck with debris. This will incur additional
 and unnecessary repair costs & will be unpleasant if the piping is exposed on a lower floor
(especially if that unit belongs to others)
- Things must be done right the first time. If a cement wall is built by a certain party, they
need to ensure that this is smooth enough and not push the task to make smooth by
another. Know their responsibilities & push.

Flooring

Where different materials are used, the joins may be divided by stainless steel inlays. Also note that
different materials come in different heights, hence height adjustments may need to be done to the
original flooring.

1. Terazo:
a. Requires a stable, solid cement base
b. If the base is not solid, even if waterproofing & screeding is done, terazo will crack
after grinding works is done
c. To prepare the floor, clean, screed on solid cement, waterproof before laying the
terazo stones
d. Leave a week – 2 weeks to cure before grinding is done
2. Carpet
a. Requires relatively smooth flooring
b. May be done with or without underlay, simply glued onto the cement with glue
3. Engineered Flooring
a. Ensure floor level is correct, height as compared to other flooring materials is
approximately the same
b. Ensure all stainless steel inlays/ capping is available to separate different materials
4. Pebble Wash
a. May use pebbles of different sizes. Larger sizes may result in a coarse look when
completed. Smaller sizes will result in a finer outcome.
b. Stages: 1: Measuring the ratio of pebbles with cement (white/black) 2: Adding water
in the correct ratio and mixing well 3: Laying on cemented floor & leveling 4. Leave
to cure around 3-4 days 5. Wash with acid 6. Paint on polish/ lacquer
c. Ensure that before painting work is done, unpolished pebble wash is protected as
droplets of paint & dirt will adhere strongly to the coarse surface
d. Ensure that when pebbles are being washed with acid, stainless steel materials are
protected as they will corrode and lose their metallic look and take on a stained,
dirty appearance
e. Ensure that the platform on which the cement and pebbles are being mixed are
clean. Else do NOT install as rectification is difficult once the concrete which has
been stained in a different colour has hardened.

Material Adhesion

1. Note that cement does not adhere to plywood or partition walls

Lighting

1. T5:
a. When installed in series may result in shadows in between
b. Need to overlap to overcome shadows
c. Ensure that L-holder for the lights are deep enough for overlapping (50 – 60mm at
least)
d. Lighting effect may be very sharp for cove lights when the part which receives the
light on the ceiling is too close. For a soft, gradual effect, need approx 300mm.
2. SLIDE Lights
a. Comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes
b. Where these are mixed, note that light colour may vary despite being the same bulb
& wattage
c. Due to the size of light, and distance of lighting source to the sides, wattage may
need to be lowered accordingly
d. Where bulbs used is different, e.g. taller cylindrical lights use T8s, colour may still
vary a little

Standard Measurements

1. Wardrobe depth 600 D

2. Kitchen counter tops 800 – 900 H
3. Bar counter tops 1000 – 1050 H
4. Bar counter seats 750 H
5. Tables 750 H
6. Chairs 400 – 450 H
7. Kitchen cabinet 600 H (Bottom), 300H (Top hung)
8. Display cabinets 400 D