Mini-project underway to tidy up the back part of the condo, the place where there is a strange machine that does amazing things to dirty clothes and where the supplies that support condo cleaning operations are stored. As an unnecessary aside, it’s also where the cats have a shit.
There is a dilapidated sink in this area and she who must be obeyed has deemed that it is to be replaced with something that is slightly less rubbish. So this morning we set out on a sink hunt. She knows of a place on Sukhumvit road that deals in second hand kitchen gear, so we go there. It’s a massive area, full of discarded kitchen equipment, a graveyard of hobs, sinks, bars and, rather surprisingly, a wooden Red Indian. Many a hopeful restaurant business (and Red Indian carving emporium) has come to grief and sold their fittings to this culinary junkyard.
We start searching and finally come across an ideal offering. About 50cm by 70cm, a stainless steal sink on a not too rickety frame. A bit battered and sad, but the number 95 on it indicates it can be had for 95 baht; much less than the 3-400 baht I expected to pay. But much more than I expected to pay when, without a smile, the sales witch tells us she wants 9,500 baht for it. Hahahahaha, how we laugh; but she is serious. We find something similar and that is 9,800 baht. We leave and drive up the road to Index - The Living Dead Mall.
Index mainly sells cheap and nasty furniture, and cheap and nasty-ish is exactly what we are looking for to place in the utilities area. After a depressing tour past assorted veneered chipboard, we decide to buy a sink unit, then buy a cheap table and cut a hole in the top (power tools opportunity!) into which I will, in theory, place the sink. Off to the sink area where there appears to be a good choice and finally we decide on one. The salesman checks; out of stock. We choose another. The salesman checks; out of stock. Seeing that we are getting somewhat frustrated with the abundance of display models and absence of stock, he flourishes a brochure which offers a unit at a knockdown price, complete with a free tap which we don’t need but can always give to someone as a birthday present. Sounds good, we confirm our interest, and he rushes off to bring out the box. The box is opened and everything looks good, even the free tap has a certain rustic charm; OK we will take it. “Sorry”, says the salesman, “this one is already sold. Out of stock”.
Imagining what he would look like with the sharp end of the free tap inserted in an orifice, we leave Index.
Next stop Home Pro, and bugger me (or rather, bugger the Index salesman) they have exactly what we need. A cheap and tacky white cabinet in gorgeous white plastic with a stainless steel sink of the appropriate size on top. Take it home to construct and find it is over-engineered to the tune of 24 screws where 10 would be sufficient. All the screwing puts a blister on my palm, haven’t done that since my teens.
Some recompense for my damaged palm is the need to go and buy some of my favourite plastic pipe to do the plumbing bit, and as the light fails I proudly turn on the taps and we watch the water enter the new sink, leave the new sink, and find its way to the drain. Well, most of it does; I’ll find out why the floor is slightly flooded in the morning.
Comments 🔗
2009-10-03| Pete saysYou missed out the important part. How much did you save by buying at Home Pro instead of the Red Indian witch’s shop?
2009-10-03| Spike saysThe new unit was less than half the price of the second hand unit. But it did not include some interesting mould and one leg that was shorter than all the rest. Hard to choose really.