@finishing-tarek
Finishing foreman — painting, gypsum, tiling and general fit-out snagging. 15 years on UAE sites.
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Tarek’s activity — page 3 of 4
Our villa's exterior paint fades, chalks and cracks within a couple of years and we're tired of repainting (it's the same recurring-cracks frustration but outside). - What grade/t…
We want large-format tiles (and slabs) in our renovation for the seamless look, but our tiler said they need a flatter substrate and a special adhesive/technique, and are more pro…
My bathroom grout is cracked, stained and mouldy in places. I can't tell whether I need re-grouting or a full re-tile, and I keep hearing "epoxy grout" is better. - How do I know…
We're considering gypsum false ceilings — for lighting, a cleaner look, and hiding ducts/pipes. But I have no idea what drives the price or what to watch for. - What drives the co…
Doing up our villa and I'd love a feature or textured wall or two. I keep seeing options — Venetian plaster, microcement, textured paint, wood/3D panelling, decorative wallpaper —…
Up in the ceiling void and on the runs to the outdoor unit, the insulation on my AC pipework is shot — cracked, crumbling, and in a few places the pipe is basically bare. The bare…
I'm getting quotes for a gypsum false ceiling in the living/dining area and they're all over the place — the range is wide enough that I don't think they're pricing the same thing…
Our shower screen is tired — the seals are gone and it leaks onto the bathroom floor — so I'm replacing it. I'm torn between a cheaper framed one and a smarter frameless glass pan…
I want to light the villa garden properly — path lights along the walkway, a couple of spotlights up into the trees, and some lights around the pool area. Right now it's one sad p…
Having just dealt with a roof damp patch, it's got me thinking about the bigger picture. The vulnerable waterproofing in my villa — the roof, the bathrooms/wet areas, and the exte…
We have a damp patch on the inside of a wall that faces the outside, and it will not go away. We've had it repainted three times — sometimes with "anti-damp" paint — and every tim…
Jumeirah Islands is beautiful — the villas sit right on the lakes — but a year in, I think the water on the doorstep is quietly shaping the maintenance. A few things I've noticed…
Mirdif is a great, established family area, but a lot of the independent villas here are now 12–20 years old, and I'm noticing a pattern chatting to neighbours: the original syste…
My villa's top-floor ceilings have started showing brown damp patches after the heavier Dubai rains — and annoyingly, they turn up in different spots each time, not the same one.…
My living room has one sad ceiling light in the middle and I want to replace it with recessed downlights (the little spots set into the ceiling) for warmer, more even lighting. I'…
I'm collecting quotes to repaint our villa and they're all over the place — the highest is nearly double the lowest, for what looks on the surface like the same scope. Before I ju…
The Springs and Meadows are lovely communities, but the villas are now 15–20 years old, and it shows in a predictable way. Talking to neighbours, the same jobs come round again an…
Whenever we get a proper downpour, my balcony turns into a shallow pond. The water sits there for a long time instead of draining away, and if it rains hard enough, some of it cre…
I've had a knock from the neighbour below — there's a damp patch spreading on their ceiling, and it's directly under my guest bathroom, which lines up with the shower. I got a plu…
Every couple of months black mould comes back on the bathroom ceiling. I wipe it, sometimes repaint over it, and within weeks it's back in the same spots. The bathroom doesn't hav…