[Sran]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Hi Guys, Have 3 queries.
1. Lets say you give the paint job to a contractor. Is there a way, we can verify they are indeed using the same grade of paint agreed upon?. I know its all about the trust. But today, you never know. (I read that, they can use the paint container of the specific grade. But the actual paint is of a lower grade)
2. Looking for good window color to match white wall. I know there is no right answer. But I have seen a lot of articles suggesting white theme color. I thought brownish window color goes well with white wall. But, is that outdated?. What is the trend these days?.

1. They will use the same paint that you agreed upon caveat being they use commercial grade paint that are specially made for builders. Supposedly you agreed on Asian paints apex white matt. The market rate is 7800 rs 20litre for general public but builders rate is 5000 rs but the quality isn't same. This is just the surface, there are many ways for contractor to earn more.

2. White is in because the magazines are full of white interiors that is generally used in most American homes due to many reasons. White enamel paint for wood however can be used for inside doors and windows but they are high on maintenance.

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Looking for good window color to match white wall. I know there is no right answer. But I have seen a lot of articles suggesting white theme color. I thought brownish window color goes well with white wall. But, is that outdated?. What is the trend these days?

Hi
For the query above, I did my house recently. I did the window frames in white. They look smashing. High maintenance though
I did the door in white and got it bordered in brown. Looks fantastic too
The wall is whitish, did wood slat work in brown. Looks great too.
Similarly, I have done the garage door grill in brown and white.
Brown and white as a combination works out awesome.
I am attatching some pictures for you
Cheers
I have used Nippon paint.
Rajeevsulu

[adithya.kp]

Hi Guys,
Looking to buy lights. (false ceiling lights, wall lights, exterior lights etc). This is perhaps the toughest category. Because its such a highly unorganised market with hardly branding. Every shop owner claims, "imported". Also, its very difficult to assess the fair price.
I did some research and zeroed in on syska, philips etc. Visited a store in CBD area of bangalore. They say, these are not of good quality and showed all sorts of other brands. (These are not recognisable brands).
My questions.
1. Which are some of the good brands? Should we really worry about brand in lights category, considering its highly commoditised?. ( As long as its from a decent shop)
2. For people in Bangalore, any recommendation for shops?. Initially I wanted go to some shop in BVK Iyengar road ( based on internet search). But I heard, you only get mediocre products there.

[whencut86]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

I did some research and zeroed in on syska, Philips etc.

Just find out the nearest Philips Light Lounge and drop in. You will get everything you need from there and many options there. You do get smart light options or Wifi based remote light options also in Philips and Wipro. Quality wise Philips is good and hassle free buying experience. I did this 2 years ago for my house and found them easy to deal with rather than hassle with shops in BVK Iyengar road.

[Maibaa]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Hi Guys,
Looking to buy lights.

For people in Bangalore, any recommendation for shops?. Initially I wanted go to some shop in BVK Iyengar road ( based on internet search). But I heard, you only get mediocre products there.

I recently did interiors for my home and used ALT brand of Lights that have good build quality and the dealers give a warranty of 1 year. These are obviously 1.3 to 1.5 times costlier than the other Chinese brands you get. But the look and feel, fit and finish is very different and one can make out the difference in quality.

These are available in various types - Track Lights, recessed, spot lights, panel lights, strip lights, etc with their dedicated adaptors.

A more premium brand is LEDwell which I heard is from the same company.

Both these brands are available with some dealers in BVK Iyengar Road and also in some lighting showrooms in Bangalore (The Light Place in Domlur). The best price can be obtained in BVK Iyengar road where the discount is better compared to the other showrooms.

[JithinR]

Hi All,

Is anyone here aware of a modular switch line in India that will be a direct fit for old non modular switch panels.

All of the switches at my parents place are the old style non modular ones. I would like to upgrade them to modular ones but I would like to avoid the cost/effort to get an electrician and have him drill into the wall and install a new box before rewiring everything for the new switches.

Attached an image to explain what I am on about a bit better.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Hi All,

Is anyone here aware of a modular switch line in India that will be a direct fit for old non modular switch panels.

One option is to use a generic enclosure like below. This would be able to sit on any existing setup but still would definitely need new screw holes to be drilled as the new enclosures would have to be bigger than the 'hole' that's on the wall.

This would also mean that the overall switch board will be about 2 inches out of the wall.

My first question is, why? Is it lack of availability of the old switches? If that's the case it's understandable. If switches are available better to go with the old type switches as they look most elegant.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Is anyone here aware of a modular switch line in India that will be a direct fit for old non modular switch panels. ... I would like to avoid the cost/effort to get an electrician and have him drill into the wall and install a new box

Indeed, the question is the compatibility of the modular unit with the boxes.

An electrician with every-day experience of multiple brands would be able to answer.

Wouldn't it be nice if the boxes were made to standard dimensions! I bet that they are not

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by deep_bang

One option is to use a generic enclosure like below....
My first question is, why? Is it lack of availability of the old switches?...

There is honestly no great need to change the switches. A few of them have gone kaput (expected given that they are over 15 years old).

But I was planning to get the house interiors repainted this year and wanted to change the switches to modular ones with a complementary color palate.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Indeed, the question is the compatibility of the modular unit with the boxes.

An electrician with every-day experience of multiple brands would be able to answer.

Wouldn't it be nice if the boxes were made to standard dimensions! I bet that they are not

Yep. We checked with a local electrician already and his opinion is that the boxes would have to be changed which would entail civil work. With the labour rates on this side of India, it's not something I am keen on.

If there was a modular switch series that was plug and play fit for these old boxes then frankly I would do the work myself.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by JithinR

If there was a modular switch series that was plug and play fit for these old boxes then frankly I would do the work myself.

Maybe you could try this. Unscrew the switch plates. Hopefully the wires are long enough to give you space to trace out the box on a paper, marking the screw positions. Take it to a good electrical supplier and check a few boxes.

Just an idea.

[adithya.kp]

This is very useful. Thanks a lot. I learnt a lot about the different lighting categories after browsing philips lighting website . (Will visit the store too)
I had visited quite a few light shops. ( Reputed ones. Not the bvk iyengar road shops). To my surprise, they only have random unknown brands. While its ok for lamps etc, I was just not comfortable in false ceiling lights/adapters etc. They give a proper GST invoice though.

Originally Posted by whencut86

Just find out the nearest Philips Light Lounge and drop in. You will get everything you need from there and many options there. You do get smart light options or Wifi based remote light options also in Philips and Wipro. Quality wise Philips is good and hassle free buying experience. I did this 2 years ago for my house and found them easy to deal with rather than hassle with shops in BVK Iyengar road.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Hi All,

Is anyone here aware of a modular switch line in India that will be a direct fit for old non modular switch panels.

All of the switches at my parents place are the old style non modular ones. I would like to upgrade them to modular ones but I would like to avoid the cost/effort to get an electrician and have him drill into the wall and install a new box before rewiring everything for the new switches.

Attached an image to explain what I am on about a bit better.

In general no. The box sizes differ, so do the screw positions. In our 45+ old house we have changed a few boxes, and every time this is is what is done :

. Dig out the old box. This takes time and effort - chisel and hammer work
. Clean up the opening and check the size with respect to new box
. Enlarge or contract the opening to suit the new box
. Fix the new box using cement, let the cement dry - about 1/2 day
. Assemble the switch/socket on the new plate
. Wire up the switches/sockets. Preferably test them
. Screw the plate to the new box
. Fit the face plate. It is normally press fit.

So you see it is quite a task to change to modular from non modular.

NOTE
If you are willing to undetgo the pain of changing to modular switches, then think of changing the wiring. Old wiring (at least in our house) used thick individual wires twisted into one cable. Usually 3x22 swg for ligts and 7x22swg for power. The modern wiring uses cables formed of thin wires and thinner (but better) insulation. These come in sq.mm sizes

1mm.sq for very light current
2mm.sq for lights
4mm.sq for power
6-10mm.sq for really heavy duty power (6kw+)

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Hi Guys,
Looking to buy lights. (false ceiling lights, wall lights, exterior lights etc). This is perhaps the toughest category. Because its such a highly unorganised market with hardly branding. Every shop owner claims, "imported". Also, its very difficult to assess the fair price.
I did some research and zeroed in on syska, philips etc. Visited a store in CBD area of bangalore. They say, these are not of good quality and showed all sorts of other brands. (These are not recognisable brands).
My questions.
1. Which are some of the good brands? Should we really worry about brand in lights category, considering its highly commoditised?. ( As long as its from a decent shop)
2. For people in Bangalore, any recommendation for shops?. Initially I wanted go to some shop in BVK Iyengar road ( based on internet search). But I heard, you only get mediocre products there.

Syska, Philips, Wipro, Melon, Bajaj are all good brands. Choose whichever fits your budget.

The shops showed you unbranded ones because they have the highest margin on those. Almost 100% margin.

I feel BVK Iyengar road shops are over hyped and do not offer that much price advantage compared to neighborhood electrical shops. The amount of money and time that you spend on going there, searching for shops and narrowing down the items will offset any savings you would have made.

[TurboKat]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Syska, Philips, Wipro, Melon, Bajaj are all good brands. Choose whichever fits your budget.

Had a horrible experience with both Syska and Wipro. They were comparatively cheaper than Philips and Havells. We had installed ceiling lights of both the brands, Syska was around 2020 and Wipro around 2019. The Syska lights didn't last even 6 months and the Wipros failed right after the day we installed them. Since 2021, we're using Havells lights. The lights are working flawlessly. They are indeed worth the extra money.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by TurboKat

Had a horrible experience with both Syska and Wipro. They were comparatively cheaper than Philips and Havells. We had installed ceiling lights of both the brands, Syska was around 2020 and Wipro around 2019. The Syska lights didn't last even 6 months and the Wipros failed right after the day we installed them. Since 2021, we're using Havells lights. The lights are working flawlessly. They are indeed worth the extra money.

Thanks for sharing your feedback. We have Wipro and Eveready LED batons installed since 2018 and they have been reliable till now. They are a mix of 18W,20W and 22Watts.