A prelude to painting

Surface preparation prior to that long-needed coating is as important as choosing the right colour(s), type of paint and brand to go with your tastes and settings. In fact, many seasoned painters and interior designers emphasise on proper preparation before going in for actual coating.

A good paint on a surface well-prepared always gives one the satisfaction of the final product. In fact, experienced painters say paints on well-prepared surfaces always last longer.

Better the surface cleaning and preparation, better will be the life and gloss of the paint and lesser the cost will be ultimately, says T. Narayan Rao of Monarch Paints in Jambagh. In fact, all major paint companies stress on proper surface preparation to avoid disappointment once the final coat is done.

The first thing one should do before the painting work begins, obviously, is to take away all the curtains and fixtures from their places. All the furnishings in the room should be placed in middle of the room and covered fully so as not to let the dust settle on them or the paint ruin some expensive showpiece.
Prelims

Carpets, rugs or any such loose covering on the floor should be removed and placed in safer areas. Use covers or dustsheets for the purpose. Oily and greasy marks can be removed by using a sand paper. It also takes care of dust particles or rust in case of metals.

Insects or termites (wooden surfaces) should also be taken care of. Applying two to three coats of Kiricide 15 days prior to the day of painting should help. The substance penetrates the surface. Make sure it is dried up by the time it is painted.

Once the walls are clear of their adornments, wash their surfaces with soap or detergent to get rid of dust and debris. That done, the about to be painted surfaces should be carefully inspected for any kind of holes, cracks or loose plaster.

The look of a room can be greatly diminish if painted on a damp surface, says Vijay Kapoor of Tirupathi Paints in Jambagh. Besides, damp surfaces are not really conducive for wall painting. One of the golden rules when painting a room is to ensure all the surfaces to be painted are dry and clear of dust. A damp surface also can lessen the life of paint, says Mr. Rao.
‘Fix its’

Hence the maxim, a stitch in time saves nine always holds true in case of damp surface areas. In case any damp spots are spotted, they should be dealt with immediately. There are several ‘fix-its’ like Algi coat RE104 or Dr. Fix damp guard available in the market to stop/block small leakages. These ‘fix-its’ should be applied only after the first primer coat.

In case the seepage is more or there is excessive leakage, professional help should be sought. According to Mr. Rao, a new primer ‘Zysocil Primer’ is now available in the market. This primer can be applied directly on the wall’s surface before the application of first primer coat. Cracks and holes are another aspect that should be dealt with care. If not tended to in time, the risk of the cracks widening or the wall surfaces peeling after a point of time is greater.

Loose and flaky plaster can be detected by tapping the wall or ceiling surfaces. Portions where cracks have developed or are doubtful should be very carefully examined, says Yusuf, a professional painter. Once the cracks or holes are identified, correction measures can be taken.

Specific crack healing solutions are available at paint shops. While some just cover up small cracks, there are others like ‘wall care putty’ that act both as putty as well as to hide or rectify cracks.
Repairing cracks

While covering up the holes or cracks, it is advisable to fill it up more than the levelled surface, Mr. Kapoor says.

It is always possible for us to smoothen and level it to the wall’s surface by rubbing it with fine sandpaper, he adds. Seek professional help in case the cracks are larger.
Primer coat

Once these problems are dealt with the wall should be dried before the first coat of primer could be splashed over it.

In case one is planning to go in for a new coat of paint that is lighter than the existing colour, a primer should be applied so that it neutralises the older paint. Last but not the least one must ensure that the area to be painted is well ventilated during and immediately after the painting.

State Bank of Hyderabad to expand

State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) aims to expand its presence in Orissa by setting up four new branches in the state in 2009-10.

Addressing media persons on the sidelines of National Management Seminar held here at the Asian School of Business Management, Renu Challu, managing director of SBH said, “We have already applied to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for setting up our new branches in Orissa and these branches will come up in the next fiscal.”

At present, SBH has six branches in Orissa, which includes three branches in Bhubaneswar, two in Cuttack and one in Berhampur.

SBH is also looking to ramp up its pan India network and it has targeted to set up around 200 branches by the end of 2009-10 out of which 50 new branches will be added by the end of this fiscal.

On credit offtake, Challu said, “SBH is expecting a credit growth of about 25 per cent in the next two quarters of 2008-09. The bank will extend its credit to firms in sectors like power, cement, fertilisers and real estate. However, we will be selective in extending real estate loans and only those real estate developers with a proven track record and good net worth will be considered.”

SBH has recently rolled out the Smart Salary Account solution for corporates which includes features like pre approved credit facility besides offering car loans and personal loans.

Laconic responses

When resident owners apply for bank loans, in most cases loans are rejected for non-production of original documents such as land ownership (encumbrance certificate from owner), occupancy certificate, details of carpet area and link documents relating to agreement with the departments concerned like electricity, water and sewerage. The residents’ welfare associations must be in possession of such documents and assist their members.

About most of the residents’ welfare association, the little said the better. Contrary to the constitution, yearly audit of the accounts is not done by a qualified and practising chartered accountant.

Even after decades of the registration, some associations at times pass resolutions asking for huge amounts with estimates running into lakhs of rupees for purposes such as painting, colouring, corpus fund and the like.

It is admitted fact that the ceremonial meetings of most welfare associations take place without quorum. The same office-bearers continue in the so-called committee. The Registrar of Societies should inquire into the functioning of the welfare associations as residents of middle income group are burdened.

K. SUBRAMANYAM

Hyderabad

Consumer courts can try construction service cases

The National Commission rules that transactions of flats or construction activity come under consumer affairs, writes K. Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy

What if a builder refuses to register the flat after accepting advance amount? A recent verdict by A.P. State Consumers’ Disputes Redressal Commission (APSCDRC) assured that it is possible to hold the service provider respio in this kind of cases, if the victim has enough documentary evidence. It also clearly stated that construction services come under the jurisdiction of consumer courts.

According to the case, D. Vijaya Kumar, a resident of Abids, made a payment of Rs. 4 lakh to Sai Victory Constructions in August, 1997 as advance towards purchasing a flat in their residential complex at Himayatnagar. The total amount of the deal was Rs.10 lakh. However, Mr. Vijaya Kumar couldn’t get his flat registered and he later came to know that the flat was sold to a third party without his knowledge. He filed a case in Hyderabad District Forum-I in 2003, seeking the agreement to be executed or refund of his money with as interest of 24 per cent per annum, together with compensation of Rs.20,000 and court costs of Rs.10,000.

The respondents, Sai Victory Constructions, resisted the case and said the payment of Rs.4 lakh was never done to them. They also argued that this case doesn’t fall under consumer courts, but that of civil court, and prayed the dismissal of the complaint with court costs. The district forum saw that six years gap between the commencement of agreement and filing of case as a reason for disqualification and asked the complaint to file a civil suit. It dismissed the complaint.
Bank statements

Aggrieved by the decision, Mr. Vijaya Kumar appealed in the State Commission. He argued that registering the flat to a third party after receiving an amount more than 20 per cent of the deal as advance was against the A.P. Apartments (promotion of construction) Act. This time, he took care to furnish the detailed bank statements, which said that the banks had issued checks in favour of the Sai Victory Constructions. The company filed no evidence to disprove the bank statements.

The State Commission took this point into consideration and stated that company had entered into an agreement. It made two important observations at this juncture. It said that - a decision of National Commission reported in 2005 (2) CPR 1 (NC), holds that the problem will continue if the developer failed to give possession of property or refund the money and the transactions of flats or construction activity by builders come under the consumer affairs with an amendment inserted by Act 62 of 2002.It asked the builders to refund Rs.4 lakh with interest of 12 per cent per annum from August, 1997 to till date along with compensation of Rs.20,000 with court costs of Rs.5,000. Time for compliance was four weeks.

Marketing ‘Made in India’ brand

Constru India’s tenth expo aims to showcase Indian expertise in construction industry

One of the biggest construction shows of the country, Constru India 2008 came to the city with its curtain raiser to offer a preview to the industry on what they can expect from this year’s exhibition scheduled to be held in Mumbai.

The exhibition which was started to highlight the progress made so far in infrastructure construction sector and the policy initiatives by the Government will be conducting its tenth edition this year. It aims to showcase the progress made in the country to help strengthen ‘Made in India’ image for Indian technologies, expertise and services along with new technologies.

The three-day event at Mumbai will bring together business leaders from public and private sectors along with senior officials from Central and State governments to address the development of infrastructure construction sector. Speaking at the curtain-raiser here, Avneet Singh, vice-president, Winmark Services said, “Constru India is the most anticipated exhibition for infrastructure and real estate companies in the country as well as abroad”. The Jindal Steel and Power assistant vice-president (marketing) R. S. Bhatia described it as an effort to bring together the industry as well as all the other stakeholders onto a common platform. “This is the third year we are participating in the event and I am proud to see that every year the event has become bigger with more representatives from India and abroad”. Added P.V. Chandramohan, president-Technical, Navayuga Engineering Company, “Constru India is a forum that gives a panorama of the construction industry in the country”.
Case study

A case study on the airports in the country would be presented at the main event and would deal with redevelopments of airports in the country as well as address other infrastructure requirements around the same.

T.L.S.

Novotel Hyderabad Airport opens

HYDERABAD: Novotel Hyderabad Airport was thrown open to public near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Wednesday.

The hotel, which is owned by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, is the second Novotel in the city and also in India. For passengers making brief (eight hour) stopovers, the hotel is offering ‘FlexiStay’ package, said Novotel Hyderabad Airport General Manager, Simon Jinks, in a press release.

The hotel is built over five acres with 305 rooms -- 11 luxury suites, 53 premier rooms and 241 superior rooms. An all-day dining multicuisine restaurant, The Square and Haldi with Indian dishes are the restaurants, while Splashes, the sunken pool bar and The Bar offer cocktails.

The hotel has a premier lounge and a crew lounge for the aircrew members to unwind.

It launched a special inaugural offer for a limited period for Rs. 5,500.