HOUSE OF THE WEEK
A Golden Valley white out
UNBEKNOWST to Myanmar’s diligent meteorological department, an extremely localised snowstorm has carpeted the interior of this two-storey Golden Valley house. morePainters finding more work beyond Yangon
Volume 26, No. 506
NAY PYI TAW and Mandalay are overtaking Yangon when it comes to external decoration, construction industry insiders say.
Painting orders from the nation’s capital and elsewhere in the country are increasing, as jobs in Yangon are growing scarcer.
U Ko Ko Lay, managing director of Kawk paint distribution and painting service, said the fall-off in orders in Yangon’s property sector had been offset by extra work in Nay Pyi Taw and elsewhere in Myanmar.
“We’ve had fewer projects in Yangon this year, but we have more in Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and elsewhere. Last year 40 percent of our work was in Yangon and the rest outside the city. This year Yangon represented only 25pc of our work.”
U Min Ko, general manager of Silk Brothers International, also says about 60pc of its painting work is now done outside Yangon.
Most exterior painting takes place in the dry season. And most builders or owners go for locally made economy paint rather than more expensive foreign brands, say trade insiders.
“Standard condominiums such as Shwe Hintha Condo and private houses and government projects use quality paint such as ICI, UNA and Nippon. But most developers use cheap paint, which needs redoing every year,” he said.
“About 70pc of the market uses local brands. Only private homes, government buildings and factories use quality and weather-shield paint,” he said.
The most popular local brands are said to be UPG, Hometex and Rising Sun. The biggest-selling imported paints are Jotun, ICI and Nippon Paint, he said.
U Myo Sa of Myo Painting Service agreed that local brand paints are more popular than foreign imported.
“Foreign brands can cost up to twice the price of local paints. Those who can afford it buy imported paint but most developers and renovators choose cheaper options,” he said.
This year’s colours are light grey, sky blue, and soft green, he said, “but some cafés and other businesses choose technicolour to attract customers,” he said.
Exteriors should be repainted every one to five years depending on paint quality, he said.
“Paint not only makes the exterior look better, some brands can also protect against fungus and bacteria.”
