Why we go factory work

Here are some factors you need to consider while comparing the 2 options Manual vs Factory made Modular Kitchen or any interior works.

1. Manual carpenters uses Laminates only for the externally visible Sides whether its in Modular Kitchen or wardrobes. The other side which is towards the walls will be left naked. Over a period of time this can deteriorates the life of the Ply board as it catches water seepage or moisture in the rainy season.

2. Manual Carpenter can use many left over Ply pieces & joins them using a crocodile clip and applies a laminate on the outer side, which covers everything. This only saves the plywood for them(Cost saving). But this jointed Ply board will not have enough strength or may not take much load compared to a full single piece boards.

3. Either negligible or No difference in terms of operating cost(labor/Execution) between the Manual carpentry & the Factory made Modular wooden interior activities. Main difference comes in the material grade, brand, model & quantity used.

4. Factory made work need 16 mm thickness Ply whereas Manual carpentry demands 18/19 mm as they can't perform work with lesser thickness. But both works will have the same strength and durability. Higher the Ply thickness means cost is higher. Also you may not have the knowledge of differentiating the genuine and duplicate Ply boards, which is a major concern. Even if you accompany a carpenter for purchase, every carpenter has an informal understanding with the dealers and they collect 1-2% as their commission offline on the billed amount. So, If you supply the material you may not get the price benefit due to low volume. factory work vendor has price advantage as they are regular & bulk buyers and has higher bargaining power.

5. Bonding of Ply & Laminates is Uniform and better in factory finish, as they apply Adhesive uniformly for the entire board and they press for bonding using heavy weight frame uniformly for 8-20 hrs. In manual work, applying Adhesive is adhoc and they use the tapes at the border to bond them.

6. For edge banding, Factories use synthetic PVC based thick Tapes and bonded using a machine which gives good finishing, which is water resistant and no changes like warping or de-bonding w.r.to environmental variations. Manual Carpentry uses wooden beads by nailing them to the Ply which is not compact and the nails may get rust and may detach the beads over a period of time.

7. for the wardrobe/Modular kitchens, Manual carpentry keep the backside open or use a simple cardboard to cover. Whereas Factory made one use the Ply of same thickness used for other side, which is more strong and keeps worms & Termites away.

8. Major advantage is Time saving: Manual Carpentry takes months together and uses your space and electricity, stay at your facility and all other natural resources like water & other resource or some time you need to feed their Coffee/tea/lunch. So you can't carry out other works simultaneously or leads to conflicts with other laborers. Factory finished work carries out all the cutting, bonding,.etc works at their premises and only the final installation will be at your site. Usually 2-3 days sufficient for a normal 2-3 BHK units based on the volume of work.

9. Carpenters doesn't give all their material requirements in one shot. They come up with new lists at the later part of the work and also they ensure you to run for materials quite frequently or in the name of shortage, change of designs, wastage...etc in case of only labor contract.

10. By chance, any agreed work goes wrong(execution part), Carpenter will not put his money for the new material to replace it. Whereas the factory made service provider will take the responsibility of replacing it.

11. Debatable point is the Trust between the owner and the service provider. Many people wants to see the work execution in front of them for XYZ reasons. As once the Ply & the Laminates are bonded, you can't know, what is the material used inside or the quality of it unless the executed work completes 1-2 years, to realize the quality of the work. so there are few carpenters as well as factory service people who take advantage of this loop hole.

12. Your personal time investment for purchasing, logistic arrangement & also you or someone to look over the job of the carpenter is also nothing but effort=Money. Else you can experience all surprises here also.

13. Selecting the right service provider/Carpenter who has given satisfactory delivery & quality is your responsibility. Always look for some one's reference whose work executed at least 2 years back.