Tag home renovation materials

Renovation may seem simple—just installing materials in their proper places—but it can be complex with dozens of materials, making it easy to fall for scams in a murky market.

As an outsider, how do you choose from numerous brands and specifications?

Today, we share which renovation material brands you can confidently purchase.

Whether you’re doing a semi-packaged renovation, self-installation, hiring a company, or a construction team, this article will help you.

For water supply pipes, these brands are safe to buy blindly: Weixing, Rifeng, Liansu, Jinniu, Zhongcai, Baoli.

Household water supply pipes should首选PPR material, which has been mainstream for years. Use pipes with a diameter of 25 for smooth water flow. PPR pipes are corrosion-resistant and resist scale and bacteria buildup.

Avoid gimmicks like nano-antibacterial pipes—they’re mostly hype with little real effect.

Pipes themselves aren’t expensive, but fittings and connectors are, so bargain for the overall price, not just pipes.

For home PPR pipes, use hot-water pipes throughout for stronger welding and fewer leaks.

While these brands are reliable, prices vary; e.g., Weixing is pricier but higher quality, with noticeable differences even in welding smell, though advertising plays a role.

For drain pipes,首选Liansu.

Drain modifications are usually minimal in home renovation. PVC drain pipes are cheap, so opt for well-known brands like Liansu without spending much.

Pipe material arrival time: Coordinate with the electrician’s schedule, arriving by the second day at latest.

2. Conduit pipes, junction boxes, and electrical circuit accessories

These are electrical auxiliary materials. Brands include: Liansu, Rifeng, Jinniu, Zhongcai, Jinde, Weixing, Gongyuan, Baoli, Hongyan, Longsheng.

Selection tips: Conduit pipes are mostly PVC, with diameter 16 common (or 20 for large villas). Use red for power lines and blue for weak current lines. Junction boxes should match—red for power, blue for weak current—and use拼接底盒 for consistent gaps after installation.

Choose PVC material, similar to pipe brands, for good toughness and flexibility. Conduit pipes are buried in walls or under ceilings, so they should be crush-resistant and flat-resistant. Buy flame-retardant PVC conduit pipes.

Personally, I prefer Weixing conduit pipes and junction boxes with red-blue color coding for easy site inspection.

Arrival time: Purchase and deliver with pipes.

Bathroom waterproofing is critical. Well-known waterproof material brands include: Kale, Yuhong, Degao, Keshen, Sanshu, Zhuobao Xika, Mabe, etc.

Use flexible waterproof material for bathroom floors and rigid for walls, but avoid full wall coverage as it’s not tile-friendly. Brush up to 1.8m high in shower areas. Wall waterproofing mainly prevents moisture penetration, especially for 12cm aerated block walls.

My floor waterproofing process: Apply two coats of waterproof coating, with extra layers around drains, toilets, and main pipes, then add a polyester fabric layer.

Polyester fabric protects the coating from damage during later construction.

Construction time: Complete waterproofing before tiling and conduct a 24-hour water test. Proceed only if no leakage occurs.

For wires, brands vary by region. For example, in our area, Lvdu wires and local Zhengzhou Third Factory wires are common.

Other brands include Yuandong, Panda, Shangshang, Tebian Electric, Jiangnan, etc.

Ensure CCC certification. I recommend flame-retardant wires. For high-power areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and air conditioners, use at least 4 sq mm for live and neutral wires and 2.5 sq mm for ground wires. In other areas, use 2.5 sq mm for live/neutral and 1.5 sq mm for ground.

For special appliances like central air conditioning or instant water heaters, follow manufacturer instructions for wiring.