Anyone else find B&Q expensive?

LooniesMum

Just recently given the kids' room a makeover - they're both over school age so we thought we should get rid of the nursery colours at last!! We usually get most of our diy stuff from B&Q because the shop is very nearby. However, the first thing we had a problem with was the paint - their own brand - of which we needed twice as much as it said on the pot.

Second problem - we changed the curtains from tab tops to hooks, but had lost the rings that came with the pole. No problem - B&Q sell the rings, but at £3.50 for just SIX rings :eek: Thank heavens for ebay, where you can buy twenty rings for just £1.85 inc P&P

Lastly I spotted an over-door-hook for the bathroom (metal, with about four hooks on it) which had seashells and fish in the metalwork) - it was £7.99 and I decided not to buy it. Later that day I spotted the same 4-post-over-door-hook in a local independent hardware store for £3.99 !!

Anyone else find B&Q expensive?!

Winky,_The_House_Elf

Yes! I needed 3 new interior doors, and I thought that £28 each was reasonable. My brother took me to a builders yard, for some other bits and I spotted identical doors for £16. They also had sets which had handles, hinges, etc inc screws for £6, which I had to price seperately in B&Q which was £15! I needed a door casing (Putting in a door to make a cupboard under the stairs) which was £12 quid in the builders yard and £22 in B&Q! So £73 saved just on 3 doors for identical stuff!

Plus the chaps at the builders yard were not intimidating as I had feared! They said by all means look at B&Q to see what you want, and pop in here to see if we have it, or if you need any advice just pick up the phone- gob smacked isn't the word.

ormus

the big sheds are just like supermarkets. cheap on big sellers, and then they catch you out with all the small add ons.
you need your wits about you all the time.
use the internet before you go out shopping.

julianashcroft

I find that for some paints B&Q is quite expensive, especially for the likes of Dulux. I remember years ago buying a tin of Dulux Masonry Paint from B&Q for the decorator who was doing some work for me. He ran out and got another tin of Dulux from the local trade suppliers. His tin was twice as thick and went so much further and was cheaper as well.

WestonDave

It does pay to pick and choose. For example if you want convenient cupboard doors (say kitchen style) B&Q is the only one of the sheds that sells doors only so we were able to give an awful kitchen a £150 makeover when we moved in to our house instead of having to spend thousands on it before we are ready. I've also used their doors on other projects - for example on a cupboard I've built to house the boiler in the downstairs toilet.

However for basics Wickes is normally cheaper if its a generic product - i.e. a particular sized piece of timber, or a bottle of white spirit etc. I've also found that if you go into the specialists they are normally happy to advise you on the best product for a specific job - i.e. paint for the bathroom ceiling that doesn't grow mould every five minutes (particular problem with the last inch getting cold and then mouldering). The paint merchant we have near us can also mix certainly Crown paint from way back if you give them the colour name so if you want to recoat in the same colour and discover its been discontinued, they still often have it on their system and can mix it.

LooniesMum

We don't have Wickes near us sadly. I miss Wilkinson's, which I used to live near to, and which we do go back to occasionally. We got into the habit of shopping at B&Q as our new house had no end of emergency plumbing crises (I think we're past that stage now.......) and because their store is only 5 mins away. However, I'm going to check the internet first for all non-emergency DIY stuff and also try to get to our local hardware store (Snapes) more often - at least in there you can always find a member of staff to help you!

phill99

There building basics (sand, cement etc) are pretty competitively priced. However, the rest is over the top and to add insult to injury, they never employ enough people plus their cusomer service is a disgrace.

latecomer

They are expensive - I dont get why people think they would be cheap just because they are big. that said they are convenient as they stock a lot of items and are open late i.e. until at least 7pm every night (warehouse size stores).

Poppycat

They have some good offers at times its the little things they seem to sting you for, I try and find out things costs before I go in

27col

You have to watch all of the sheds like a hawk. I wanted some industrial gloves for a project and I picked up a pair in B&Q. The queue at the checkouts was so long that I was not prepared to wait and put them back. Later in the day I bought two pairs of better quality gloves at Tool Station for half the price they wanted at B&Q.

Lunepilot

needed 2 blanks for my rad pipes B&Q wanted £4 each:eek: local builders merchant 90p each