B&Q unloved rooms revamp - review thread for MNers getting stuck in! NOW CLOSED

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

This thread is for the 20 MNers who have been chosen by B&Q to revamp an unloved room in their home.

Those selected have been sent a B&Q giftcard to buy the things they need to give their unloved room a makeover. They've undertaken to complete the makeover by 3rd June, and will be keeping us up-to-date on how their revamps are going on this thread as well as posting photos.

Please do follow their stories and add your own comments if you want to show some support!

Below are the questions we'd like testers to answer but please feel free to add your own comments too. Please give us a bit of info about the room you're revamping and what you plan to do with it in your response.

• Why is your unloved room unloved? What do you want to change about it? What has stopped you until now?
  
• Where did you get your inspiration for doing up the room from? What sort of style are you going for etc?
  
• Have you had much help along the way with the revamp? If so, who from? And what sort of help - practical or ideas-based?!
  
• How did you find your shopping experience at B&Q? Were the staff helpful? Did you find anything in store you maybe didn't expect to beforehand?
  
• Did you use any of the help and advice that B&Q offer? This includes their videos on YouTube, leaflets and classes in store etc. If so, how useful was that help and advice?
  
• If B&Q could do anything more to help you next time you visit, what would it be?
  
• Have you had any feedback on what you've done with the room from family/friends? Has the transformation had a big impact on you and/or your family?
  

If you're not an official tester but would like to be in with a chance of winning a £200 B&Q giftcard, please post on this thread to tell us about your own room revamp successes (or failures!) - we'd love to hear from all MNers who have a room makeover story to share!

Thanks very much
MNHQ

[SweetestThing]

The demon fireplace....I have opened it up and spent the last two days trying to remove the many layers of gloss (!!) paint which the previous owners decided to apply. This is the before picture.

[SweetestThing]

This is the before picture...

[SweetestThing]

..and this is the fireplace after two days of trying to get the paint off!

[Bracketfungus]

Wow sweetest thing! That fireplace is quite a massive project, but I bet it looks great when you have finished.


You know curtains?

When it says 167x183, it means the drop is 183, right? And the width is both curtains at full stretch?

So 167x183 will be no good for window which is 180x180, will it?

[ChippyMinton]

I think each curtain measures 167 wide by 183 long. The length is fine.
Each curtain needs to cover half the width of the window - 90cm per curtain. So when gathered, the 167 wide curtain will be nearly twice the width it needs to be. This is fine

Which ones have you got? I've just bought a duck egg blue pencil pleat pair, but I need to look at them in daylight against the wallpaper to see if they go.

[Bracketfungus]

Hi chippy, thanks for your reply. I'm glad they will fit, that's really helpful. I haven't quite decided on colours yet... Just looking online at the moment. Hope you are happy with the shades.

I've finished the painting now, hurray!

Next thing is to sort the border I'm planning out, put up a shelf, and then decide on curtains. I also want to staple gun some different fabric over the headboard as it's manky.

Considering painting the chest of drawers, a mirror, a bedspread....

Will put some pics up when I can.... Will need to email them to myself as they won't go on here from iPad.

[Bracketfungus]

interesting duvet cover

[Londonseye]

We had to reprint our room. I decided I didn't like the colour that was on 3 one wall.

[Londonseye]

Repaint!! Not reprint

[Allhandsondeck]

We have worked our socks off this week! The ceiling went up which involved scenes similar to Atlas supporting the world as DD and I held up sheets of plasterboard whilst DH hopped around with a drill shouting 'to the left, to the left, too far, too far' and DS wandered around asking when his tea would be ready. Then DH and DD did something very clever with the lights that doubled as physics revision for DD. The entire house became covered in a light layer of dust (adding to the light layer that already exists) as the plaster and filler were rubbed down and then we were ready for painting. DS and I went off to B&Q armed with the voucher. In typical DS style he went straight up to two tins of paint...Moonlight Bay (blue) and Happy Daze (yellow)...and said "these please..now can we go to the cafe?". Paint was 3 for 2 so I picked up a soft cream for the ceiling and after that lengthy and exhausting trip fortified ourselves with B&Q sausage rolls and coffee/juice. Two days later all surfaces had two coats of paint (as did my arms, hair and shoes) and DS and I returned to B&Q for a light. He immediately spotted a gorgeous sparkling globe style light that would " Look like the moon at night and let rainbows in during the day..can we go to the cafe now please!?" So after yet another lengthy and exhausting trip we refreshed ourselves with tea and muffins! Onwards and upwards..Out of interest, does anyone know how I can get the gloss paint out of my hair?

[Allhandsondeck]

Moonlight Bay, Happy Daze, Soft Cream and sparkly light!

[thecatcamebacktheverynextday]

Love the colours allhandsondeck - did the light come from B&Q? I want it

Things ground to a halt here this week due to a combination of broken TV and broken car. Car is now fixed, TV is not! However, I have bought some new paint pads and am about to start an undercoat on the walls. Unfortunately the wallpaper area of one wall that has been destroyed by cat scratches - the plaster underneath has blown and I can't fix it myself. But I'm going to start the rest of the room and do it in stages.

Really pleased to report that the dining room door (which has panels over it) is actually the original door! We took the panels off this morning and although the door needs a LOT of sanding, a lick of paint and new handles, it's still good to use. Really chuffed with that.

Will put up some photos later but have to disconnect the computer now so I can start painting! Happy bank holiday everyone

[Babieseverywhere]

- Why is your unloved room unloved? What do you want to change about it? What has stopped you until now?
Our unloved room is our children's bedroom. It is is unloved as our two oldest children moved into this room as toddlers and they jointly ripped a lot of the (admittedly crap) original wallpaper off the walls. The temptation of the badly wallpapered edges of the wallpaper was too much too resist. I wanted to redecorate but I was concerned that it could get ruined again and of course we hadn't got the money to waste as I'm at home atm.


- Where did you get your inspiration for doing up the room from? What sort of style are you going for etc?
I wanted our children to have input. We decided that this room would become a room for our three girls and at a later date we will decorate the spare room for our boy. The oldest girls have chosen pink and purple theme and our boy wants green jet planes. Rather than style I am going for tough washable long lasting look. Something which will be easy to keep clean and give them space to play.

- Have you had much help along the way with the revamp? If so, who from? And what sort of help - practical or ideas-based?!
My good friend helped me with colour choices and helped with ideas of what can be done to give all our children their own space, something which is very important to me. My mother has helped me to strip wallpaper and my father has volunteered to help with plastering around my window frames. My husband will do a lot of decorating on the days off he has booked next week to do this project.

- How did you find your shopping experience at B&Q? Were the staff helpful? Did you find anything in store you maybe didn't expect to beforehand?
I have visiting two stores and they were very different. One branch was very limited in paint choice. In particular the strong washable paint was only in limited pale colours in the smaller store. Plus on several ranges the available tester pots did not match the paints available on the shelf, which was very irritating. The bigger store had a better range and better match of tester paints to paints in the shelf. Plus a lovely B&Q man told us that they could mix us tough washable paint in a range of colours, hurrah. The colours we wanted in the right finish.

- Did you use any of the help and advice that B&Q offer? This includes their videos on YouTube, leaflets and classes in store etc. If so, how useful was that help and advice?
Still looking at website, yet to attend a class but will be shortly.

- If B&Q could do anything more to help you next time you visit, what would it be?
Can't think of anything atm.


- Have you had any feedback on what you've done with the room from family/friends? Has the transformation had a big impact on you and/or your family?
Our children are so delighted to have a newly decorated room. We already invested in a 'new to us' bed and they enjoyed having input into paint and picture choices and they look forward to doing B&Q classes when they turn 7 years old. Shame they don't have anything for the little children.

[Babieseverywhere]

I have been stripping wallpaper when I can and between me and my mother...we have done two and a bit walls. I hope to finish the stripping tomorrow.

The walls are a lot worse than I expected. I have plaster and builder's caulk to try and mend the walls.

Wish me luck !

[Bracketfungus]

That's the thing about wallpaper..... It covers over unpaintable walls. And you never know exactly the state of the wall before you strip it. Good luck to those of you stripping! Hope there are not too many nasty surprises.

I am so thrilled with my magnolia walls. Now I am experimenting with different colours of blanket to decide the colours for the details in my bedroom. I was planning on blue and green, but am now thinking of orange and green.... Hm might take some pictures with different colours to see what looks best.

[ChocolateMama]

Ok, after my initial post, and rush to B&Q, things slowed down as busy week at work etc. Will post some pics. tomorrow with - hopefully - a progress update. Still very very excited about the project though.

[Londonseye]

We have ended up with a bit of voucher money spare, enough mixed with leftover paint, to do the kids rooms to! DS is getting batman and a cityscape. DD is having rolling hills and blue skies, with tinkerbell and fairies, trees and flowers. DP is a bit of an artist!

[Londonseye]

here is our bedroom before picture

[Londonseye]

and our after pictures

[gazzalw]

Wow what a transformation! It looks fantastic Londonseye!

Although we haven't progressed any today (recovering from a family party and get-together) we did go out and get DS a new high riser bed with a study desk built it.....the bunk beds were taking up too much room and not really very space efficient. This will give DS a bit more room for a bookcase possibly! So all positive!

[thecatcamebacktheverynextday]

Well done Londonseye, that looks great

The second undercoat has gone up as per the photo I've attached. I'm currently thinking about a third coat as you can still see the yellow underneath, but as the new paint will be a darker shade it may not be a problem.

I have my DIY class on Thursday so the actual colour won't go up until after then. I'm hoping the class will teach me how to actually paint

[nevergoogle]

Arrgh, we've now got a small wall painted yellow. Came downstairs this morning and decided I didn't like it. By this evening, I hate it!

The other colours are lovely though, so just need to paint over the yellow one and my calm will be restored.

[Allhandsondeck]

Some darn fine work going on! Yes, thecat..the light was from b&q..about £25 I think.

[gazzalw]

have you tried a heat gun?

[Reastie]

Sorry, I have nothing useful to say just want to mark place. Really enjoying looking at all the before and after pics and hoping it will inspire me in our house