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

453 replies

TheOtherHelenMumsnet · 17/05/2013 11:30

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

OP posts:
nevergoogle · 27/05/2013 10:23

well done londonseye, i like the tree against the blue wall. I've got wall stickers too for one of our walls if we ever get that point.

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 10:50

Hi all

Sorry, sorry, sorry... I'm a bit late to the party on here (IT/phone issues, but also because I've been spending a lot of time doing DIY!) Also, I got a bit intimidated by the length of some earlier posts Blush. I've also only been able to read the first 20 or so posts, but promise to catch up ASAP

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 10:57

Before 1:

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 11:00

Before 2

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 11:03

During 1

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 11:05

During 2 - revamping wardrobe

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 12:17

Phew - i've finally caught up! And haven't we all been busy!?!

eteo - great wallpapering skills there! Brave to wallpaper a vertical stripe as a newbie, but it turned out brilliantly.

katiewalters - nice lamphade

ouryve and WibbleBoy - I feel your pain with the textured wallpaper, horrible! Impressive plastering course though, and loving the 'hiding in the shed' thing.

gazzalw - wow, what a project, I thought we'd taken on a lot! Hope it's going well.

JParkson - I like the second duvet set, the white one with teal piping

SweetestThing - what a fantastic fireplace, but what a lot of work!! Love that you have a cup of tea/coffee in most of your photos Wink

Allhandsondeck - fab Ninja Turtles t-shirt there! Hope you have now got the gloss out of your hair.

Babieseverywhere Good Luck!

LondonsEye - what a fantastic job! Well done!

Londonseye · 27/05/2013 12:30

Thanks everyone. We still have lots to do. Nevergoogle, we did think about wall stickers but DP just likes to freehand paint. And it worked out cheaper. The rain today is a good reason to crack on. We have to lift all the carpets upstairs for the new ones arrivals next week!

Everyone is doing well! It's like MN Changing Rooms!

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 13:08

Haha, changing rooms but with less MDF, Laurence Llwwllyn Bowen and Linda Barker! And more Pom bears.

gazzalw · 27/05/2013 13:59

Yikes....we have been doing really well, finishing the kingfisher blue feature wall and then starting on our eco-paint - Naturepaint - in vellum. It looks a lovely rich parchment colour and we had nearly finished two walls when DW suddenly noticed that some of it was 'blistering' - it is not over all the area. Any ideas anyone. Can't seem to find any FAQs which cover it on the company's website. DW did wonder whether I had left lots of traces of wallpaper paste on the lining paper and it's not soaking in the paper...

Can anyone help.... Knew it was all going too well..... ;-(

Londonseye · 27/05/2013 14:20

Wallpaper can lister when wet, and usually dries flat. Is it still drying?

gazzalw · 27/05/2013 15:19

no the wallpaper was done on Thursday so dry by now. The paint is blistering :-( in large patches but not all over.... :-((((

nevergoogle · 27/05/2013 16:14

londonseye, wow, the tree looks so sharp I though it must be stickers. very impressive.

thecatcamebacktheverynextday · 27/05/2013 16:21

Oh dear *gazzalw, sorry I don't know the answer Sad. Can you ring the paint company for advice?

I bought the paint for the walls today - after all those testers I've gone forDulux Putting Green. I just hope it looks as nice on the walls as it does in the tin!

Today I have reblacked the metal curtain rail and have nearly finished painting DD's table and chairs. Smile

gazzalw · 27/05/2013 16:41

Thanks Thecatcamebacktheverynextday, I've emailed the paint company, it being a Bank Holiday and not entirely sure customer services will be open today....DW spent five hours painting today and we've just spent another hour or so using a damp cloth to remove all the flaked/blistered bits....

Not what we needed at all...... Sad. In all my years of decorating I've never had this happen with emulsion......

I'm sure we used Putting Green in our sitting room and it's a lovely colour! Hope you like it!

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 17:13

We've got the walls done! Just the gloss work to go.

Carpet goes in next weekend, so hopefully we can move in and do the 'after' shots! Yay!

And we ordered some prints of our photos for the wall. Not sure they'll get here in time for the deadline (so the walls may look a bit bare), but good to get them ordered.

ChippyMinton · 27/05/2013 17:48

I've just returned from a weekend away with the DC, and found that the decorating fairies DH has kindly put up my wallpaper Smile. Will crack on with the final bits and pieces ready for the 'after' photos.
Really enjoyed catching up with everyone's hard work - some great pics.
Smile

gazzalw · 27/05/2013 19:35

Right we've tried the eco-paint in another room which doesn't have beadboard lining paper up on the walls - as an experiment to see whether it is some type of absorption issue twixt the paint and the paper (which we are instructed can be painted) which I'm suspecting it is....

If it is though it means we are going to have to scrape all the eco paint off before we can start again Sad....

Feeling a bit of a panic that we are not going to finish in time - yikes.... DW is going to do the woodwork tomorrow whilst we await a response from the eco-paint company....

Well done everyone else!

IceNoSlice · 27/05/2013 20:42

Hey gazzalw, sounds like a pain! I don't think you should worry too much about not meeting the deadline, it's not like you didn't try! I'm sure MN/B&Q would be understanding about the paint issues (the DCs on the other hand...)

Babieseverywhere · 27/05/2013 21:04

We are still working on our walls. I removed 30ish wallplugs from the walls, sanded rough bits and caulked the cracks & small holes. Whilst DH plastered the big holes and all around the window frame.

We also need a length of skirting board as the last owners only had skirting board on 2.5 walls ?!

We also decided against the nice plastic ceiling light which reminds me of a bomb alaska, as DH is pretty sure it will be batted around by children from the top bunk of the new bed. So we are going to get a 'flush to the ceiling' light properly the bathroom one I saw last time I was in B&Q.

We are hoping to finish the prep tomorrow, grandparents are coming down to help me with the kids and the DIY. DH is off again Wednesday and hopefully we'll be ready to paint by then. Fingers crossed.

gazzalw · 28/05/2013 07:48

Hi IceNoSlice! Yes, truly it is although it is blistering so badly that it's not too difficult to get off with a damp cloth wiped across it.

By the way the patch done as an experiment in another room is fine and not crackled/peeling/blistered, so it's obviously something in the lining paper (even though it says it can be painted) which is repelling the eco-paint rather than the eco-paint itself

I will be looking online today to see what vellum-type options there are in non-eco paints as the colour was lovely and rich and we would want something pretty similar!

The DCs actually quite liked wiping off the crackled paint so at least there's some help for DW (I'm back at work today).

DS is more concerned about any more days without Minecrafthis computer - he's not had it for five days and has been going cold turkey :-).

Well we might still be just about on schedule but it's going to be a close-run thing....

Wowserz129 · 28/05/2013 08:58

I have been busy over the weekend! Went to b and q last week and spent it.

Nearly finished painting over the pink walls now. Looks so much better already.

thecatcamebacktheverynextday · 28/05/2013 10:22

Hi gazzalw, have you heard back from the paint company? I'd be a bit peeved if any instructions said the paint could be used on that lining paper and turned out it couldn't - I'd be looking for a refund myself. Wink

gazzalw · 28/05/2013 11:04

Hi Thecatcamebacktheverynextday, no I haven't but am hopeful and have Helen at MNHQ asking the question of B&Q too.

As an experiment I tried the eco-paint on another wall (not covered with the beadboard lining paper) and it's fine so I don't think the paint is the issue. It's either the lining paper and/or the wallpaper paste used.

I may very well be asking for a refund but most likely not from the eco-paint company as it seems to me that there's nothing wrong with their product.

However at the moment I have three very distressed looking but newly painted (oh the irony) walls and whilst, warm soapy water is getting the paint off it's going to be a long, tedious job which my wife and daughter are not relishing (I'm back at work...)

Having done a bit of online research yesterday evening (why do emergencies always happen on BH weekends???), it looks as if it might be possible to seal in the paint with a PVA/water coating and then paint on top of that, but don't to do anything until I've got expert advice.

GRRRR is all I have to say.....

I can safely say that in all our years of decorating we've not had this issue before - ever!

gazzalw · 28/05/2013 13:21

DW reporting back that she didn't want to waste the lovely eco-paint so she has painted most of DS's bedroom ceiling and will have to reconstitute (it comes in powder form and has to be made up with warm water) the other box. She has, however, been up a ladder all morning, so having a well-deserved rest.

Also, the children have been very good, left to their own devices in this grotty weather, but the goodwill will run out soon Grin so she may have to switch off decorating mode and return to Mummy-mode!