Bunnings home improvement and gardening store - share your best home improvement tips - win £200 voucher NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 10 MNers who went along to the Grand Opening Weekend of the new Bunnings Warehouse in Milton Keynes on 8/9 July. Thanks so much for going along, we hope you enjoyed it!

Non attendees:
To be in with a chance of winning £200 leisure voucher, please share your best home improvement tip on this thread - everyone who does so will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win the voucher!

Attendees:
Below are a few feedback questions for you to answer - if you have any more comments, please feel free to add them to your response. Do share your feedback - tag @bunnings_uk

Why did you want to visit Bunnings in Milton Keynes?
What did you enjoy about it?
Did it inspire you? If yes, in what ways?
What did you spend your £20 on? Please share a photo of your purchase(s)
Do you think you’d return to the new Bunnings store when you were after home improvement or gardening products?
How would you describe the store to someone who had never been?

All the attendees who share feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win a £100 leisure voucher voucher.

Thanks, and good luck with the prize draws!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[purplepandas]

Non-attendee. Tip - Plastering walls is worth it in the long run to make the surfaces more even. Paint way easier to change than paper!

[babycakes1010]

My DD and DS had noticed the balloon above the store as we live close by and could see it from our house. We were intrigued as to what the place was going to be like.

It has everything that you would usually expect from a similar hardware store like the homebase it replaced, but it was the little extras that mean a usual day out at the shops coupled with moans and groans was in fact a day at the shops with smiles and happiness! For example I was free to look at the flowers in the outside area as the kids were checking out the kids play house. They enjoyed spending time in the play area which kept them sufficiently entertained!
Even DH couldn't moan when he noticed the huge area dedicated to the BBQs, which kept him entertained too!

We spent the £20 on a variety of things.. some flowers, light bulbs, a new fan for DD to keep cool in her bedroom as well as a beautiful wall atlas for her.

One negative we had was the dedicated parent and toddler parking spaces were no one near a trolley station so I had a bit of a walk to find a trolley and put it back after. Would not be so good if i was on my own and would have to leave kids unattended in the car. Also the trollies all seemed to have a smallish basket on top of a flat section. Good if you have some big heavy items but felt it would have been better to have some 'normal' trollies too so that you would have a bigger basket area for more smaller items.

Would definitely go back if we require anything else for the home or garden. Overall enjoyable for the whole family!

[theresamustgo]

Non tester. Best home improvement, an ingenious door that can either shut an old tank cupboard or the kitchen. genius!

[foxessocks]

Non attendee- best home improvement tip is not to have too much STUFF. But do have lots of pictures on the walls!

[zippyants]

This is such a tiny tip BUT saves your pinkies from major hammer hurts - use a peg to slide the nail through and hold it in place - keeping your fingers out of the way!

[Quietvoiceplease]

Non-attendee
I have a couple of home improvement tips.
The first is one I am still learning: its that homes look better when they are tidy and orderly: clear the clutter and invest in good storage items - for the big stuff, but also drawers, box files etc for the little stuff. Makes home life much easier.
The second is about home DIY. Prep really matters. Its the difference between a great paint job that lasts, and one that doesn't. It's boring, but it matters. Also - the last 5% matters too - the finishing touches. No one notices the expensive bathroom suite, if you've fudged up your mastic around the bath or your laminate flooring falls short of the door.

[georgedawes]

Non attendee -

My best tip is that although it's an oldie, it really is true that the hard work is the preparation. It makes such a difference to the finish, for example, if you properly clean your walls before painting, tape the edges, use decent equipment and so on. Also, youtube has been a god send in teaching me things!

[ThemisA]

I always find that new doors and new skirting board can really make a difference and modernize a property relatively inexpensively

[ehallett2581]

Non-attendee - my best home improvement tip is to have lots of storage. Have a place for everything so that your clutter isn't on show.

[janeyf1]

Non attendee home improvement tip - I like to make life easy for myself so buy cheat products or simple new soft furnishings to change or modernise a look in the room. My latest must-have is the UniBond Renew Silicon Sealant - Anti Mould Rejuvenate Kitchen & Bathroom. It makes such a difference and is hassle free to use

[maryandbuzz1]

Non attendee
My best advice is to get someone who knows what they are doing in.
My husband just gets angry and I have to leave the house to stay sane. We did try to put some skirting board up around a corner ...the skirting board got shorter and shorter as neither of us could cut the angle. After this episode we decided it was better to get a professional!

[SSCRASE123]

Our house is old and can be dark in some places so we use mirrors and lighting cleverly positioned to maximise and make best use of natural light with ability to boost when required with our own subtle lighting.

[jacqui5366]

Non attendee : for me the best home improvement tip is a can of gloss, give your skirting boards and door frames a coat, it is an cheap and easy home brightener which makes your house look cleaner and fresher for little outlay and a bit of elbow grease.

[Blobski1]

I have transformed old and dated, inbuilt wardrobes and cupboards, into magical ballerina themed decor... only one issue now, our daughter doesn't want us to move house.

[shellywkd]

Non attendee. I find under-counter swing-out storage really helps organize and de-clutter our kitchen. It makes really good use of space especially for bulkier items.

[towser44]

Have the confidence to do things or build things yourself rather than paying for people to come in and do them or buying them from the shops. So far this year we have built our own woodstore for a fraction of the cost of a shop bought item, extended and fenced our garden and laid a small patio in front of DD's playhouse!

[moosexxx]

Non attendee.

Get rid of the clutter. Once that is out of the way, clean and then paint the room.
Maybe move the furniture around (space allowing).
Once thats done the room will look much better, with relatively little effort or cost.

[hdh747]

When decorating, it's all in the prep, make sure all surfaces are really sound, clean, and sanded.

[kassza]

Create a Pinterest board, search the web for images and ideas and then do thorough research to find the best deal. Sometimes paying for delivery works out better in the long run rather than buying local.

[CopperPan]

Non tester. My best tip is use inspiration boards like Houzz and Pinterest to get an idea of the overall look you want, before diving in with random ideas that might not fit well together. I also browse Rightmove and look at the type of home/demographic that's similar to ours, and save screenshots.

[rachelmi]

Move anything precious completely out of the way and use lots of covers and plastic sheets to contain dust, paint etc

[andywedge]

My best tip is - don't let me do it
My god I'm a DIY disaster - I can turn hanging a photo into a plasterer being required

[jandoc]

my home improvement tips are to do one room at a time and not get carried away doing little bits of other rooms at the same time

[userinfinity]

My home improvement tip - go for wipeable paint on the walls lol especially in the hallways. I prefer white walls and skirting/windowsills. Just makes our rooms look more spacious and brighter and easier to update decor with different colours as and when you wish.

Wish we had a buntings store close to us

[lizd31]

Buy a matchpot of the colour you decorate your room in then if you have any mishaps at a later date you can touch it up to match