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

[MakeTeaNotWar]

Non-attendee - do one room at a time, finish it and then move on. Also, aim for as little clutter as possible - clear surfaces look so much more together than one covered in "stuff"

[mrsglowglow]

My home improvement tip - after painting a room, decant some left over paint into a clean, empty jam or coffee jar. Put a label showing the room and paint name on it and store under the sink with a paint brush. Easy then to do quick touch ups without searching in the garage.

[juju3]

plan plan plan and don't rely on others - people including tradesmen don't seem very clued up

[ChaoticEclectic]

Non attendee

My best home improvement tip is not to let my OH near anything remotely DIY related because as far as he is concerned the D stands for destroy!!

Aside from that it would have to be to keep a sample of the wallpaper, paint and floor covering for each room in a notebook/folder which you can easily refer to while shopping for accessories/other decor to co-ordinate.

[Jessiecat27]

Non attendee - my tip is to move your furniture around often! My oh does this regularly as he gets bored and it helps keep the rooms fresh and it's good to be able to deep clean at the same time! Revamp old furniture by painting it, it's cheaper to restore than to buy new and it's fun, you can really make it your own!

[Elliepurpleflower]

Non attendee - my tip is to not take short cuts, and do it properly. For instance when painting, make sure wood is sanded well and primed will improve the look and longevity of the paint job.

[Maria27567]

Best home improvement tip...to make your kitchen feel brand new again just change the doors on the cupboards..a lot cheaper than buying a new kitchen but will feel like you have a new kitchen

[cwalliss82]

Keep off cuts of carpet and wall paper in case you need to do a patch-up job following an accident. Much cheaper than having to re-decorate or re-carpet the whole room.

[Bellroyd]

A coat of paint on your skirtings helps to 'lift' the room. Also, don't pay a window to clean the outside of the windows if you then fail to clean the inside. Do it the same day and then you will add some real sparkle.

[phillie1]

Home improvement tip - line the paint tray for your rollers in cling film - very easy to clean then

[mclarkie]

Switch your light bulbs to LED ones, you will save ££££s on your electric bill

[howdoyouworkthisthing]

Non attendee tip: Use decorators caulking to create smooth edge between skirting / door frames and walls, and ceiling and walls. This fills any gaps and also makes it easier to paint a clean straight line where you have 2 different colours. We just finished redoing our new house and discovered this makes a huge difference to the paint finish (especially as there had previously been gaps between wall and skirting / door frames.

[buckley1983]

My home improvement tip.. it's all in the preparation - namely, sugar soap!
Before painting - clean surfaces with sugar soap - it's so cheap, but superb at cleaning all the grime off skirting boards, walls & other surfaces ready for redecorating.
It's also great for cleaning paint splashes off surfaces after the event!
It's around £1 for a bottle from Home Bargains & as well as being a great preparation tool before redecorating - it's a great all round household cleaner.
In fact, once you've cleaned down the skirting boards with this - you might find they don't need redecorating after all :)

[AR2012]

My home improvement tip -

Filler can sort out a lot of minor damage before repainting

[magolin]

My best home improvement tip is to think about grouting. It seems background but it makes a huge difference to the appearance of a room that has tiles - clean grouting freshens it up instantly.

[Rae1000]

Non attendee

Keeping your home clean, not wearing shoes in house to keep carpets,wooden flooring fresh.

Accessories to brighten up rooms. Change round of furniture positions

A lick of paint. Painting old furniture in my house has givesn it a new lease of life & makes my home look much more contemporary.

A tin of paint is cheap too!

[Waterlow]

Non-attendee:

Cover everything! Dust gets everywhere, even under the dust sheets, so tape them down. Even double-up on them, with a clean sheet under a dust sheet.

[Falconhoof1]

DIY tip- always prepare before painting eg masking tape and dust sheets. Always have a damp cloth handy when painting to wipe away mistakes quickly.

[HopefulHamster]

Non-attendee
best home improvement tip : Do it slowly. Don't feel you have to improve every room at once - you'll just make a mess. You have plenty of time (usually), so do a room at a time and do it properly.

[beckyinman]

Non-attendee
Have neutral coloured walls but then switch up the colour scheme with cushions, throws and flowers

[ClashCityRocker]

My home improvement tip is when you are testing a colour paint squares in various locations around the room you want to paint as colours look different in different light.

[kateandme]

buy cheap plastic plates to put under paint pots.stop the drips on floor and also a place to lay the brush but it.then easy to wash or reuse.
check your laudry closet firs tfor old covers and sheets.and use to cover furniture.
use shower cap to stop plaint splattering in hair.
use old jam or sauce jars to hold painbrushes.
find stick from garden to stiry paint
get things done before starting another job.doing it itty bitty style can feel overwhelming whereas ticking a room or job off feels good and motivating.
buy cheap festival poncho for protection.
use black bing bags as clothes(ie make head and arms wholes) for protection when diyin and painting.
check paint on the walls first

[TreesAreLeafy]

Practice on scrap material before getting in with the real job!

[TreesAreLeafy]

Practise*

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

None attendee.

Top tip to improve quickly and easily is to paint. A fresh coat of paint always makes everything look brighter and smarter.

Get the right paint for the job because it will make things easier. I've found some amazing spray paints and reinvigorated everything from wire garden furniture (got the kind that can go over rust - just give it a buff with a wire brush first) and a plastic one I used to make the loo look better without spending a fortune on getting a new cistern and re-plumbing etc. We inherited the loo when we bought the house. Thin layers of paint and a new loo seat and it was good as new.