Are B&Q getting better?

[Ferdinand]

I was down at B&Q this PM looking at showers and bathroom items.

 

For example, the tiles seem noticeably more reasonable than in the past, with a fair selection in the range £10-18 per sqm.

 

I was also quite taken with a vanity mounted wide whb, which has a recessed shelf inside the bowl outline for soap, bottles etc. I have not seen that before.

 

Does anyone else have any views / experience?

 

Ferdinand

[recoveringbuilder]

Bought tiles for two of my ensuites from b&q after getting fed up sourcing from the internet and IIRC they were about £14 per metre look lovely when installed 

[joe90]

I bought all my floor tiles from B@Q and they were very reasonable and look great.

[Conor]

We bought all of our bathroom tiles from them plus my brewshed. No issues, quality is good for the price. It does help that I'm 5min drive from my nearest store

Edited April 5, 2019 by Conor

[Jeremy Harris]

I find B&Q a bit like the Curate's Egg, good in parts.  If you know what you're buying, then they can be very good (were even better when they were still giving a universal 10% discount on Wednesdays).  I've been pleasantly surprised at how well a cheap, own brand (really a no-name Chinese make) mitre saw has held up.  On the other hand, I've bought some over-priced crap from them in the past, notably some rubbish plumbing fittings. 

 

On balance, I tend to go to Wickes now, as they seems to generally be better value, and because of the one-way system around that bit of the A36 in Salisbury means that I pretty much have to pop into Wickes before passing B&Q anyway.

[Ferdinand]

interesting all.

 

I find that Wickes are a little less competitive, having withdrawn a few their bulk buys eg 3 for 2 on paint rarer.

 

Ferdinand

[bassanclan]

Yes but a lot of those B&Q tiles are absolute terrible quality, whoever is tiling needs to have a good look at them before they start.

Eurocladdings Birmingham are my go to place, there is some shocking stuff there too but prices are starting at £5-6 per sq m

[Ferdinand]

9 hours ago, bassanclan said:

Yes but a lot of those B&Q tiles are absolute terrible quality, whoever is tiling needs to have a good look at them before they start.

Eurocladdings Birmingham are my go to place, there is some shocking stuff there too but prices are starting at £5-6 per sq m

 

Cheers.

 

My go-to for the last few years has been the current half price offer inside the door at Wickes for porcelain tiles, or my local good Trade Supplier Tile Town near M1 J28.. That has been reduced slightly to 40%, but you can still get a further 20% off that from the Trade account and the payment side.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

13 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

I was also quite taken with a vanity mounted wide whb, which has a recessed shelf inside the bowl outline for soap, bottles etc. I have not seen that before.

 

They call this an "integrated soap dish", which I would call "shelf in the side of the bowl to keep the wet, messy, things off the floor".

 

The hand basin which I like turns out to be called a Mila (the current B&Q range seems to be named after a team of Balkan Gymnasts).

https://www.diy.com/departments/cooke-lewis-mila-single-bowl-countertop-basin/1677739_BQ.prd

 

I would be after the 800mm wide version for around £100.

 

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by Ferdinand

[PeterW]

It’s resin which would put me off. Twyford do something very similar in porcelain for about the same price. 

[Triassic]

I’ve not been in a B&Q for at least two years, maybe that’s why they are struggling!