Category: Materials & Supplies

Anyone who has been to Wickes or Travis Perkins knows there are multiple materials economies in this country, and prices can vary drastically for the same item. An OSB sheet may cost £28 at a retail store, but only £19 at a suppliers, if you’re a member. A bag of postcrete may cost £8.50 at B&Q, but £5.20 at the local suppliers, if you buy a pallet. A same-tin supplier paint may cost £42 at a trade depot, but £67 at a retail DIY store.

It’s easy to expect that this kind of scenario should be a scandal, but it isn’t. It’s the lay of the land, and it’s helpful to understand this before you spend a few thousand pounds on project supplies.

Three tiers the average homeowner doesn’t see

Retail DIY (B&Q, Wickes, Homebase) markets are designed for single purchases. The average consumer will buy a single bag of screws and a bag of compost. Prices reflect convenience and the smaller sizes of the bags. Quality is inconsistent; some products are the same as trade products, and some products are down/specified.

Notable suppliers for kitchen supplies including Travis Perkins, Jewson, Selco, Buildbase, MKM, or Howdens are set up to fulfill contractors’ pallets. Prices are lower, volume is higher, and relative quality is higher — layout is more self-serve, and staff offer less support. Most merchants, though, will set up an account for a homeowner with a fair size order, and you don’t need to be VAT-registered or a trade business to order.

Specialist suppliers will move to purchase, trade-grade supplies as stock with a retail customer experience, and competitive prices on common items but not on bulk materials. Merchants like Screwfix, Toolstation, and electrical suppliers like Edmundson and CEF will sell products and compete with retail.

Depending on the product, prices will change. Merchants will sell sand, ballast, and cement, but other products such as power tools, paint, and timber may be sold at retail prices. Structural timber and trade finishers will be sold at a merchant with retail timber. Bathrooms will be sold at a trade merchant along with other specialist suppliers. These retailers will beat other suppliers, but with delivery risks.

One of the main reasons that grades matter more than brands is the difference in price.

There are certain scenarios where using one kind of plywood over another would be inappropriate. For instance, there is a 2400 * 1200 mm sheet of CE2+ structural softwood plywood that costs approximately £40, and there is a 2400 * 1200 mm sheet of marine-grade hardwood plywood that costs approximately £130. Both products are in the same plywood category. Timber grade, decking grade, the type of screws used (structural timber screws vs. general-purpose screws), and the paint used (contract matt vs. durable matt) are all examples of this principle.

It’s common for an average-quality own-brand product at the right grade to offer better performance than a high-quality, premium brand product at the wrong grade.

There are certain building materials that merit spending a little more, such as flooring or decking, external doors, paving, and even render. Anything that is buried behind walls and that would otherwise be a huge inconvenience to replace, such as pipework, structural fixings, or the membrane under a roof, also deserves the investment. This is also true for anything that could pose a danger if it were to fail, such as gas fittings or a consumer unit.

In general, it is commonly understood that using the right grades of materials is important, but there are certain times and materials where it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot more than the average price, such as standard fixings and basic hand tools. For example, a £6 hammer will drive a nail as well as a £40 one. There are also certain materials that are inexpensive until they reach the building site, such as bagged aggregates and certain types of timber adhesive that any reputable supplier would provide. The use of low-grade materials in any building is inappropriate.

Delivery, returns, and the extra hidden charges

In the UK, merchants offer free delivery for orders above a certain value, typically between £50 and £100, and charge for orders below that value. Retail delivery for home improvement stores has become more competitive, and now Wickes and B&Q charge for delivery for orders below a set threshold, and that threshold has been steadily rising. Same-day and scheduled deliveries cost more. Deliveries requiring a HIAB (Hiab is a vehicle with a crane which is used for heavy lifting) or a tail-lift also cost more.

As for returns, merchants typically take back unopened materials that are in saleable condition, but often charge a restocking fee which is, of course, considered a non-standard item. Retail typically has a more liberal policy, but doesn’t necessarily extend to bulk orders or special orders. A bespoke kit (cut to size timber, made to measure glass, and mixed paint) is almost never returnable, and the merchant will inform the customer of such a policy upon ordering.

It can be easy for the customer to not realize that the supply side of practically any home project is where the customer is actually spending unnecessary amounts of money. Getting the materials right is half the battle won before the actual work starts.