DIY materials etc

I've bought all of my tools here in Romania. However, I do get the impression that they are a little bit more expensive here, but not so much more so that it's worth paying for shipping (plus the hassle). If you're coming over by car, it's probably an idea to bring or buy tools.

As for the materials, it's kind of hard to compare as the brands are generally different (or maybe the same but rebranded to suit local market tastes or even sometimes to actually avoid direct price comparison between markets - pretty common in the white goods market). I've just tried to compare some Dulux products but the ones shown in online DIY stores here look different to those on Wicks' site, so again, hard to compare. Even the names of the colours seems different. However, a standard 5L tub of Dulux costs about 30 quid in the UK but a similar product by Dulux here comes in around 24 quid, so perhaps they're a bit cheaper here.

Also depends on the popularity of materials. The place I'm doing up is pretty old so I'm doing most of the repairs with lime plaster, mortar and wash. A 25kg bag of hydrated lime costs about 2 quid here. As far as I know (never used it before coming here) it's a lot more expense in the UK. It's still used quite a lot here, and there are several plants making the stuff, so I suppose local supply and customer demand keep the prices down.

I think, when it comes to materials, you'll have to do a bit of research to see where it's cheap. You can look on sites like Dedeman, Praktiker, Bricostore, Bricodepot, and Obi to get an idea of Romanian prices.

All the best

Hi,
Thanks very much for the information, it was much appreciated
regards Martin

Hi Again,
Sorry, I forgot to ask but do you know of any freight companies who will transport a couple of pallets of stuff at a reasonable price from U.K. to Bucharest,
regards Martin

Hi Martin,
Having recently been to Bucharest to renovate my apartment, I found a lot of DIY products to be inferior compared to the UK. I ended up getting a local decorator in to do the work, he done an excellent job using products purchased in Romania. There are a few German DIY stores and I've read something about Bricostore which is apparently owned by the same group that owns B&Q.
I have just got an estimate for transporting my own furniture to Romania, which was £2500. My lounge suit and beds in the UK are of a far superior quality than the ones I purchased in Bucharest a few years ago.
You are probably better to spend a week or so checking products out in Romania, that way you could decide for yourself.
My wife and I are hoping to move to Romania mid 2015, so we are trying to get things right and live in a property with British styles and quality before we get there.
All the best for the future.
Glyn

Try this site, they give free quotations.

deliveryquotecompare.com/customer/quoterequest/category-selection/

Hi Glyn,
Thanks for the info, much appreciated
regards Martin

Hi Martin We're doing up an old house in Arges & having trouble locating planed wood. You can buy packs of basic stuff occasionally in big DIY stores but nothing of any size or quality. Also wood skirting board, picture rail & most decorative mouldings are impossible to find. The only source of English style wood undercoat so far is Dedeman, & we buy in 20's & get a carrier to deliver & the gloss paint (& we've tried them all) is rubbish. It takes 2 coats with sanding down between to get a good result. Wire wool is also non existent as are British style lump hammers. We persevere!

Hi,
Thanks for the info, much appreciated, Martin

No for sure it is much cheaper to buy all this stuff here in Romania..

I had no problem getting a lump hammer but can't remember where I got it from. There haven't been many tools I haven't found somewhere or other.

Bricostore seems to have sold off a lot of their stores to BricoDepot. I stopped at the one in Brasov a couple of weeks back with a list and ended up having to move on to Dedeman to get the rest of the stuff. BricoDepot also doesn't do anything in the way of soft furnishings.

For wood, I ended up buying rough sawn wood from a local timber mill for a reasonable price (pine, black locust and oak) to the dimensions I needed and then just planed and routed it myself to spec.

Another handy place to look for some items are the smaller hardware stores. I've found them invaluable for little items such as locks, hinges, window catches and so on, things the major stores don't bother stocking these days.

i dont know because i am not in bucaresti yet only january may be

look for someone who wants one to  sharing   one a partment in bucarsti from January     one t2