B&Q Like store

Welcome Jaja56 to the Community - hope we can all help you out! As far as paint and woodstain go, if you can, you would be better bringing your own over as I really don't think there is such a thing as cheap paint in Italy!!! (or stop in Austria - Baumax is excellent, or Germany on the way). Our nearest 'B & Q' we use is Castarama off the Val Vibrata junction of the A14 motorway. There are none in Le Marche. Lidl do sometimes have offers on woodstain which is from Germany and very good value, so worth keeping an eye out - I think the last one we got from there was a very large tin for €7. There is Brico in Ascoli, but it is certainly not cheap. You can get paint mixed up for you in the Ferramenta's in Amandola near Bella Napoli (Montifortino Road). They are very helpful in there. Look forward to meeting you at some point - have you joined the Le Marche Chapter? If you are here on the 21st June, you are very welcome to come along and meet us at our L'Aquila Fundraising BBQ!!!Good luck with the house.  Sarah and Mark  

As you are quite near to Ascoli Piceno, I would suggest that there are some DIY places that will be useful to you. On the Commercial Road, next to the Osai Shopping complex there's a Brico - very similar to B&Q. Nearby there's another independant but you need to know how to find it. On Via Picena Aprutina between Maury's and the Mlitary barracks there's also a large builder's supplies. If you travel down the commercial road after Oasi / Brico to the very end - almost Castel di Lama - there's another Brico-fer, also similar to B&Q.

Hi John and welcome to the community.You could try Self at Piediripa, the nearest to a B&Q we have found, beware of funny opening times, closed I think all day Monday and then closed again between 12.30 and 4pm (roughly) on other days. Its situated in a large industrial estate, in a shopping centre close to a large cinema mutiplex. Or there is a company called Brico near to Tolentino, again in a large shopping , industrial complex.Sorry if directions are a bit hazy someone else will probably be more precise!.A

Certainly Self at Peidaripa is the nearest thing that I have seen to a B&Q.............and from Penna San Giovanni it is my 'regular' shop for all that sort of thing................. However the local ferramentas have pretty much anything and everything I tend to need............... Regarding prices........................buy EVERYTHING in the UK and bring it over if you can...................the only thing that we have found cheaper here tends to be wine (and the odd lunch) and plants .............wood , tools etc are very expensive!!

If you do buy emulsion paint here, remember it needs to be watered down - usually 20-30% but check the label or do what seems right to get the correct consistency. We use the guy Sarah & Mark recommended in Amandola for coloured pains. Not cheap but excellent quality and good old Brico in Ascoli for white paint in big tubs of 14litres for about €22. What kind of wood stain do you want? IKEA do cheap wood stain. I've just used it on all my outdoor garden furniture and it was excellent (if you don't mind it being a teaky brown colour!). It goes a very long way. In the UK we used SIKKENS wood stain which doesn't need rubbing down after a few years if you want to restain it - it just wear off. Very worth the extra cost and you can get that here. 

A new Castorama has just opened at San'Ercolano at Foligno. I know that's probably 80km or more, but it's definitely B&Q-like!

Our house was totally decorated in the inside using two colours that I chose from a swatch at a rather pressured site meeting with our architetto. I was able to remember the colour names to scrawl down after the meeting, but forgot about noting down the brand.A couple of years on, it looks like our house could do with a tidy up. We now have quite a tenuous relationship with our architetto and he is not being helpful with more serious matters. However, this is a really annoying issue. Does anyone know the major brands of paint available in Italy so I could have a look through to see if there is a match with our paint colour name - Ginster 120 and Granit 15.I have been to Brico but they seem to only really do a colour mixing system and don't seem to keep colours in stock.Any advice would be really appreciated.

Hi John, the Brico at Tolentino is opposite the Simply Iper market and Lidl. Take the turning for Tolention off the dual carriageway and at the roundabout take first right (so you are almost going back on yourself. Follow the road for a couple of miles and the Brico is on the right - though you will see the Supermarkets first.There is also a couple of Bricos at Civitanove Marche again on the same complex as Iper (just beyond the toll booths for the motorway). All the Brico's close during lunchtime - though times vary - it depend what you want we've got a few bits and pieces from there but if you want tiles and stuff you have to go to an Edil... It takes more time to get Fai de Te here - the Italians aren't really into do it yourself! Good luckJo

Forgot to mention about paint, we use the paint place just outside Falerone on the rod to Fermo, not sure if its name but its a small place next door to a car mechanics place on the right going towards Fermo (only a few minutes out of Falerone). They are very helpful there and will mix and advise about colours but they don't do small - the least we could buy was 2.5 litres - 17.50 euros for bathroom paint, it costs a euro per deep shade you want to go if mixing. We used to go to the one at Grozzalina - big colourful place but it seems to have moved away from paints...Happy hunting...Jo

I have generally found the paint bought in Italy to be of very inferior quality.  However we were recommended a paint shop in Tolentino (and the paint is expensive) but it is very good and they will mix you up colours to match.To describe how to find it - If you were coming into the town of Tolentino over the Ponte Diavola, (with the walled town directly in front of you, turn immediately right after the bridge.  You will go passed a car park on the right (normally there are coaches parked there) and immediately after the car park turn right and the paint shop will be right in front of you. 

Dont put the emulsion on wood tho', Castorama is the best bet but there are specialist paint shops out there as well and ours is very helpful. A good ferramenta can be a good and wondrous thing too.