One of those shops that seems to have all sorts of household items that you often don't realise you…read moreneed til you walk in here. Mops, buckets, mats, bathroom mirrors... there's a bit of everything in here.

Popped in here yesterday to pick up some electrical terminal blocks to fit a ceiling light, that…read moresounded very professional didn't it? To be honest I only had a vague idea of what I was looking for but the blokes in Castle helped me out as soon as I walked through the door. This is an old school DIY and hardware store - they seem to have everything behind that counter. The good thing about coming here rather than going to a chain shop is that I was able to walk in ask an expert and leave within 5 minutes. I also didn't have to buy anything I didn't need. They stock plumbing, electrical and decorating equipment including paint but I would suggest just going in and speaking to the guys who work there - they couldn't have been more helpful. What's more, the electrical blocks cost me under £2! Great value!

Castle DIY is an independent hardware store on the Antrim Road, just off by the Cavehill Road…read moreintersection. It's a great place for a bit of local knowledge. I'm not a driver so if something goes wrong or I need to get some paint, its hassle to go to one of the big B&Q or the other big stores. The staff have a great knowledge of everything they sell. I needed some orange paint and whilst they didn't have a certain insane colour (not my choice!), but they offered to get it delivered in withouth any extra charge. Pleasant, knowledgeable guys who will go that extra mile to help.

Argh, me and hardware stores really don't work well together, and you'll know that if you've read…read moreany of my reviews on the subject. They are super scary, intimidating shops for most females, and I am definitely no exception. At first glance, Geddis and McKee is a hardcore hardware shop. We're talking high vis jackets, huge manly boots, every nail / screw / whatever else men need that you could possibly think of. It almost screams "man" in a deep, threatening voice. And then I found some rubber gloves that my mum absolutely loves (I am a true rhyming master), and thought, 'huh, this shop isn't as tough as it first looks'. Selling ladies bright yellow rubber gloves is definitely a drop down a notch in the overall manly ratings. In fact, Geddis and McKee isn't as scary as I first thought. It has a whole load of household cleaners and the like, pet food and accessories and even a selection of confectionery. Mmm. Some might say it's almost ladylike. Almost.

This is one of those places where you've always been able to get your paint and other DIY malarkey…read more They're also pretty popular as an establishment where you can hire all sorts of tools and equipment whether you're tidying up the garden or building an extension. You can hire equipment from hedge clippers and lawn rakers to kangos and cement mixers. It seems the only thing they don't do is a crane, but I'm sure if you asked them... It's a family owned business and in recent years has diversified to offer other services. They now do a line of party items, Halloween costumes, and even floral arrangements for weddings. Still, their hire services for equipment is pretty useful, especially if you're sitting about the house with nothing to do and think, "I reckon that wall would look better with a hole in it..."

This place looks like it's been caught in a time warp, its amazing. Walking through its doors is…read morelike travelling back through time. I'm not sure why anyone would like to travel back in time to a hardware shop but there ya go. It stocks all the dedicated D.I.Yer would need to help them in their quest to ruin their living room by trying to mount their own shelves or flat screen tv. The staff know everything their is to know about the contents of the shop and will help you no end, if it's required.

This is a great little pokey shop on the Lisburn road. With so many new outlets on the Lisburn road…read morecatering for everything from Estate Agents to interior design, its nice to see an old well maintained premises. But lets be honest, for most of us hardware is hardware and I for one like the thought that I can buy my garden spade form a place my grandfather bought his garden spade from. The guys that work look like they have fun, they stock just about anything that a DIY quiz would mention but don't plan any of your weekly hammer purchasing trips on a Wednesday. As they will be having a wee afternoon off!!! Visiting Mr Guinness i gather

Sampsons is one of those places that sort of sells everything. I once went in with a list of the…read moremost obscure stuff imaginable, I think the list included a 40 watt light bulb, some miracle grow, a poker and a bag of turf. Upon entrance the list was taken off me and low and behold within 1 minute all items were on the counter waiting for payment. This is the type of shop Sampsons is, no matter how odd the request they will have it. They are primarily a hardware store but they have recently diversified to the garden market and now offer potted plants and compost. Although on the downside I found the shop very confusing so if you do not know exactly what you are looking for it is best to ask. Sampsons is very reasonable in price and he will sometimes throw in a few extra bits and bobs if he thinks you need them. The only real alternative is Homebase or another big DIY specialist but if you are in the centre of town and you need something no matter how strange (I think they even do plastic spanners and left handed screw drivers) then Sampsons is the place to go.

This is one of the oldest shops in Bangor, it has to be. I have lived here all my life and I don't…read moreremember it not being here. It is based on Hamilton Road which means that it can be tough to get to because of the one-way system but if you park the car in the Asda Car Park it is only a wee hop, skip and a jump across the road so you should be ok. This place stocks everything from garden pots, tools, miracle gro, DIY tools, hammers, spanners, nuts, bolts, brushes, hoes, rakes and basically every type of hardware that you could possibly think of other than light firearms. The staff are knowlegeable and extremely helpful. Always polite and efficent, they make popping in here to pick something up a charm.

When I was younger my dad was always a bit handy round the house, if anything needed doing, the…read moreidea of calling someone in to do it was always an alien concept. He always did it himself, and it always required a visit to Andy's Stores to get the items needed to complete the job. It looks small from the outside, but inside, it is the untimate hardware store, they have a good selection of pretty much everything you need to get the job done. They have everything from tools, plumbing odds and ends, paints and painting equipment, gardening supplies, electrical supplies, house ware items, locks, key cutting.. you name it. They also seem to be able to compete with the larger DIY stores, which is no big surprise, as they have been in business for years, so they are obviously doing something right. Parking is a bit hit and miss. If you are getting bulky/heavy items, you would want to be parked out the front, but they are on a busy road, so it can be a bit hit and miss as to whether this is possible, but if not, there is a filling station with plenty of parking next door.

Andy's stores is well known in the area for being a great…read more (and cheap to boot!) hardware shop. It's here that you can pick up any number of various electrical / household goods or even find the parts for that item you've just taken apart and tried to put back together (which never works does it?) Well, Andy and his great employees can, more often that not, help you out with whatever DIY problem you may have. I'm not the best minded in that regard and when something breaks I usually run to my dad begging him to help me, though sometimes even Daddy's can't fix everything (Shock I know) and in that event, dad comes to Andy's to solve the problem. If you can't fix it here, then it can't be fixed!

It just struck me (like a bolt of lightening, some might say) before I began my review as to why…read morethis place is named so...Hardys Hardware. Excellent. Aside from the innovative name, Hardys is a pretty darn good wee shop. The fact that it's slightly more than a hardware store made me feel slightly more at ease (you may recall my previous review [singular] of a hardware store, and how I felt completely out of place), but I have to say that it was also the accompaniment of my dad that made the whole experience generally nicer. Thanks Daddy. Back to the vast range of stock though. Yes, it's got the wood, tools, gadgets and DIY stuff, but there's a huge variety of other stuff too. There's toiletries, household cleaners, pet goods, home decor...even confectionery! I got lost in the toiletry section while my dad looked for some man thingy. Or something like that. It's definitely the extensive assortment of goods that makes Hardys that little bit special. Hardys and Other Items You May Find Yourself Needing doesn't have quite the same ring though...

One of the best general hardware and DIY stores you will find in NI. The range is huge and its more…read moreconvenient being in the centre of Comber than travelling to B&Q and other superstores in Ards north Down or Dundonald.

McCune's is a well known DIY shop in Carrickfergus. This is one of the few shops in the town that…read morehas been 'part of the furniture' for as long as I can remember. They sell a range of wallpaper, paint, varnish, in fact, pretty much anything you would need for general DIY. Perfect for someone who has a quick job to do, and doesn't want the hassle of having to go all the way up to Newtownabbey to visit one of the larger DIY stores. They also sell a range of gardening items. As has already been mentioned, the staff are super helpful, especially for someone as clueless as me when I wanted to make my first attempt at wallpapering (it didn't work, but it wasn't due to ill advice, just my poor skills) In addition, McCune's is one of the few places locally that you can get a key cut, so if you ever need a spare key in a hurry, this is the place to go. Nice selection of keyrings too!

A boring review, but a review none the less! There's so many big stores like this on the Boucher…read moreRoad. Within a mile radius you have B&Q, Homebase and Dunelm Mill - all essentially selling the same sort of things. So why go to Homebase over the others? Well first up they have a dedicated garden section. Secondly they are always really well staffed and you can ask for help rather than aimlessly wandering the isles. They also nearly always have sales on - if you buy anything at full price here you're doing it wrong. One negative is the parking situation. Unlike B&Q across the road they don't have dedicated parking for large purchases. So if you're heading to Homebase make sure you try and get a space close by. It's either that or take a few wing mirrors off whilst negotiation you large purchase through parked cars. Don't say I didn't warn you! 3 stars, nothing more, nothing less.

This Homebase store is massive. You could spend a week in here and never make it through every…read moreaisle. This is great if you have time to spend hoking and poking through garden furniture, paint and odd bits and bobs, however not so great if you've called in for a quick purchase. The store is bright and airy, with its high ceilings and white walls. Yet it can get a little cold when you're wondering around so make sure you have a cardigan or jacket on hand. What I find about this store is that weekends in particular seem to bring the masses in. Whether there has been a recent advertisement that D.I.Y enthusiasts have jumped to, a couple have recently moved house or people going for a nosy, they all arrive at the weekend. So, if you don't fancy queuing, make use of the late week night openings as they tend to be a lot quieter with time to ponder over difficult decisions.