I walked in with an idea, some measurements, and walked out with everything I needed, cut and ready…read moreto assemble. Everyone should have some basic DIY skills. This place makes it easy. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely use again.

Have you got a drip that needs fixing? Maybe a picture that needs hanging? Perhaps you just like…read morethe sound and feel of power tools and the sense of do-it-yourself manliness that they provide. Whatever your reason, A. Gatto and Sons is your best option if you're shopping for tools, tips and other construction materials in Earlsfield. And aside from their mean collection of tools that go "BZZZ" in the night also keep the tamer items you might need around the house, like screws, glues, hammers and safety gear. Service is friendly throughout and you're welcome to ask one of the chaps behind the counter for advice on what you're trying to fix or build.

If you are a passionate hobby interior designer - go to the Fulham DIY shop.Going there most of…read morethere customers are electricians, builders etc. who go there as a regular to order wholesale. Before the smoking ban they even were allowed to enter in with their light cigarettes - that is how easy going this place is. From the bottom to the top there are shelving with anything from nails, toolboxes, tubes, window handles etc. I once made my way there as my window screw broke. They had several versions of my broken example and I could close my window in a couple of hours again. That was a relieve. They also have more stock in the backrooms, therefore whatever you need, ask - they might have it. What I appreciate, even though there is a counter where you get served, you are allowed to have a look around. The service is very polite even when you only buy 4 screws.

Very high stock level (have everything you need in stock)…read moreWith excellent advice , never been let down by them.

From the owner: Hardware, plumbing, cleaning, decorating, security and much moreread more

A few years ago this was mainly a DIY place where you could pick up paint and the like. However…read morethey have put in a first floor, which doubles the space and it now has kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, making it far more useful. There are invariably lots of sale items and it is certainly worth a look if you fancy a new kitchen. However it still stocks the usual suspects.

Being a physician, I'm not that handy at DIY. Surgeons usually have more aptitude in that…read moredirection, especially orthopods who love nothing better than to have a drill in their hand! The recent storms in London brought down a few of our fence panels at home. So, my sister and I headed out to look for supplies to perform a few repairs. Wickes had more builders' materials than Homebase across the road We got good advice from the staff and walked out with the right tools to effect the necessary repairs. Sadly, if the fence falls down again, I'll have to blame my DIY skills rather than the materials. As you know, a bad workman blames his tools!

Usually the Maplin stores are carbon copies of each other, but there's something different about…read morethis branch. Firstly, the nice, white colour scheme is not the usual garish post box red. The shelves seem busier and some of the Christmas gift ideas are really good. Who wouldn't enjoy a radio-controlled rat, or mini walkie-talkies with a 5km range? Small Christmas trees made of plastic circuit board catch my eye: you have to build them up yourself and feature LEDs for lights. Being a bit of an electronics geek I always find Maplin to be a good browse, though they are sometimes overpriced. But all the sale shelves in the Putney branch quickly put my mind at ease. A nice and inexpensive gift for a music lover is a box of blank CD-Rs that look like little records. There's also always something for mom, dad, little brother or sister. Maplin Putney always has knowledgeable staff on hand to field more technical questions too.

A veritable Aladdins cave of widgets and bloggets that can have you convinced that you need them…read morewhen in fact you don't. . . I am talking RC helicopters, screw driver sets, batteries of all shapes and sizes, memory cards, adaptors, disco lighting, home CCTV etc etc etc