The best place to buy drainage supplies

Where do you buy your underground drainage supplies? From big box stores such as B&Q and Wickes or retailers such as Screwfix and Toolstation? With their ‘trade’ options and UK-wide coverage, these might be a tempting choice, but there’s more to drainage than price and convenience. In this blog post, we compare the pros and cons of buying from these sources or choosing a specialist supplier such as Drainfast.

Big box benefits

The UK’s main DIY retailers have developed a highly successful business model targeting the DIY and home improvement market, combining building and decorating supplies with homeware and gardening. They operate from large stores in retail parks, are open late into the evenings and at weekends, and offer the consumer a wide choice of products.

However, despite turning their attention to the trade sector with services such as B&Q TradePoint and Wickes TradePro, they are essentially still DIY retailers. This can be seen in the quality of the products they offer and the brands they stock. Tools are more suited to DIY than professional construction, while the choice of timber and drainage products is limited and of inferior quality.

Are trade retailers better?

Trade retailers such as Screwfix and Toolstation are more focused on supplying tradesmen than the general public, and this can be seen in the wider selection of professional tools, fixings and fittings they offer. And yet, in the main the product quality differs little from that of the big box stores. 

B&Q and Screwfix are both part of Kingfisher plc and supply the same product brands across most of their range. Toolstation was set up by the original founder of Screwfix when it was sold to Kingfisher, and both the type and quality of products they offer are similar.

How does Drainfast compete?

We don’t sell paint and wallpaper, lighting and homewares, tools and timber, or plants and gardening accessories, because we are specialists in drainage systems and supplies.

The brands we sell are premium-grade products used by major civil engineering contractors that easily outperform the DIY-grade drainage products sold by national retailers. 

As specialist suppliers, we also offer a greater range of underground drainage products and accessories than general retailers, which means you can be sure of only having to buy your drainage products from a single source, and know that they will be in stock when you need them.

You can also draw on our technical expertise to help you select the best products and the best solution for your job, while our free material take-off scheme streamlines the process of specifying, ordering and supplying your drainage needs by eliminating some of the risks and frustrations frequently associated with groundworks.

We also offer unique products for underground drainage installation that are unavailable from these other retailers. These include our MuckStopper® system that protects your drains against the silt and dirt that causes blockages and our SiteStak® storage system that organises and protects your drainage supplies on the construction site while providing a convenient workstation.

So that just leaves the question of convenience. While we don’t have a similar national network of stores, our online ordering service and transport fleet mean you can order online and get next-day delivery.

The best place to buy your drainage products? You choose

There’s no doubt that if you only need a small amount of drainage components and you are either working to a tight deadline or a tighter budget, providing a nearby DIY or trade retailer holds everything you need in stock they are likely to be the faster, cheaper option.

However, if you want the peace of mind that comes from using civils-quality drainage products and the support of a highly experienced and helpful technical team, then speak to Drainfast on 01420 555600 or email [email protected]