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Published on May 16, 2024

Pro Tips

Le grand chantier RONA: Pierre-Olivier Cantin’s Top Renovation Tips

General contractor Pierre-Olivier Cantin, expert judge on the reality TV series Le grand chantier RONA, shares his top tips so you can nail all your renovation or home improvement projects—no matter your level of experience.

Pierre-Olivier Cantin

avantagerenoconcept.ca

General contractor Pierre-Olivier Cantin (also known as POC!) is the president and founder of Avantage Réno-Concept. Backed by over 15 years of experience in renovation, Pierre-Olivier is committed to creating living spaces that are adapted to his customers’ needs. The former actor sees Le grand chantier RONA as the perfect opportunity to combine his two passions: acting and home improvement.

Renovate Your Home with Care

Renovations offer several advantages that go beyond aesthetics. In addition to enhancing the value of your property, they can make it more comfortable and functional. Grab your tools and let’s get started!

Set of Craftsman tools

What basic tools and accessories do you think every homeowner should have?

At the very least, a hammer, a screwdriver set, a tape measure, and a level. But a carpenter’s square is also very handy! A circular saw is an affordable and versatile choice for making precise cuts. Lastly, an impact driver (with a good set of driver and drill bits), is indispensable, as it allows you to both screw and drill. Whatever the tool, the Craftsman brand is ideal for first-time buyers, offering reliable performance at an affordable price.

SHOP TOOLS

Rona store associate helping a customer

What are some common pitfalls that renovation beginners should avoid?

Three words: safety, organization, communication. Whatever your level of experience, they’re essential!

Plan, plan, plan: When just staring out, there’s often a tendency to minimize the workload on a job site. Careful planning helps avoid a great deal of stress, wasted time, unnecessary cuts, additional costs, repeated trips to the store, and other unpleasant surprises.
Get informed: Many people think they know everything right off the bat, or don’t want to ask questions for fear of looking bad. Not taking the time to read the instructions on product packaging also increases the risk of errors. For example, by reading carefully, the teams on Le grand chantier RONA would have been aware of the recommended minimum clearance between joints and from the wall. In addition to wasting less time, they would now have a more stable flooring.

Person using a level

Keep safety top of mind: To avoid injury, it is crucial to wear personal protective equipment—think glasses, gloves, and more—at all times on a work site.
Use the right tools and materials: During the show, contestants had access to several tools and materials they had never worked with before. Becoming familiar with these cutting tools before starting could have solved several issues. For example, to avoid damaging the countertop, the contestants could have done a test to determine whether the blade they chose was suitable for the task.
Communicate: It’s important to communicate and to look over each other’s work in order to make any necessary adjustments as early as possible.
Pace yourself: Winging it is never a good idea when you’re inexperienced. Take the time to visualize, plan, add marks, measure, check, adjust, and so on.

Person making touch-ups to wall panels

Protect your work space: Cleaning is an important part of the daily routine on any job site. By taking care to protect your completed work and to pick up materials and tools as you go, you can avoid damage (to floors, walls, furniture, and more) and incidents.
Don’t forget the finishing touches: The difference is in the details! Little mistakes catch the eye. Don’t forget to check the finish with your hand: are there any nails sticking out, or is anything catching? For wall-mounted shelves, for example, it’s important to check the horizontal and vertical level, then double-check before securing in place. When applying stain, make sure to stain the cuts and pay attention to the number of coats to make sure the colour is as consistent as possible.

This week, the teams worked on the exterior siding. Do you have any tips to share with the people back home?

The starting moulding is extremely important: it’s what gets the project off to a good start, but also what prevents water from penetrating or rodents from entering. So it’s not just a question of aesthetics, but also one of safety and hygiene. And once again, to avoid many pitfalls, it’s important to follow the supplier’s instructions.

SHOP EXTERIOR SIDING

Pro Tip

Another tip for beginners: never check the level using the ground or foundation as a reference point! A laser level is essential for getting any exterior siding project off to a good start.

Want to Know More?

We’ve put together a series of guides, tutorials, and more to inspire you and help you make your projects a reality. Before starting a project, take a look at our comprehensive and practical content!

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