Home Depot vs Lowes

[chipy]

all you DIYers, do you prefer one store over the other? or does it matter based on the specific product you're looking for or go for the best price?

i'm looking at purchasing paint, joint compound, painting rollers, primers, and some other stuff. Lowes has Behr... not sure what HD has.

 

[mshan]

I think they are basically interchangeable.

I believe Behr is Home Depot's brand, Valspar Lowes brand.

 

[vi edit]

Behr is at Home Depot. That's what we've always used and I've been happy with it. I've always used HD but that's more due to Proximity than anything else.

 

[Rage187]

lowes has better sales, home depot has a better selection.

 

[chipy]

I think they are basically interchangeable.

I believe Behr is Home Depot's brand, Valspar Lowes brand.

oops, you're right... got it backwards. thanks for your comment... yeah, they seem neck to neck. i was just wondering if anyone else had a differing opinion.

 

[microAmp]

While HD is a tad bit closer, I prefer Lowes over HD since they're more available people to ask for help. Though from time to time, I do go to HD for minor purchases.

 

[summit]

lowe's is more helpful, but if you know what you are doing home depot has better selection, prices, and hot chicks working.

 

[PottedMeat]

While HD is a tad bit closer, I prefer Lowes over HD since they're more available people to ask for help. Though from time to time, I do go to HD for minor purchases.

Where I am it's the opposite. In HD it seems you can't walk ~20 feet and not find an employee. At Lowes they have that 'help' button. I had to get some wire cut and pressed it 3x before someone came. Another employee even came said he'd get someone to cut wire.

 

[her209]

Home Depot has better selection and prices, plus they are more ubiquitous.

 

[DrPizza]

HD is my last resort. Lowes is an extra 20 minutes away, but given a choice, I'll do business there. Even for things that I figured would be routine - run into HD and be out in 5 minutes - have often wasted an hour of my time.

Special ordered metal roofing (ironically cheaper than in stock) - 3 hours in the store waiting for someone to get my order so I could load it (after they had called me at home telling me it was in.) Then, they said "sorry, come back tomorrow" and closed for the night. A couple more hours the next day before I insisted to the manager that I tag along while he looked, because everyone else had a habit of disappearing, never to be heard from again when they were sent after my order. Found my order - put in stock & gouged to hell. AND they couldn't find the matching color screws that I had special ordered. THEN it started pouring rain - I'd have been done installing it by that point, but lost that weekend because of the change in weather & couldn't do the job for a couple more weekends.

Went there to get some 3/4" plywood. Thanks to 50 bazillion carts in the aisle, it was hard to maneuver the plywood onto a cart - couldn't do it myself & needed my wife at the other end. Not one, but THREE employees walked right past & ignored us when we asked if they could give us a hand loading a couple pieces.

Needed a bundle of 2x6's cut open (metal straps) - asked the girl at the pro desk about 15 feet away, and she called someone. 10 minutes later, she hadn't figured out that no one had come yet. I gave up on waiting & went to their tool section for something to use to cut the bundle myself. When I handed the tool to her and said "here, next time you'll have a tool to cut open the straps yourself, since no one came." "No one helped you?" "You've been standing there 15 feet away. Did you just think I was loitering for no reason??"

Needed a weird plumbing solution (hooking up a pressure regulator to a rocket launcher) - their expert said it was impossible. Local hardware store guy figured it out in 10 seconds.

Constantly need something that's not stocked on the shelf where it says it is - they just open boxes and stick them wherever they want. Not much of a problem until there's something in particular that you need. "Do you have *this*?" "Hmmm, computer says we have 48 in stock, I'll have someone get find them for you." 20 minutes later...

Spoke to the manager a couple times about things like this - "yeah, we have some pretty lazy people." Yet, he's done nothing to correct the problem.

Every location I've gone to Lowes at, people have been friendly, and more importantly, helpful.

 

[GlacierFreeze]

Behr is pretty much the top rated paint across numerous categories, last time I checked (couple years ago). Valspar isn't bad at all, though. Be fine with either one. Just make sure you don't cheap out and cut corners by not using a good primer.

 

[mmntech]

They're six and one half a dozen of each other. It's hard to believe they're all owned by separate companies because the layouts of big box hardware stores are all virtually identical. I tend to get my stuff at Rona, which is a Canadian HD clone, or HD itself.

 

[DrPizza]

Oh, re: "better prices" - not necessarily. When I did tongue and groove on my vaulted ceiling in the kitchen, HD's price: $6.99 for an 8 foot section. Local lumber store: $4.01 for a 14 foot section.

 

[Eli]

I tend to go to Home Depot because that's what I'm used to. I like Lowe's too, though. I haven't really found a reason to like one over the other. Home Depot is just the first thing that comes to mind when I need things like that. If I realized that I needed something and was closer to Lowe's, I would go there.

 

[vi edit]

We've also got Menards across a lot of the Midwest and that's where I go for all my lumber, trim, construction type of things. It's just a heck of a lot cheaper and the staff is a lot more customer focused.

But for paint, as I said, we always have used Behr from HD with no complaints.

 

[HomerSapien]

Of the four towns I have lived in that had a home depot and a lowes, the Lowes absolutely trumps HD in customer service, stock and store cleanliness.

Before Lowes opened in January, I would constantly find myself going to the little guys store and pay double for items just so I would not have to go into HD, spend an hour searching for an item and then dealing with automated checkout lines that have been broken for the past 3 years. Since Lowes opened, HD has gotten slightly better at customer service and the store has been slightly cleaner.

For garden items, the HD tends to have a slightly better variety than Lowes.

 

[waggy]

I go to the lowes in dekalb (live between 2 larger cities) if i need anything.

a few years ago i was givin a nice set of lamps. But one didn't work and i went into lowe's to check prices. the guy wasked if i wanted anything. I mentioned the problem and was looking for a replacement lamp.

the guy said bring in the lamp and we can see whats wrong. he opened it and said it was easy. grabbed the stuff out a box and fixed my lamp. charged me $3 and took him like half an hour of work.

i also go to HD if im close to the one in rockford. I stay away meanard's at all cost.

 

[Vette73]

If using white or a very light color then use which ever one is cheaper.

If using anything with red tint or dark color go with Lowes Valspar.

Used mostly valspar in my house and some Behr white paint for outside trim. Have used both a lot and alwasy go with Valspar unless I ma using pre-mixed white from HD that is closer and/or cheaper.

 

[classy]

I think Lowes is lil better. A lil cheaper overall and better quality stuff. They aren't too much different, but I think Lowes is just a tad bit better.

 

[grohl]

I go to HD mostly. I assume I am on my own at both stores; that way the customer service doesn't disappoint. When someone DOES actually help I am always shocked and appreciative. Since I am a cheapass, I put up with it. If I need a DIY solution I usually comb the internet before shopping.

 

[Miramonti]

I go to both but prefer Lowes for their customer service and store organization. You almost need a palate of product to fall on you to get help in HD.

 

[JEDI]

all you DIYers, do you prefer one store over the other? or does it matter based on the specific product you're looking for or go for the best price?

i'm looking at purchasing paint, joint compound, painting rollers, primers, and some other stuff. Lowes has Behr... not sure what HD has.

lowes

MUCH better website.
buy online, and pick up at customer service. no need for you to hunt for the items

 

[BTA]

I think it can sometimes depend on the stores in your area and what they stock at those stores to meet the local demographic. But here's how it is around us.

Lowes for finishing stuff...like finished shelves, cabinets, faucets, light fixtures, fans, door hardware. I also like the Kobalt tools better. Good sale prices on the Hitachi power tools as well.

Home Depot for real hardware or lumber type stuff. Especially if you're looking for a certain size spigot or some sort of specific washer or bolt or piping. They also seem to have a better selection of items for repair (like plumbing or toilets). Lowes is much more "replace the whole thing!" oriented.

The paint is pretty much the same. I believe Consumer Reports rated Behr and Valspar both right at the top, and surprisingly Sherwin Williams was dead last. Which I can vouch for, we used SW at first in our house and it was really shitty...poor coverage and not durable at all. The Valspar we have used since has been great.

 

[Gothgar]

Lowe's is the housewives home improvement store

Home Depot is the contractors home improvement store

 

[mcurphy]

I go to the lowes in dekalb (live between 2 larger cities) if i need anything.

a few years ago i was givin a nice set of lamps. But one didn't work and i went into lowe's to check prices. the guy wasked if i wanted anything. I mentioned the problem and was looking for a replacement lamp.

the guy said bring in the lamp and we can see whats wrong. he opened it and said it was easy. grabbed the stuff out a box and fixed my lamp. charged me $3 and took him like half an hour of work.

i also go to HD if im close to the one in rockford. I stay away meanard's at all cost.

Why the dislike for Menards? That has to be my favorite store for DIY stuff. I'd rather hit Menards over HD or Lowes anyday. The Menards on Perryville road is nice and has everything you ever need.