# Home Depot vs Lowes vs Menards



## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Lumber quality, variety, pricing, and storage comparison.
Might be helpful info for some folks here.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

We just moved to SW Colorado a year ago, and Home Depot is my only choice...I don't know if there's a lumber company here. Either way, my "constructing" days are behind me, so if I need wood, it's going to be some simple project. And as I've always told people, I'm not a carpenter...when I mess with wood, I generally make kindling.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I must say I agree with him 100% about Menards Plywood. Excellent selection and they also have pre-cut sections. So instead of buying 1 4'x8' sheet, I sometimes buy 2 2'x8' sheets which fit a lot easier into my wife's minivan. A 4x8 sheet wouldn't even come close to fitting.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I bought my lumber for the layout from Menards. That was four years+ ago and I haven't bought lumber since. I was pleased with the quality Menards had back then. Don't know what it's like now. I have enough left over for several more smaller projects as additions when the time comes.

I still have several sheets of plywood I saved from my simulator built too so I'm stocked up for awhile.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Yup, no menards anywhere near me. Lowes is close so I get 5 percent off with there CC. Im still young enough to pick through the piles. If you have some time you'll find good wood in a pile. Best is picking all the clear pine out of the knotted pile.


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## MohawkMike (Jan 29, 2018)

Interestingly, Menards has an F rating from BBB. (it did disturb me to find that out) Still, I love and buy their train stuff. While I have had some defects and a few shipping problems they have NEVER let me down in resolving the problems. They get an A "train stuff" rating from me. Unfortunately there are NONE in Pennsylvania so my visits to Menards are few and far between. Lowes and Home Depot do not have train stuff....In my town they are actually almost side by side so it is easily to go in and compare prices, quality, and services. A difference maker is that Lowes does give me a !0% veterans discount.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

For me, it's the local lumber yard for wood. Plus it's only 5 minutes down the road. Lowes and HD are about 25 minutes away, but since HD discontinued their Veteran's discount, everything at Lowes is basical,basically, 10% cheaper,, so that's where I shop.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Mary Ann ...


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## DonW (Mar 25, 2012)

While my first choice has always been Mary Ann, I find the video fairly accurate per home centers. I hate Menards lumberyard runaround, I have often been sold product that is not in stock which adds greatly to the runaround. In my locale I find Home Depot much higher priced. If I am building a structure that needs straight quality lumber I go directly to the real lumberyard, where I find quality products that are loaded for me and the employees don't run and hide as they do at Menards when I seek out help.


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

I've got all 3 of these stores fairly close to each other. The video pretty much nails it. Sometimes though, If I'm looking for cheaper dimensional wood (especially the 1 x 2's, 3's, 4's, and beyond), I simply start at one store and see what their cheap stuff looks like. If not to my liking, I'll pass and go on to the next store and see what they have. And then to the third one if need be.

I have found that anyone of the three stores can actually get a pretty decent looking shipment of the cheap stuff in on occasion. In that case, the first batch of wood I find that's to my liking and I can live with, then the driving around stops right there and I'll buy it.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

We don't have a Menards here. There's an HD close enough by, I know where everything is .. that's where I tend to go. There's a lowes a little farther away, sometimes I go there.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Mixed Freight said:


> I've got all 3 of these stores fairly close to each other. The video pretty much nails it. Sometimes though, If I'm looking for cheaper dimensional wood (especially the 1 x 2's, 3's, 4's, and beyond), I simply start at one store and see what their cheap stuff looks like. If not to my liking, I'll pass and go on to the next store and see what they have. And then to the third one if need be.
> 
> I have found that anyone of the three stores can actually get a pretty decent looking shipment of the cheap stuff in on occasion. In that case, the first batch of wood I find that's to my liking and I can live with, then the driving around stops right there and I'll buy it.



I'm in exactly the same boat. I start at Menards if I'm looking for quality boards and plywood. Sometimes their selection is picked over so I'll try one of the other two.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Now with gas as high as it is, when you find the cheapest/best lumber, you’ve already spent the difference looking for it….


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Time, another factor...


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

Lowe’s and Home Depot here are two blocks from each other and they both have same lumber prices. If one is different the other will match it. No Menards in this area. 
The quality of lumber in both places is not great.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I have noticed that the quality of construction lumber here has not been what it used to be.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

MohawkMike said:


> Interestingly, Menards has an F rating from BBB. (it did disturb me to find that out) Still, I love and buy their train stuff. While I have had some defects and a few shipping problems they have NEVER let me down in resolving the problems. They get an A "train stuff" rating from me. Unfortunately there are NONE in Pennsylvania so my visits to Menards are few and far between. Lowes and Home Depot do not have train stuff....In my town they are actually almost side by side so it is easily to go in and compare prices, quality, and services. A difference maker is that Lowes does give me a !0% veterans discount.


I would’ve never guessed that. I read several of the complaints. A lot of things that happen everywhere. 
I love their lumber area design. Horizontal storage rather than vertical is easier to sort through. And yes, 4x8s, 4x4s, 2x8s… they used to stock some interesting specialty ones, like 4x8s with a leather “print” on one side. Still have a couple sheets from my former residence remodel years ago. Most of it is “milled” meaning sharp corners, not the low grade rounded edge stuff, which is better for benchwork. Primed (white) boards are a nice option from them too.

Both Home Depots near me are next to worthless. One is arranged so goofy, turned out the paint department is on the side, next to the garden center doors. The other one has a typical arrangement and standard size store, but the electrical dept is broken up along the back wall and the side wall, and has 50% of the items most other locations do. To this day I’ve not found the blue receptacle boxes. Something tells me contractors avoid that location. 
Whereas Menards has 3x the selection of lighting. 
HATE the rebate system. Wish they’d switch it to a swipey card system, like gas stations and krogers have. Better than waiting 6 weeks and hoping your rebate same-as-cash doesnt get lost in the mail.

I did have 2 slight hiccups at Menards though. An adjustable threshold lacking some hardware. Manufacturer sent me replacements at no charge no shipping. And a special order fireplace was damaged. Manufacturer replaced that free of charge too & even arranged fedex to pick up the bad one. Never dealt with Menards customer service though.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

One of teh easiest ways to get a bad BB rating is to ignore the consumer complaints. Just a few Karens with trivial complaints can get you an F rating if you ignore the complaints and don't respond.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

No Menards up here in the sticks, I think Lowes is still around, Home Depot is a joke....most lumber looks like Bobby Hull's hockey stick.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

I mean I'm not an expert but for basic lumber, 2x4 etc interior and treated exterior -- to me the HD I do to is perfectly fine. I've never purchased any finished products though. Also I don't buy a lot of lumber.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

No Menard's within hundreds of miles, when I built the layout I bought my Baltic Birch at a real lumber company, Russell Plywood in Reading PA. For more normal lumber needs we have several lumber yards as well as Home Depot and Lowes pretty close, maybe 15 minutes for any of them.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

GTW son said:


> No Menards up here in the sticks, I think Lowes is still around, Home Depot is a joke....most lumber looks like Bobby Hull's hockey stick.


There were a lot of goals in that stick….😁


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## Andy57 (Feb 7, 2020)

I built a 10 by 14 shed in 2011. There is material from all three in that shed. I did get the siding on sale but when I bought the roofing I spent what I saved and more on roofing.
Roofing had really jumped in price at that time.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I didn’t feel like watching the whole video, but I have learned from experience where to buy what.

I’ve found the oak veneer plywood at Home Depot to be so-so. If I want nice veneer plywood (oak or cherry), I go to the local lumber yard. I also go to the local yard for dimensional cherry. You definitely pay the bucks at my local yard, but their nice lumber is very nice.

On the other hand, for KD 2X lumber, the stuff at Home Depot is just as good as the local yard. I also get Burrill lumber at Home Depot if I want nice straight 2X4s. I have also found dimensional oak and radiata pine at Home Depot that is excellent.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

About the only lumber I can afford is dumpster diving....










It is just incredable $8 for a 1.5" X 3.75 X 8' two by four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
$50 for sheet good....
I have been having very good luck with "dumpster diving" the night before garbage day and a local trash to treasure site on social media, where I got a homebuilt twin bunkbed and turned it into a raised planter bed....free wood!









Good tip about buying lumber if I ever had to...I do pitty those who are trying to build a dream home or the ultimate garage...it's all so messed up.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I'd be happey with any of the three. We don't have Menards here. The nearest Lowes and Home Depot are across the street from one another, a mile and a half from me. I go to Lowes purely because, the way the traffic lights are set, its a shorter, easier drive.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

And there you have it…..which one is the easiest to get to….cost and quality be damned….


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Yeah, to an extent! If all I need is a couple 2x4's to make some saw horses or something like that, then I'm going to the closest, most convenient place. If they don't have good selection, I'm off to the next most convenient place.

But if I need cabinet grade stuff, then I start at Menards and work my way back if they don't have what I need. My last resort is lumber yard unless I know I need something on the unusual or exotic side.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

JeffHurl said:


> Yeah, to an extent! If all I need is a couple 2x4's to make some saw horses or something like that, then I'm going to the closest, most convenient place. If they don't have good selection, I'm off to the next most convenient place.
> 
> But if I need cabinet grade stuff, then I start at Menards and work my way back if they don't have what I need. My last resort is lumber yard unless I know I need something on the unusual or exotic side.


I'm the opposite -- if I can handle low quality boards, THEN I will go to the home center. If I need quality stuff, the only place I'll go is to the lumber yard, because I know they will have it, and the quality will be good, and the price isn't much higher (a few cents a board foot) than the home centers.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

I'm nowhere near a Menards. If I have a local lumber yard anymore I don't know where it is - the old-school one in my town went out of business 2 or 3 years ago. Home Depot is closer, but Lowes gave us a credit card, so that's where we go.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Ok, so went to get 4 things at lowes today, they only had two of them, so off to home depot, they had the other two things. So , close didn't matter , stock did. Lol. It said they had it online also, but didn't.


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## Matison (12 mo ago)

I have been working with wood for a long time. A lumber yard is your best bet. Home Depot tends to have more variety, but Lowes has slightly better quality (usually). But if you are willing to go through the piles of wood, and pick out what you want, then HD is the winner in my book. Almost every time I go to Lowes, they don’t have at least one thing that I’m looking for, and I have to go to Home Depot to get it.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Matison said:


> I have been working with wood for a long time. A lumber yard is your best bet. Home Depot tends to have more variety, but Lowes has slightly better quality (usually). But if you are willing to go through the piles of wood, and pick out what you want, then HD is the winner in my book. Almost every time I go to Lowes, they don’t have at least one thing that I’m looking for, and I have to go to Home Depot to get it.


Unfortunately, it's fairly common these days for me to go to a store (not just a home center) and find large, empty spaces where something I want should be stocked. Either we're going to have to solve the labor shortage in the trucking industry, or railroads are going to have to step up and start handling mixed freight again, instead of just unit trains and intermodal. Personally, I'd rather see the latter, with trucks reserved for "last mile" delivery. The last few trips I have taken on major interstates, the semis have been a nightmare.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I'm 60 miles from any of the three big box stores, but I have a Menard's card I sometimes use and order on-line. Not lumber of course, but tools and hardware.

For lumber I use the local lumber yard that will deliver a phone order. I have a pretty good stock of lumber I bought well before the price increases so I haven't had the need for any extra. I still have several sheets of 4x8 1/2" AC grade, and a dozen or so 1x4 and 1x3 dimensional lumber.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

> but since HD discontinued their Veteran's discount


HD now has the vets discount available via an app. You download the HD app and it has a link to take you through the process of signing up to get a military/veterans 10% discount.

Once you sign up, when you check out you go into the HD app and pull up the QR code and scan it to get the discount.


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## Oldaarpy (12 mo ago)

Unless I drive 45 mins I'm limited to Lowes and local lumber yards. Because of the big price difference I've found it's cheaper to sort thru Lowes lumber and then select the boards that are only slightly curved and not twisted. I then use the table saw and get one straight edge. For example, I want 1x3s for my layout so I'll buy 1x4s and run them thru the saw to get a straight edge. Even doing this I probably get one usable board for every 10 looked at. Works for me. Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

DavefromMD said:


> HD now has the vets discount available via an app. You download the HD app and it has a link to take you through the process of signing up to get a military/veterans 10% discount.I


HD stopped giving the discount a few years ago, at least the local stores. I actually cornered the manager of the one store and told him that I was leaving my lumber and going to Lowes. He expressed surprise and told me that what I was buying might cost as much at Lowes, even with the discount. He seemed genuinely surprised when I told him I didn't care, it was the principal of the thing. I don't know if I had any effect, but a couple years later a friend told me that they were honoring the veterans discount again at that store. Now at HD I just show them my VA ID and I get the discount. Lowes has me in the computer and I just give them my phone number.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

John, I would imagine that your input did make a difference, but I would bet that there were numerous veterans and others who voiced the same concern….usually, one person is easy to wave off, but multitudes cause change….


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## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> HD stopped giving the discount a few years ago, at least the local stores. I actually cornered the manager of the one store and told him that I was leaving my lumber and going to Lowes. He expressed surprise and told me that what I was buying might cost as much at Lowes, even with the discount. He seemed genuinely surprised when I told him I didn't care, it was the principal of the thing. I don't know if I had any effect, but a couple years later a friend told me that they were honoring the veterans discount again at that store. Now at HD I just show them my VA ID and I get the discount. Lowes has me in the computer and I just give them my phone number.


I did register at Lowe's so I get the discount there. I preferred them because they have always done the 10% year round. HD had an official policy of only doing it for Veteran's Day and Memorial Day (Armed Forces Week was close enough that it might have been why). Some of their stores had unofficial policies and did it year round though.

My son has an HD near him and they had always given us the discount with no problem. When we were in a few weeks ago, theu gave us the discount but told us we would need to register for the app to do it in the future. Supposedly, this was the new corporate policy. My son, being the cooperative type, said he would register at HD since I had registered at Lowe's. So, when we were in yesterday buying the lumber for the new layout, he registered before going over. Got the discount and it had an added benefit of tracking points for some future purpose. I assume they will give some discounts or something based on that but I don't know for sure.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Old_Hobo said:


> John, I would imagine that your input did make a difference, but I would bet that there were numerous veterans and others who voiced the same concern….usually, one person is easy to wave off, but multitudes cause change….


I let my local store know when they discontinued the veterans discount that I would not be shopping there anymore... I don't know whether they've reinstated it or not.

I also would have called out a blatant lie that you would pay more at Lowe's despite the discount. Yet another reason not to shop there.


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## HD FLATCAR (Feb 21, 2011)

When I just need framing material (2x4, 2x6), I am usually planning ahead... HD has a "discount" lumber cart that is 70% off, Lowes has a rack 50% off. I generally check them first thing in the mornings, have framed the walls in my shop and built some tables...

Have even found 6 sheets of 2" extruded foam and 10 sheets of 1/8" Masonite, had a little edge damage. ALL 70% OFF!!


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