What are your thoughts on this...

Mac78
Moderator

Posts: 287

What are your thoughts on this... Jul 10, 2013 3:59:40 GMT -8

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Post by Mac78 on Jul 10, 2013 3:59:40 GMT -8

I am wondering what some of your thoughts are on Menards, Lowes, Home Depot. For instance, I purchased laminate flooring from Menards, it was on sale, and came with a 30 year residential warranty. a warranty on what I do not know, as it is pure junk and I know will not last past a few years. I wish I could tear it up and deposit it at the front door.

So, do you think that these big box home improvement stores sell poorer quality products? Is one better than the other?

Do you think one place sells better quality laminate countertop than the other?
Menards sells something called "High Resolution" laminate countertop. When I asked at Lowes if they had that, they told me there was no such thing....it was all the same. Ugg, How do I know what is good laminate or not? We have Lowes, Menards, and Home Depot in our area. I feel like it is a crap shoot when I go to these places, one place will say one thing the other place will say another.

I can't afford anything but laminate countertop.....and when we buy stuff, we typically buy the middle ground products. I just want something that will last and looks nice. Any advice?

Marie, whose dream is to live by the ocean one day.

allen820
Junior Member

Posts: 96

What are your thoughts on this... Jul 10, 2013 5:00:19 GMT -8

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Post by allen820 on Jul 10, 2013 5:00:19 GMT -8

We do not have a Menards here, so I can't comment. We do have a Lowes and a Home Depot, both of which seem to carry acceptable quality products. Local contractors use both. It seems Lowes may be a bit more geared to the contractor and Home Depot may slant a bit toward the homeowner, but both businesses do a pretty good job providing reasonable quality building materials at decent prices. If you expect high end custom materials, then you would need to seek out niche companies, more local kinds of places willing to special order, etc., but for the average homeowner or even contractor, Home Depot or Lowes should be fine. And for the most part, the folks who work there are somewhat knowledgeable of the products they sell.

Between renovating our house and building my shed, I have used both places a bunch in the last five years. There was a field recall on a shower I got at Lowes, but the company sent me the parts needed for repair at no cost. Other than that, I have not had a problem, and both places are always good to take back anything I have left over from one project and apply the credit for what I need for the next.

Good luck!

Allen

Last Edit: Jul 10, 2013 5:01:13 GMT -8 by allen820

shabbychick
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Posts: 302

What are your thoughts on this... Jul 10, 2013 5:11:04 GMT -8

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Post by shabbychick on Jul 10, 2013 5:11:04 GMT -8

We don't have a Menards here, so I can't speak to that. Lowe's is okay, though I don't shop there anymore myself. I've always had good luck with Home Depot. I've almost always used their installers, too, because I know the store will do something about it if they do a crappy job.

I can't afford high end anything, so I usually go for the middle or lower end products, but even with those, I've rarely been disappointed in anything I've bought at Home Depot. I don't think they sell products that are of lower quality than you'll find anywhere else. You can buy name brand products like Armstrong at Home Depot, or you can buy the store's brand, and I often find I like the look and selections of the store's brand just as well.