Lowe's vs HD, 2019 (Home Depot, Lowes, color, ceiling)

[Quietude]

Short take: I haven't set foot in a home improvement store in several months; long story why. I tend to either be in one five days a week or go a month at a time - this time was unusual.

So instead of driving the further distance to HD, I thought I could pick up one simple item from the nearby Lowe's even though the opinion I'll get to here isn't new. I needed one (1) quart can of high-quality ceiling white to get started on the final phase of of a bathroom remodel. HD has several paint lines, from rental cheap to Behr UP, which I've come to trust.

Lowe's had one (1) brand of ceiling white and one (1) quart option of it. I don't quite trust Sherwin Williams as a box store house brand; you can't convince me it's the same stuff I'd get at a SW or Kelly-Moore store. And it was kind of pricey. So I walked out empty handed, and will hit HD tomorrow.

Is it just me, or has Lowe's become almost entirely an... upscale weekend DIY'er craft/project store? Neither one of these stores is the contractor house they once were, but HD seems to retain that "everything to build and finish a house" vibe and shelf stock, while my recent (last year) visits to Lowe's, including this one with a little side wandering, puts them closer to Bed Bath & Beyond with a (limited) paint and hardware section.

I knew better than to waste my time, but occasional confirmation of an opinion is useful, I guess. Anyone else see/sense this split in market position?

[marino760]

It's no secret HD caters more to contractors and Lowe's more toward the homeowner DIY. Choose accordingly as to what to expect when shopping at either.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You can't make generalizations.


I shop at two different towns, 6 miles apart. In one town the Lowes is excellent and I won't even go into the HD. In the other town, I only shop at the Home Depot.


It all seems to depend upon who is managing the store. I'm pretty sure they aren't franchises, so the difference has to be management.



I don't buy paint in either one of them.

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

You can't make generalizations.

I don't buy paint in either one of them.

SO where do you buy paint? I have bought paint at the local Sherwin Williams store 3 times in the last 5 years. Each time they got the color wrong. I don't know of any place besides the big box stores and SW around here to get paint. And I'm on the western edge of the Baltimore/Washington Metro area. Everything else is gone.

[Quietude]

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

SO where do you buy paint? I have bought paint at the local Sherwin Williams store 3 times in the last 5 years. Each time they got the color wrong. I don't know of any place besides the big box stores and SW around here to get paint. And I'm on the western edge of the Baltimore/Washington Metro area. Everything else is gone.

I agree that they aren't a great place for paint. In California, I bought nothing but Kelly-Moore, from the KM store.

Here where there ain't none, I've found Behr Ultra Premium acceptable for most jobs.

As for Lowe's - this is a marked change over the last few years of moving out anything that requires, you know, tools and moving in yet more amateur-EZ crap. Zero choice of paint is kind of a bottom, I think.

[greglovesoldtrucks]

I have found that Lowes carries a lot better stock of plumbing supplies than HD does. The Lowes I use is getting heavy on the "martha" décor it seems. What surprised me at the Lowes store I have been using for too many years now, is they are now selling Craftsman tools and tool boxes. And to the paint, I have had no issues using my Lowes store HGTV branded SW paint.

I will not use Behr or Valspar paints or stains, just my opinion. As I used SW paint on every commercial facility that I maintained, and on every home we have renovated and then lived in for 5 years ... so I am biased a bit for SW paints/stains. And for BM paints also.

But with any top name paint store, it is finding that happy medium between performance, durability, coat coverage and price per gallon.

[Ralph_Kirk]

In terms of a brick-and-mortar store, I fell in love with Menards when I lived in Nebraska and then Illinois. Everything you need to build a house, including the clothing you need to build a house, plus hunting gear, hunting dog gear, brats ('cause you know you need brats), and the things like milk and detergeant your wife asks you to pick up on the way home. Damn, Menard's is a "man's store" through and though. A guy need go nowhere else. Ever. For anything. Well, they don't sell beer, so a guy needs to go somewhere else for beer to go with the brats.

I went to Menard's so often that when my daughter went there for something, the cashier recognized the last name and asked her if she was a relative.

Lowes has slight edge in home decor, The Home Depot has a slight edge in building supplies. Menard's is where a contractor would go.

But, alas, there is no Menard's in Texas. I shop on line at both of them first, as well as Amazon and Menards. Lowes gives me a military discount on all purchases, even things that must be ordered into the store. The military discount is enough to pay the state sales tax. The Home Depot provides a military discount on most (not all) things that are in stock.

The nearest Home Depot is less than a mile from my house (exactly four minutes, fifty-seven seconds drive). The closest Lowes is about 20 minutes away. Which I go to depends on what their websites tell me.

[Cdarocks]

HD and Lowes are located across the street from each other where I shop. I feel like my husband goes to HD more often than Lowes, but we definitely shop at both. I've never noticed the Lowes as being more decorate-y than HD, but I guess I have never looked for that type of stuff there. Our local SW store is great, so we have bought most of our paint there.

[AlterEgo42]

I've definitely noticed the OP's observation. Lowes seems to have turned into a decorator/outdoor store, while HD has retained it's contractor bent (at least in my area).

[wit-nit]

I find that Dunn-Edwards paints to be the best. I've used them for over 30 years. They beat HD, Lowes, Sherman Williams etal for quality/durability. That's why most contractors I know shop there.