25 Things You Should Never Buy From a Home Improvement Store

When I first began renovating my 100-plus-year-old home nearly a decade ago, I would buy anything and everything I needed at either Home Depot or Lowe’s. After all, what were those stores there for, if not for purchasing things for the home as you need them?

Over time, however, I realized that some things should have remained on the shelves — and the experts agreed with me. It would have been nice if I had known before I had spent the money, but live and learn!

Here, then, is a list of 25 things you shouldn’t buy at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or any other “big box” home improvement store, based on my personal experience.

Paint

When I painted my living room area, I chose Behr interior paint, with an eggshell finish, in greige at Home Depot. I had a coupon for 15 percent off per gallon, so the perceived savings were there. It didn’t take long before I realized what a mistake I’d made. The paint was clumpy with a faded color that didn’t resemble anything close to the paint chip I’d chosen, and it left streaky slathers on the wall rather than a uniform color.

By the time I was ready to paint the bedrooms, I’d learned my lesson: I stopped by Sherwin-Williams and spent a little extra for their Emerald series, and the difference in both quality and color was immeasurable.

The OG of television home improvements, Bob Vila, also prefers name-brand paints from specialty stores (like Sherwin-Williams) to the cheaper brands found at Home Depot.

Cleaning Products

Occasionally, Lowe’s will have containers of Comet on sale for $1 each. Those are fine to purchase — and it’s probably best to stock up. After all, you can never get your home too clean.

But everything else in the Lowe’s cleaning aisle? Skip it altogether, because it’s much costlier than at other stores. For example, an 81 oz. bottle of Clorox bleach costs $6.98 at Lowe’s, but only $5.98 at Walmart — a savings of $1.  And while this may not seem like a lot of money, every dollar adds up in the long run.

Basic Hardware Items

Some people are so handy, they can build an entire house in 100 days or less. Most of us — present company included — are not those people. Home Depot and Lowe’s have wall after wall of basic hardware items, ranging from plumbing to electrical, and more than one person — present company included — have walked out of there with the wrong thingamabob, gadget, or whatchamacallit.

For specific hardware items, it’s best to stop by your local hardware store and ask the employees for your specific item. It will save you time, money, and aggravation.

Bathroom Vanities

In the market to redo your bathroom? Don’t pick out your vanity at Home Depot. Sure, the cabinetry may look nice, but what you’re getting is a mass-produced, shoddily assembled mess of particle board and laminate coating.

That, too, is the sentiment shared by YouTube home improvement expert Jeff O’Stroff, who notes that the laminate coverings “blister” when excessive humidity (such as what’s found in a bathroom) gets under them. Particle boards, too, don’t hold up too well under excessive humidity, which means that these vanities will fall apart in no time.

Kitchen Cabinets

Similar to bathroom vanities, kitchen cabinets are best purchased at a store that specializes in that type of cabinetry. Home Depot and Lowe’s kitchen cabinetry is made with substandard materials, and their employees’ “design services” are amateurish, at best.

“Kitchens are far too expensive and complicated not to have a professional kitchen designer advising you on the important decisions you have to make during a detailed renovation,” writes Paul McAlary in his blog for Main Line Kitchen Design in Narbeth, PA. “And investing in a poor kitchen design can not only waste money, but it can also actually devalue your home.”

Lighting Fixtures

Both Home Depot and Lowe’s have entire lighting departments filled with what appear to be countless fixtures of every kind. While it may be tempting to snag a fixture from a big-box hardware store, both design and electrical experts say to save your money and buy your fixtures from an electrical specialty store.

For those on a budget, design experts told The New York Post that Walmart, Wayfair, and Amazon have better options. Those who have more to spend, meanwhile, can stop by Pottery Barn or West Elm for their preferred lighting fixture of choice.

Flooring

Not all flooring is created equal. While both Home Depot and Lowe’s have a pretty decent selection of tiles — both in ceramic and porcelain (I did my entire second level using stock porcelain tiles from Home Depot and a decorative border that I found on a closeout sale) — hardwood flooring leaves much to be desired.

David Floyd, a home services expert and owner of The Pest Informer, told BestLife that “non-native” hardwood — better known as exotic hardwood, and soft hardwood — makes your home susceptible to termite infestation, and that can be a real problem if your home is built on wood framing. “The last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars on new flooring only to find out that it’s been compromised by termite damage or even has a current termite infestation,” he said to the outlet. “Now oftentimes this won’t be an issue, but large box stores such as Home Depot aren’t going to be as diligent as a hardwood-specific retailer in checking for termite activity.”

Home Decor

Home decor is both an essential part of living in a home and a perfect expression of your personality. But there’s never — repeat, never — a reason to buy home decor at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

The real estate experts at Realtor.com note that in addition to having higher prices than other stores (such as IKEA and Walmart), Home Depot and Lowe’s home decor can be too cheesy and campy for most tastes. Additionally, the quality just simply isn’t there.

Small Appliances

Buying a small appliance — such as a vacuum cleaner — at Home Depot or Lowe’s may seem like a convenient idea, but the savings simply aren’t there.

As with other convenience items, Home Depot and Lowe’s significantly mark up their small appliances. A Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner sells for $469.99 at Lowe’s, but only $349.99 on the official Dyson website — a savings of $120! So, why pay more?

Outdoor Furniture

Like many of the other things on this list, the question of buying outdoor furniture at Home Depot or Lowe’s comes down to the price. And the truth is, outdoor furniture at the big-box hardware retailer is much more expensive than elsewhere.

For example, a 6-piece wicker outdoor furniture set costs nearly $1400 at Home Depot, while a similar set costs about $400 at Walmart. That’s a savings of about $1,000 — and there’s not that much difference in quality, either.

Countertops

When I was redoing my kitchen, I knew immediately that I wanted granite countertops. Being Italian means that, almost by default, I had a family member “in the business.” Sure enough, my mother’s cousin came through with some of the most gorgeous granite I’ve ever seen in my life. For those that don’t have family “in the business,” however, buying a countertop at Home Depot or Lowe’s in a variety of stone finishes seems both tempting and convenient. But the pros say not to do it.

The experts at New View Marble & Granite in Franklin, MA, point out that Home Depot & Lowe’s don’t fabricate, or even install, your countertops. They outsource both to other providers — which means there’s no accounting for the quality of stone or expertise in installation. The big-box stores make a profit on the volume of countertops sold, not the individualized attention each person requires.

Major Appliances

About once a season, Lowe’s and Home Depot come out with a spate of advertisements surrounding major appliance sales. And while it may seem tempting to buy a new washer & dryer set from the hardware giants, experts say that you’re better off visiting your local appliance store.

Both the Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot give Lowe’s extremely low marks in the major appliances department, especially surrounding their installation practices.

Doors

We’ve all been there — present company included: we want, or need, a new door. So, we take the measurements at least twice (because, as the old contractor adage goes, “measure twice, cut once”), then hop on over to Home Depot or Lowe’s to pick up a door with those precise measurements. We then get the door home, put it in the frame…and it doesn’t fit. After cursing out Home Depot, Lowe’s, the Property Brothers, and the entire Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate as a staff, a label, and a crew, we take it back to the store, and the cycle begins again.

Larry Roland of LRC Carpentry in Melrose, MA, spoke to CBS News & explained that this is a common problem, which is why he advises his customers against buying doors at those hardware stores. He also noted that he gets better quality wood for doors at specialty lumber yards.

Windows

Similar to doors, experts say that buying windows at Home Depot, or Lowe’s, is nothing if not a crapshoot. This is especially true if you have an older home and the windows are unusually shaped or aren’t “standard” sizes.

The DoItYourself blog notes that customers can get more personalized attention if they go to a store that specializes in windows. While it’s all but certain that you’ll pay more for custom windows — especially if you need hurricane impact windows or other “specialty” windows — you’ll end up spending the same thing you spent at Home Depot, or Lowe’s, without the hassle or the frustration.

15. Holiday Decorations

Both Home Depot and Lowe’s offer a variety of holiday decorations, from Halloween animatronics to Christmas lights. While experts suggest snagging these goods at bargain basement prices towards the end of the season, they don’t recommend you do your main decorative shopping there because the prices are simply too high.

“I thought they were on the pricier side,” said Amanda Krause of Business Insider. “A bag of two winter gnomes, for example, cost close to $8. I’ve seen nearly identical ones for much less at the dollar store this year.”

16. Common Plants

Whether you like perennials or annuals, fruits or vegetables, or evergreens or flowers, plants are all but essential for your home’s exterior, especially if you have a decent amount of property. But while your local nursery will be more expensive than Home Depot or Lowe’s, it’s worth patronizing them instead.

The Daily Dot also points out that both Home Depot and Lowe’s sell “hybrid” plants that are both invasive and difficult to care for — and some species even bring spider mites. (Ew.)

17. Fireplaces

Whether you’re in the market for a wood-burning fireplace, a gas fireplace, or a ventless electric fireplace insert, fireplaces can be a great decorative addition to your home and a functional appliance that provides the necessary warmth in the colder months.

Their installation, however, needs to be precise and professional — for safety reasons — and neither Home Depot nor Lowe’s guarantee this. In fact, they contract the installation out to local suppliers — meaning that there’s no warranty on their services, or the quality thereof.

18. Electronics

Much like both major and small appliances, electronics at both Home Depot and Lowe’s aren’t a good buy — even if they’re more convenient to purchase there.

Business Insider recommends places like Costco, Best Buy, or even a local appliance store to purchase your electronics, as these stores will have both a larger selection and more knowledgeable staff. Plus, you can negotiate the price better at a local electronics store.

19. Bedding & Mattresses

Your bedroom should be a reprieve from the rest of the world — a place where you can crash into bed and sleep your cares away. While it may be tempting to pick up both a mattress and some bedding at Home Depot, or Lowe’s, experts say to shop online, or at a bedding store, to pick up what you need instead.

Reviewers of the products at USA Today noted that quality, comfort, and price were very hit-or-miss with many of the items, making them a bust overall.

20. Home Audio & Video Equipment

Some Lowe’s and Home Depots offer audio and video equipment — and various accessories — for sale. But customers, especially, say that it’s not worth it. (RadioShack, we hardly knew ye.)

Put simply, the employees at these big-box stores aren’t experts in audio and video equipment, so they won’t be much help to you if you’re not sure what you need. Their selection, too, leaves much to be desired.

21. Wallpaper

Ah, wallpaper. You either love it, or you hate it. Whatever you do, though, don’t be indecisive about it, because it’s a pain in the tuchas to get off your walls if you change your mind.

If you’re in the market for some wallpaper for your walls — be it for an accent wall, or a whole room look — you might think that picking it up at Home Depot, or Lowe’s, would be a quick, and convenient, idea. But in reality, most Home Depots (and Lowe’s) do not carry wallpaper in their stores — you have to order it online. What’s more, the Home Depot wallpaper may not be as good of a quality as the ones found in a specialty wallpaper store, and the perceived savings also aren’t there (as there are plenty of places online, including eBay, where you can get your favorite wallpaper at a fraction of the cost).

22. Pet Cleaning Supplies

Pets are family too, and it’s all but inevitable that they’ll make a mess somewhere in your home. (Fortunately for me, Big Ang — my Rottweiler — doesn’t do much more than slobber all over the floor when she’s eating, which is often, hence her name.) But while cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness, experts say to avoid purchasing your pet cleaning supplies at Home Depot, or Lowe’s, because the cleaners contain toxic chemicals that will be harmful to Fido and Fluffy.

CBS News reports that the cleaning supplies at the big-box hardware giant are rife with “ammonia, sodium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid.” You’re better off buying all-natural supplies at Amazon — and they’re cheaper there, too.

23. Kitchenware

If you pick up a grill at Home Depot or Lowe’s, it may be tempting to get all the requisite kitchenware to accompany it while you wait. But experts say that both indoor and outdoor cookware — such as pots, pans, and utensils — available at those national hardware stores aren’t worth the money.

Professional bargain hunters note that the kitchenware is of low quality and has an extremely high mark-up. They recommend, instead, stopping by Kohl’s or Macy’s for all your kitchenware needs.

24. Office Furniture

The rise of work-from-home employees means that, eventually, everyone will need more office furniture. But if you’re in the market for a new computer desk, or other office fixtures, don’t get it from Home Depot.

Like the bathroom vanities and kitchen cabinets, Home Depot and Lowe’s office furniture is often made with shoddy particle board coated in cheap laminate, which means they won’t last very long. If budget and value are an issue, stop by IKEA or Target for a wider selection and better quality furniture at affordable prices.

25. Automotive Parts & Accessories

Some Home Depot, and Lowe’s, locations sell automotive parts and accessories. This may appeal to semi-professional mechanics, who like the convenience of getting their parts and their necessary hardware all in one place, but this isn’t a good idea for a myriad of reasons.

The biggest drawback to buying these products at Home Depot and Lowe’s is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the price factor — and in this case, the markup is significant. For example, 22-inch Rain-X wiper blades cost $15.98 at Home Depot, but only $7.33 at Walmart — a difference of more than 50 percent!