How Much Does Home Depot Know About Gutter Guards? By Chris Martin

By Author: Chris Martin
Total Articles: 7
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Home Depot positions itself as the one-stop shopping destination for all your home improvement needs. It’s true that you can buy two-by-fours, a coffeemaker, a bathroom mirror, hardwood flooring, and a washing machine all in the same store.

But you have to wonder if a store that sells “everything” for the home is knowledgeable in any one merchandise area –like, say, gutter guards. (Think about it – would you expect to get detailed product information from the personnel at Wal-Mart?)

We decided to find out.

We contacted a Home Depot store in each time zone in the continental U.S. (Boston, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento). Our goal was to gather information about the selection of gutter guards that are sold by the retailer. We inquired about various types of gutter guards, how much they cost, how they were supposed to be installed, and whether a homeowner could do it himself/herself – and we also asked for an opinion on which gutter guard worked best. Then we examined the information we received, checked it for accuracy, and compared the stores against each other.

Boston: ...
... This store told us about the hinged and plastic gutter guards, but alluded to another product made of aluminum, which we could not find on the retailer’s website. The associate did not tell us about any PVC gutter covers, a huge category they sell in-store. The associate recommended the hinged gutter guard as the one that worked the best.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 hammers

Chicago: This store only mentioned the white PVC covers and the wire mesh guards (which we assume to mean the snap-in gutter filters that are actually made of plastic with a mesh filter). There was no mention of the hinged guards, and we were told that both products worked equally well (not true).
Rating: 3 out of 5 hammers

Salt Lake City: This store presented us with the largest selection, suggesting either solid vinyl or plastic gutter guards with holes (for vinyl gutters) or plastic screens and hinged metal guards (for aluminum gutters). The hinged gutter guards got the associate’s seal of approval.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 hammers

Sacramento: This store only informed us about the plastic guards and the plastic-with-mesh products, noting that both types simply clipped onto a gutter and slid underneath the shingles. The associate did not bring up either hinged or PVC products, and ultimately recommended the plastic guards.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 hammers

To their credit, each store gave us product pricing and sizing information and told us that we could complete the installation ourselves (usually true on Home Depot gutter guards).

So can we call Home Depot our “gutter guard specialist?”

Though the bulk of the information we received was accurate, the varying responses indicated that you might not get a complete picture of your gutter guard options from Home Depot. Their assistance might be adequate for an individual who is well-versed in home improvement projects – but for those of you who lack such expertise, you might be better off calling up a contractor to help you make the right decision about your gutter guards.