If the lumber shortage didn’t hit the nation hard enough, the next wave of devastation to hit home renovation supplies are paint cans. Likely caused by just how many people are ready to redo the paint on or in their homes, many are finding that paint is flying off the shelves faster than home improvement stores can restock. Everyone is checking their home’s supplies to see if they can finish the last touches on their renovation projects, and if you’re behind the curve it could cause you to fall late on deadlines as well. Depending on if you can even find a few spare cans in your local hardware store, in some locations gallons can cost up to 10% more of their initial retail price. So if you’re in a pinch and don’t want to risk continuing to push back your project dates or tip your budget, we’ve found a few ways for you to avoid these hurdles:
- Plenty of online retailers including Target, Walmart, and Amazon will be able to ship supplies to your door. This isn’t a completely foolproof option since many online retailers determine their online stock based on supply and demand in-store, so your options could still be limited, but you’re more likely to get the shade you want with less effort!
Use the online shopping option at Lowe’s or Home Depot to get your first choice from their stock before coming into the store. Although this option is also influenced by supply like online shopping, it will allow you to reserve and pick up or ship your order before the gallon can make it onto the shelf.- Shop local and support your local small businesses by seeing if their selections are still available before hitting larger stores in person. As always, depending on your location, this may not be the end-all to finding the perfect shade while you’re trying to finish renovations. However, due to the name recognition, larger retailers will likely have less stock just because people are comfortable shopping with them for specific reasons. Plus, shopping small while working on your project will also benefit local and small businesses that are being hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Consider pushing back your project deadline. In certain areas, delays in delivery and in supply being restocked have pushed projects back by 3-4 weeks. Some experts and seasoned renovators are recommending that all homeowners taking on projects involving paint should be expecting this as the norm from now into the near future.
Use the online shopping option at Lowe’s or Home Depot to get your first choice from their stock before coming into the store. Although this option is also influenced by supply like online shopping, it will allow you to reserve and pick up or ship your order before the gallon can make it onto the shelf.
With some manufacturers like Sherwin Williams are claiming they need to take “pricing actions,” which is also known as drastically raising prices to manage demand, don’t let the potential for delays worry you too much. Whether you’re working on a large home renovation project or just planning to spruce up a room with a new coat of paint, manage any potential issues by planning ahead.
