Can You Return Cut Wood To Home Depot?

Stacy Randall
by Stacy Randall

Many do-it-yourselfers begin their home improvement projects with a trip to Home Depot. You can find pretty much everything you need for tons of DIY jobs, including all sorts of lumber. Some locations will even cut wood for you, but what happens if you change your mind? Can you return cut wood to Home Depot?

Home Depot doesn’t accept returns on cut lumber, but it’s worth checking with your location. Some stores might take back cut wood if it’s a usable size to sell in their scrap section. If the wood is untouched, you can return it within 90 days as per the store’s standard return policy. You can return custom-cut orders with damaged lumber within 30 days.

Home Depot offers wood cutting services as a perk to its customers (although check your location to make sure). But even if they do the cutting, if you wish to return the wood, you might be out of luck.

Can I Bring Back Wood To Home Depot If It’s Cut?

Home Depot has a thorough return policy that lays out various scenarios. Its standard return policy for most items is 90 days with the receipt for new and unopened items. If you use your Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, you have 365 days to return your items with a receipt.

Simply bring back untouched lumber to a Home Depot Customer Service Desk with your receipt to initiate a return and refund. Make sure the wood still has the UPC sticker on it. You’ll need this along with your receipt to prove you purchased the wood at Home Depot.

You can also set up a return via UPS using your receipt or online invoice. But, this policy doesn’t apply to cut wood. The go-to policy is Home Depot doesn’t accept returns on cut wood, whether you cut it or they did.

How Can I Return Used Lumber?

Returning cut wood to Home Depot isn’t a cut-and-dry policy. Although generally, they won’t accept used items (cut wood falls under this category), there are a few extra considerations.

For example, what if you purchase a large sheet of plywood and cut it in half? Furthermore, the size of one half is a standard size Home Depot sells, and you want to bring back the one half. In this case, the store could likely retag the lumber and resell it, so they might accept the return.

Of course, you won’t get a full refund since you’re returning a fraction of what you purchased. But what if the piece you’re bringing back isn’t one of the stock sizes Home Depot sells? Then, they might deny the return.

However, if the wood is in usable condition, it’s worth checking with the store manager. They might accept the return if they feel they can resell the lumber in their scrap wood section. But, if they do, the likeliest scenario is you will get store credit for the lowest value of the wood.

Of course, you could complain loudly or kill them with kindness. You might make enough of an impression to get them to accept the return once.

Can You Return Wood To Home Depot Without A Receipt?

If you don’t have your receipt, Home Depot might be able to locate it for you if the purchase is within 30 days. They could do this if you paid with a credit or debit card or a check. You will also need to show a valid photo ID.

The store will use your identification to track your returns in their refund verification system. They use this system to keep tabs on various returns.

If you have a tendency to make a lot of returns without a receipt, it might prompt them to deny your return. But if it’s only happened a couple of times, then not having a receipt might not be a huge deal.

If you can’t provide a receipt, the store will offer you a credit for the lowest value of your items. But if you try to return cut wood to Home Depot without a receipt, they likely will deny the return.

What If My Wood Arrives Damaged?

If you order a custom lumber order from Home Depot and it arrives damaged, contact Customer Service ASAP. You can return damaged or incorrect orders within 30 days.

Bring the lumber to the Customer Service Desk or call Customer Support at 1-800-455-3869 to initiate a UPS return. If you simply order a custom amount of lumber and decide to cancel, you typically can do so up to 72 hours before delivery.

This is if you did not cut any of the wood or change it in any form. However, you might have to pay a 15% restocking fee. If you made the purchase in-store, you’d have to return the order to the same location.

Can You Return Cut Wood To Lowe’s?

Similar to Home Depot, you can return uncut lumber to Lowe’s within 90 days of purchase. Make sure it still has the UPC and have your receipt with you. But, Lowe’s policy doesn’t accept returns on cut lumber since it’s a used item.

However, also like Home Dept, it’s up to the manager’s discretion. Depending on your situation and the condition of the wood, they might take it back and offer store credit.

Wrapping Up

If you purchase any type of lumber from Home Depot, you can return it with a receipt within 90 days if it’s untouched. However, the store won’t accept returns on cut lumber, although various locations might make exceptions.

Most Home Depot stores offer a scrap lumber section with wood at discounted prices. These scraps typically come from incorrect cuts or people who return cut wood they can’t use. If your location offers this service, you have a better shot at success and could return cut wood to Home Depot.

If your wood is usable and a workable size, the manager might agree for you to return it. In this case, the store will most likely issue you a store credit, not a refund.

If Home Depot cuts the wood and makes a mistake or damages the lumber, you can return it. But make sure you can prove the damage or error to get a full refund.

Stacy Randall
Stacy Randall

Stacy Randall is a wife, mother, and freelance writer from NOLA that has always had a love for DIY projects, home organization, and making spaces beautiful. Together with her husband, she has been spending the last several years lovingly renovating her grandparent's former home, making it their own and learning a lot about life along the way.

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