Welcome to citygirlmeetsfarmboy!  I am so glad you are here and hope you find inspiration for your home while visiting.  Make sure to follow me on instagram here for daily inspiration!

I absolutely love The Home Depot. I have shopped there for years, but was alway too nervous to ask them cut my wood for me.  I was so insecure about my building skills that I felt I couldn’t risk the embarrassment because I didn’t know what I was doing anyway.

I needed some plywood ripped and knew I needed their help. Yes its funny, but here is my little journey of using The Home Depot Cutting Center.

I grabbed my keys and I forced myself into The Home Depot to try this wood cutting thing out.  

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I walked in nervously, but found an employee and quietly asked if they could help me. It was so easy, so smooth, and they were SO nice about it.   I can’t believe it took me so long to use this service.  Now, even though I can cut my own wood, I ask the help of The Home Depot.  It helps me load things into my car easier, and gets my DIY’s going a bit faster.

That is when I decided to write a post about it. No need for anyone else to be nervous!

First Step

Before you get to The Home Depot you will want to have your measurements and plans ready.  It is helpful to have a calculator and pen & pencil (or use your phone) with you.  I usually need a few minutes alone with my brain to figure out all the math measurements to make sure I am getting it right.  

Second Step

Funny right?  But it really is the next step in this process, getting enough guts and bravery to walk in.

Third Step

Spend your time walking the isles and getting used to all the wood they offer.  If you are following a tutorial it will have the type of wood you need.  Ask any associate for help and they are super great about it.  

I was shopping here for birch plywood to make shiplap.  That final project is shared here. This is what the associate helped me find:

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I calculated how much I would need. (My wall was 80 square feet and each board was 4 feet by 8 feet = 32 feet.  So I grabbed 3 boards to be safe.)

Fourth Step

They have two different kinds of carts at The Home Depot.  Normal shopping carts and metal ones with bars that allow you to prop your wood on without it falling out.  Grab either one.   The cutting center is in the back of the store and has a huge sign above it. You will also see large saws like the one in the following photo:

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Fifth Step

Usually the employee in charge of cutting wood is back there.  Sometimes there is even a line.  If there is, just wait patiently – they are quick.  If you do not see anyone, just wander the isles to find an employee and ask them to call for someone to come to the cutting center.

Sixth Step

So you don’t really have to smile (but it’s a nice gesture), but you do need to stand back. Tell them the measurements you need and they will start cutting it for you!  Some stores have different rules on cutting.  Most will do 12 cuts for free and then charge you a super small fee for additional cuts (.25 cents usually).  Some stores will not make cuts under 6 inches for safety reasons.  If you have any questions just ask them.

The plywood I was cutting was very thin, so the employee was able to cut all three boards at once for me.  This limited my cuts and I was able to get them all done for no cost.  The following machine is for super large cuts.  They have an additional machine for cutting 2×4’s, 4×4’s, 2×10’s, etc and other sizes similar to that.

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Seventh Step

They can help you load it back into your cart and you are ready for check out! Isn’t that worth the biggest smile you got?

Here is what my wood looked like:

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Eight Step

Each board of wood has a scanner code sticker on the back.  Since your wood is all cut up they will need to see the pieces that have the sticker on them.  Let them know you had the wood cut and they will know what to look for.  You can do the shelf check out if you wish, you will just need to find the scanner code yourself.   Once your rung up, just pay your bill and you did it!

Ninth Step

Now all you have to do is load your wood into your car, and you are ready to get home and start DIYing!  If you need help loading your wood, you leave it near the exit and drive your car back through the loading station.  Someone will come help you.   I am telling you, for customer service – this place has it down!

I was so excited to load my car (thanks to the darling older gentleman who walked by and helped me!) and get home to start working on my project.

2020 Update: Here is the wall I did after this visit to The Home Depot

If you have any questions or comments about The Home Depot Cutting Center, message us!  If we don’t know the answer we can find it out.  Let us know what you build!

Love, Kelly