Habitat for Humanity?

Question

Hi there,
I recently asked where the cheapest place to get paint would be and got a great answer about checking habitat for humanity in my area. I did go to the website - but couldn't find where to go for businesses that have made donations such as paint or other household materials. Can someone direct me maybe what to put in the search? I am from Saint Paul, MN. Thanks!

Answer 1

You might want to check out the local Habitat ReStore Directory in your area. I'm in Texas, and the site (Habitat) provided a listing of not only the closest stores to my home, but all store listings in Texas. I would imagine there is a like listing for the St. Paul area. (see below) (http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx)

I found these listings...hopefully they are helpful.

City/Restore Name Address Contact
Brainerd
Lakes Area HFH Restore 11575 County Rd 45
Brainerd, MN 56401 Phone: [phone]

Moorhead
Lake Agassiz ReStore PO Box 1022
Moorhead, MN 56561 Phone: [phone]

Willmar
West Central MN HFH ReStore 4078 Highway 71 NW
Willmar, MN 56201 Phone: [phone]

Winona
Winona County Habitat Restore 77 Laird St
Winona, MN 55987 Phone: [phone]

If you are not familiar with the ReStore, check it out:
http://www.habitatstoreonline.com/

Another thing you might want to do, is go by your local home improvement stores. (Home Depot or Lowes or the like - I'm not sure what is in your area) There will always be a mismatched or "woops" paint shelf. These are paints that are not sold for one reason or another and they mark them down ($) significantly! They range from qts to 5 gallon buckets. Because they are mismatches, the colors, supply changes daily. The same is true for independent paint stores. Just check with the manager or personnel as when the paint will be placed on the floor for sale.

I am a faux finisher and mural artist. I get paints for my work this way all the time. It saves me lots of money!

Good luck.

Answer 2

I know Habitat has an outlet store in Memphis. I would think they have others in major cities. Ours has great deals on all types of home improvement stuff. Try the phone book or the website with a slash (/) and Saint Paul after it. Or perhaps Mn after.

Answer 3

Habitats for Humanities sometimes have stores or yearly sales of stuff they dont use. Im in MN, and think ours has a yearly sale. Otherwise go to home depot and try for the Oops paint - people who get colors mixed they dont like, that you may. They'll even sometimes have a couple of gallons of the same color if its from an order. Plus they're so cheap - usually like $5 a gallon, then you could get one made to match.

Answer 4

I agree with above. In Wichita we have a Habitat Home Mart, great stuff in there. The store is listed on their website. So if it isn't listed on yours, they may not have a resale store in your town. Do you have a damaged freight store? Some carpet outlets have begun opening damaged freight stores that sell everything from paint to flooring to cabinets to doors. Nothing is "damaged" that I've seen, but the prices are very low. Try typing in damaged freight to see what pops up. Good luck.

Answer 5

Never heard of Habitat for Humanity selling paint, just fixing houses for low-income people.

Go to a paint store and see if they have mis-mixed paint.

Sometimes the big box stores have decent sales too.

Just remember, cheap paint might not be the best paint and proper preparation is just as important as good paint.