4 Helpful Products and Free Services at Home Depot

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At some point in your life, someone may have told you that nothing is free in this world. You may have rolled your eyes when you were young, but as we get older, we realize that this is often true. There are still a few things you can get for free, though—a book from your local library (though you have to return that!), a walk in a public park, and a hug from a friend. But what about tangible goods and services? After all, you can’t even get much for a dollar at Dollar Tree anymore, most items are priced as low as $1.25.

If you’re a regular Home Depot shopper, though, you might say at this point, yes, there are still a few things you can get for free. Billed as the world’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot stores typically offer about 35,000 products over 100,000 square feet. And yes, you’ll pay for almost all of those products, although some Home Depot products are ridiculously priced. While you’re there, though, you might even be able to score a few freebies. Here are four goods and services you should look for at your local grocery store.

Choosing the right shade of paint for your kitchen or living room can be a real headache, but painting your walls is an inexpensive way to brighten up a tired space. Even if you know you want a simple white paint, many interior paint brands offer a number of shades of white with names like eggshell, frost, and polar bear. If you’re not sure where to start, you might want to head out to your local Home Depot and pick up a few paint swatches – those pieces of several paint colors that you can hold up to your wall to get an idea of ​​which color will work best in your space. These little cards are free at Home Depot, and you can grab as many as you want, so they’re a great place to start if you’re feeling lost in a sea of ​​color options.

Home improvement stores don’t offer free paint samples, so you’ll have to pay if you find a shade or two you’d like to test before investing in a quart or gallon. These samples start at around $6. When you visit the paint department, to get swatches or to buy paint, be sure to take a few wiggle sticks. These handy little wooden tools are often used for mixing paint, but they can also be used for other home improvement or craft projects, such as mixing epoxy or creating plant markers for your home garden.

Classes and activities for children can be expensive. You may find yourself shelling out big bucks for sports lessons, dance classes, a piano teacher, and more. If you’re looking for something a little easier on the wallet, or just want to find something fun to fill your weekend mornings with, Home Depot offers free workshops for kids on the first Saturday of each month. Workshops sometimes have a holiday theme: for example, in March 2026, children will build a leprechaun trap. Parents can register online by simply providing their name, email address, and the number of children who will be attending. The home improvement store warns, “Due to the popularity of Kids Workshops, we cannot guarantee a kit for every participant. We recommend that you arrive early.” Workshops are aimed at children aged 5-12 and usually last 30 minutes.

If you can’t make the free workshops, Home Depot also offers free DIY project guides on its website. Although the materials are not free, yes, the instructions are, and everything you need should be available at your local store. At the time of writing, projects include a fire glass suncatcher and instructions for making play dough.

Color, pile types, durability, installation costs — there’s a lot to think about when choosing a new carpet. Finding the perfect shade for your home can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to hide pet hair, blood spills and other hazards. What looks like the perfect shade of beige in the store may show every speck of dirt once it’s installed in your living room. It can be an expensive oops if you don’t do it right, which is why Home Depot offers free carpet samples, although there are catches.

According to the Home Depot website, interested buyers can have a “curated” selection of carpet samples delivered to their home free of charge only after they schedule an in-home measurement appointment, where a certified technician takes accurate measurements of your space and notifies you of any potential problems or special considerations. You will need to make a deposit based on the number of rooms you want carpeted. If you don’t want to commit or plan to do the work yourself, you can order individual carpet samples online, but you will pay for those samples.

Additionally, Home Depot’s Carpet Buying Guide states that you can take home a sample board from your local store, but in our experience, that board should be returned. However, you can also visit your store to get three free 8-inch samples of your choice, according to the guide.

Finally, if you plan to buy large items at Home Depot, such as lumber, drywall, ladders, and other construction materials, or cut wood, you may be required to flag those items if they pass through the back or sides of your vehicle. The flags ensure visibility and warn other drivers that you are carrying a large object so they don’t get too close. Most Home Depot stores offer free red plastic safety flags when you buy large items. They are usually found in a bin near the contractor’s loading bay so you can tag your vehicle before you leave the parking lot. Some stores provide free twine and paper with larger purchases.

Once you get home, you may want to keep those little plastic flags, as they may prove useful for other projects. You can attach them to sticks or poles to make warning flags, map out your landscaping plans, or put one on your bike to make yourself more visible when you’re cycling.