Always have what I'm looking for and more. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Easy to park, easy to spend an hour there looking at tools and wood and screws. read more

San Mateo Lumber - Wooood - Building Supplies Near Me - San Mateo, California

First time I went there today and boy, what a great experience. The folks there are not only knowledgable and super friendly, they actually take their time and help you out. It felt like the "good old days" when customer service was an art. Which is what they practise at San Mateo Lumber. Thanks for your all your help! read more

This lumber company has been in San Mateo since ever I can remember and I'm 65. They are very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. When purchasing lumber, I wouldn't even consider going to Home Depot or any other place. Highly recommended!!! read more

I don't know who this guy Gabriel or Gabe is. I've been coming to San Mateo Lumber for years (thank you Ken for your many years of service). I walk in and I hear this kid yell "I AM THE BOSS!" I don't like him. I'd rather buy lumber from the pretty on in the office there. I'm a loyal customer. But this kids disposition there is annoying. I don't like him. Missing Mike! read more

Shout out to all the guys that have been helping my company's builds. Five stars to Jack, Gabe, Ken, Matt, Victor, Juan, and Vince!

Had to purchase some cedar trim for our home - 2 planks of 20ft 1" x 4". Being the total DIYer, I didn't plan on how to get the pieces home in my smaller car. One of the SM Lumber employees spent over a 1/2 hour binding and securing the wood so that it would safely fit into my SUV, even donating some old 2 x 4 to provide added insurance. While I'm sure that SM Lumber caters mostly to their contractor base, it's nice to know that they'll go out of their way for the amateur home owner. read more

The employees were really helpful both in person and over the phone. We were able to get a price quote pretty quickly for pressure treated lumber. The process was straightforward and clear, with no surprise fees or charges. At the time of our project, their prices were actually the cheapest when compared to other San Mateo lumber yards. A couple pieces of lumber that were delivered to our house had some imperfections such as cracks, so that prevented a 5-star rating. read more

These guys are consistently great with service. I often have questions or don't know what options are available to handle a particular maintenance problem. The San Mateo Lumber staff has never failed to help me figure out how to proceed. You can not get that kind of advice just anywhere. So they continue to be 5 stars in my book. read more

Needed to match some Trex decking in our yard........San Mateo Lumber had free samples that made the job easy. Ended up ordering the material and having it delivered by them A+ service! read more

The team was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. We needed a custom cut done on several pieces and they were able to figure out how to make it happen without breaking the bank. I prefer this company over Home Depot any day! read more

True to the other reviews here, this lumber yard is far more willing to accommodate special but reasonable requests. For all the no's I got elsewhere, Ken was super understanding of my special project needs and helped me get what I needed. Especially considering how small the project I was working on, this extra time and attention was greatly appreciated and valued. Thank you! read more

I am not a contractor. I needed to buy a piece of very expensive Brazilian hardwood. San Mateo Lumber was the first place I went to look for it. It was indeed very pricey per foot. I was asked for payment in advance without having seen the lumber. I went along with it even though unconfortable. After I paid, an employee walked me out to the yard. He picked out the board. I trusted him since I assumed it was an honrable and professional business. I got it home and the expensive board was so badly warped that I had to sand it at both ends in order to get it to lay flat on my deck. They may have made some money off of me once by getting rid of a bad board but they lost a potential repeat customer. My advice is buyer beware. read more

San Mateo solved my very basic needs when no one in the city could. Mike is knowledgeable and friendly! So glad I found them!

I drive down from San Francisco to buy here. -Top quality material, much better than home centers -They will cut to order, great if you're without a table saw on a project read more

Couldn't be better customer service here! They are friendly, helpful, and respectful of customers who ask for advice. Great selection in a small store format. Lumber is crazy expensive right now, but if you need good quality materials, this is the place to come. I needed some nice redwood to cover a post we look at a lot, and I was able to find it here and they were nice enough to cut it to size for me with tools I don't have at home. read more

Thanks to San Mateo Lumber Company for: 1. Knowing it's stuff. It's so great when you go somewhere and ask for something relatively basic and they know exactly what you are looking for (Home Depot, I'm looking at you). 2. Cutting down the pieces of hardwood I purchased. 3. Having cool folks with mellow personalities who weren't at all upset I came in an hour before closing on a Friday. 4. For NOT being sexist a-holes like some other lumber places I've been. I totally recommend this place for your hardwood, softwood and home renovation needs. It does tend to favor the more advanced DIYer but I'm sure you could get all your questions answered, even if you weren't. read more

Mike W. assisted me with a complicated request, was very patient with my indecisiveness and provided perfect cuts along with incredibly quick service. I'm very happy I purchased wood / materials from San Mateo Lumber Co and will be going there for all of my future hardware needs. Highly recommend. read more

Worst employees ever. Sad to say because we all need the lumber to build and we all need to come here. OR I guess we could all go to OK Lumber in San Carlos.....Leaving one star so you're just prepared to come with your game face on because you will get attitude. No one cares anymore or they just hire incompetent people. read more

I'm a general contractor and I love this place because they know what they're talking about. All the guys are extremely helpful. If you need lumber, hardware, windows, doors, or a friend, this is the place to go read more

I was a little intimidated walking in here as I know nothing about lumber, but wanted to do a DIY aquarium stand project. The good folks at SMLC were very nice and helped me pick and cut my 2x4s and even loaded them into my hatchback. Thanks guys and cheers to you. read more

If you are randomly just looking for lumber and you're not a contractor, just go to the big box store, because here, if you do not look the part, they probably won't help you at all. At least home depot has prices marked and you can check yourself out, I'm not saying their staff is anymore helpful either. read more

I believe I can explain some of the variance in the prior reviews. First, these guys are top quality in advice and service. There's not a jerk in the place. Jim Harris gave me an account and a discount when we established my 3,000 sq ft of deck rebuilds was going to exceed $10k, and it applied to everything I bought from them. The account means 30 day credit, but there is a finance charge after that. Also, they allow returns with a restocking fee - even after a year! I have some skill, but I'm not a carpenter and Jim's design advice helped me solve important issues and save time and money. They have a variety of everything you need and will custom cut stuff cheaply (for those tricky mitred jobs). You can hand pick your lumber and tell what you're getting and their delivery service was the most reasonable I know of. The problem comes with large orders where you don't inspect every board beforehand. I've gotten some wet boards (both PT and redwood) and boards I had to sand, wash, or bleach before I used them. Since I had a year-long project, I had drying time. PT wood is hard to get dry anywhere, so I suggest ordering and planning ahead. I got a great price on a bulk order (an entire flatbed truck) of con heart redwood 2x6. Jim warned me ahead of time that this supplier had given him flawed stuff before, but said he'd warn the supplier not to screw up again or lose business. When I got the order, 80 to 90% of the wood was in great shape, albeit a little damp. The rest I had to sand, wash, or bleach due to boot & strap & grading marks. There were 10% curved boards, but I planned for waste and was able to work around it/use it carefully. I suspect the prior bad review had the same sub-supplier problem, only worse. The store is close, but not open Home Depot hours. It's used by real contractors, and at 7:30am it's crowded with Real Guys Doing Real Work. Later in the day, there's no wait. They have or can get every piece of hardware/fastener/tool you'll need, with an emphasis on professional grade stuff. Since I had a large job and a discount, and was using high quality materials, their prices were the best I found. If you're buying low grade tools and brackets, you might do better at a chain store. I give it 4 stars, because bulk wood and baluster orders are cheaper & dryer at the Decking Superstore in San Jose - however you still need to inspect the wood before buying - and paint/stain is cheaper at Gray's or Kelly Moore. Every other aspect is better at San Mateo Lumber. read more

Unfriendly employee with attitude. Borderline rude and no reason for it. The sad part is that I like to support local independent businesses. Well, I guess it's back to the big box stores and internet shopping read more

These guys are great! Well informed, friendly help readily available. High quality lumber at a reasonable price. A pleasant alternative to Home Depot. A small selection of hardware, but most of the stuff that you need at fair prices. read more

I was looking for a Lenox Hole saw. I went to 3 places and was primed, and ready to buy from Amazon.com....Then I went to Lenox's website and they directed me the San Mateo Lumber Co. I called them and picked up not only the "hole saw" but also the "2L" driver. This is a nice piece. When looking to drill a 2" hole into a piece of wood or plastic. Go to San Mateo Lumber and ask if they have a Lenox Hole saw and driver for your cordless drill. read more

I'm a complete beginner. Ken helped me out, patiently answering all my questions about lumber for a deck. Great service. Thanks so much.

I really wanted to like this place because it's only 3 blocks from my house. However, we purchased a large order from them to build a deck and they said they were giving us a 10% discount. When the lumber was delivered, the final prices were MUCH higher than the large chain who shall remain nameless, and the wood was extremely low quality. Much of the redwood was almost pure white. We had to return a lot of it, and when we did the employees were rude. No more business from me, and I like to support local businesses. Too bad. Prior to that experience, I had gone there to pick up small items during other construction projects and the staff had been mostly helpful, hence the 2 stars and not 1. read more

prices less than HD; answer all my questions. Very helpful and they know their stuff.. if they don't have it, they will find it for you... needed baseboards, they had in stock, help with delivery... very happy we found this place read more

This is my go to hardware store. I've been to get materials for a variety of small home improvements and despite not always knowing what I'm talking about, I've been able to get what I need. While they're also writing out orders for thousands of dollars worth of lumber, they'll spend just as much time to help me replace knobs on a dresser or add an extra dowel to my closet. And there's usually some fun small talk at the register that makes me feel like I still live in small town Oregon. read more

Service is definitely five star. Courteous, helpful, educational, spot on. Although I live in SF, I will come here for lumber. They have a wide variety of quality lumber, and a good hardware selection. There should be a sign on Home Depots and Ace's saying, we sell junk. If you want the real stuff, go to San Mateo Lumber. Save a lot of people a lot of time... read more

As a contractor I've been using San Mateo Lumber since the early 80's. The guys are friendly and if they don't have the lumber for a project the owner Jim will find it for you. The feeling is very friendly every time you go, it's a great local company. read more

A great place to buy lumber. San Mateo Lumber has been around for over a century, though now they're a part of "Economy Lumber," a Bay Area chain of four locations, based in Oakland. I worked in the retail lumber business for a number of years, and know lumber grades reasonably well, and I'm impressed with the buyer for San Mateo Lumber. Their appearance grades generally look a half to a full grade higher than marked -- which is what you get when there's a good buyer who's paying attention to where they buy. Their dimensional stock (2x, 4x) is equally high quality. Prices are generally comparable to the big chains, especially if you price out a whole job. Then too, you're not going to have a lot of waste with this higher quality lumber. The staff all seem to have a pretty good knowledge of lumber. Seems like a lot of the guys have been there for some years, so they also know the yard and know their stock. Not all the staff are what I'd call friendly, but who needs friendly when all the staff are courteous and knowledgeable. read more

Really a great place to get what you need. I have been shopping there for way over two decades and it always beats the experience just about anywhere else. I had a commercial account at Pine Cone Lumber (also a great place) in the south bay for my business there but shopped at SML for my home projects here in San Mateo. Surprised at just how much stuff they have in what is a somewhat limited space. Great help too. read more

Helpful employees, really willing to get just what you need. Totally recommend them for your hardware needs!