Menards®

Ice, snow, and heavy rain don’t always stay outside, whether that’s through a drafty door, a soggy entryway, or a bathroom floor that never quite dries out. A few smart products and upgrades can protect a home from all three, indoors and out. Vinyl stone look tile floors are one easy example, but there are a few others to consider.  TL;DR The right flooring can shed water rather than soak it up, reducing damage from tracked-in rain and snow. A few entryway upgrades keep moisture from spreading further into the house in the first place. Simple exterior fixes, like a reliable shovel and better drainage, protect a home before ice and heavy rain become a bigger problem. 1. Flooring That Sheds Water Instead of Absorbing It Rain and melting snow tracked in from outside tend to end up on bathroom floors sooner or later, and traditional tile grout soaks up that moisture instead of shedding it. Vinyl bathroom floors skip the grout lines entirely, letting water run off the surfac...

Replacing a bathroom floor is one of those projects that seems simple until the shopping starts. Between waterproof ratings, plank versus tile formats, and matching everything else in the room, a first flooring upgrade can turn into more decisions than expected. Here’s what actually matters before making a choice. TL;DR Not every floor labeled waterproof performs the same way once real water is involved. Vinyl comes in different formats, and the format affects where it works best. Small coordinating details, like matching fixtures, help a new floor look intentional rather than added on. What “Waterproof” Actually Means The word "waterproof" gets used loosely in flooring marketing, but there's a real difference between water-resistant and fully waterproof materials. Water-resistant flooring can handle spills and splashes for a while, but moisture can still work its way through the seams over time. Meanwhile, waterproof vinyl bathroom floors are designed to prev...

An entryway handles more daily wear than almost any other room in the house. Wet shoes, dropped bags, a dog shaking off rain, kids kicking off cleats after practice: it takes on all of it, in every season, whether anyone thinks about it or not. However, a few practical upgrades can turn a chaotic drop zone into a space that actually keeps up with everything walking through the door. Give the Floor the Support It Needs Vinyl wood look floor planks give your entryway the look of real hardwood without the worry that comes with it. They shrug off wet boots, muddy paws, and dropped gear easily, and they wipe clean in a way carpet can't manage over time. You get a finished, put-together look in the one room in the house that brings in the most daily traffic. Keep It Warm When You Need It An entryway usually isn't insulated the same way the rest of the house is, so it tends to run colder or hotter, depending on the season. Energy efficient small space heaters take the...

Space heaters aren't one-size-fits-all, and knowing the differences up front can save you some trial and error once you get one home. Some rely on a ceramic element and a fan to distribute heat evenly across a room, while others use infrared technology to warm objects and people directly, often using less energy in the process. The right pick usually comes down to the space being heated and how quickly you want to feel a difference. Small Space Heaters for Small Jobs For a bedroom, home office, or any single room that just needs a boost, small space heaters are usually the better fit. They're compact enough to tuck under a desk or beside a chair, and most heat up fast enough to take the chill off before you've settled in for the evening. Bigger Rooms Need a Bigger Output An open-concept living room, a finished basement, or a garage workspace calls for something with more reach. A large room space heater electric model is designed to cover more square footage wi...

Once the weather turns, a shed or garage tends to become overflow storage instead of a space you can actually use. That doesn't have to be the case. A few key pieces of equipment are usually what stand between a garage you avoid all winter and one that’s fully functional.  Heat It Like You Actually Use It If you're planning to spend any real time in your garage or shed, whether it's finishing a project or just organizing gear, the space needs to actually hold heat. A large room space heater is designed to warm up large areas, so you're not standing around in a coat while you work. It's the difference between a usable garage and one that's just heated enough to keep the pipes from freezing through the coldest stretch of the year.   Choose Power Over Convenience When the driveway is long, or the snow's heavy, a lightweight blower doesn't cut it. A high-performance heavy duty gas snow blower is built for exactly that kind of job, clearing th...

There’s a particular kind of morning every homeowner recognizes. The driveway is covered in snow, the car needs a few minutes to warm up, and someone is already running late. The difference between that morning turning into a mess and staying manageable usually comes down to what got done weeks earlier , not what gets done in the moment. Homeowners who never seem to have a bad morning share one habit: they test things well before they need to rely on them. Here are three easy items to check off your to-do list for more stress-free winter mornings. Check the Remote Before the Cold Sets In A universal garage opener remote is one of those items nobody thinks about until the batteries die in the cold or the signal starts to lag. A quick check now, while it’s still convenient, means one less delay on the morning it actually matters most. Verify Space Heaters Are Functional Before You Need Them The same logic applies indoors, or at least the parts that feel like outdoors this t...

A few small updates can make a home feel more comfortable once the weather starts to shift, and that comfort doesn’t have to stop at just one room. Menards® can help you find small updates for a bathroom, a living space, and everywhere in between without needing a full renovation. Even upgrading aging flooring with vinyl tile floors for bathroom spaces can take the chill out of a morning routine, and the project is fairly DIY-friendly. Here are a few ideas to consider.  Find bathroom fixtures, fireplace options, and comfort upgrades for the whole home at https://www.menards.com/main/home.html A Bathroom Refresh That Doesn't Take a Weekend A bathroom doesn’t need a full remodel to feel new again. Small swaps like a new faucet, fresh drawer pulls, a shower caddy, or a new shower head from Menards® can change the whole feel of the room in an afternoon, without a major project or a big mess to clean up afterward. If the space could use a bigger update alongside those smalle...

Not every home upgrade needs to be flashy to make a real difference. Some of the most satisfying changes are the practical ones: a garage door that opens the first time, every time, and heat that actually reaches the person who's cold instead of the whole house. These are the kind of upgrades that reward good engineering over gadgetry, and you’ll notice them every day instead of just once. A Garage Door That Responds the First Time A garage door that hesitates or needs three tries to open is a small annoyance that adds up fast, especially on a cold morning when you have somewhere to be. Sometimes the fix is as simple as a new garage opener remote with a stronger signal and fresh batteries. Other times, the opener unit itself wears out after years of daily use. Either way, a door that responds instantly is one less thing to think about on the way out. Heat That Goes Wherever You Are Not every space needs heat all day, and running the furnace harder to warm a garage w...

Fall hasn't even settled in yet, but the homeowners who stay ahead of winter aren't the ones scrambling once the first cold front hits. They're the ones who treat comfort and snow prep like a system: heating the rooms that need it, putting a neglected fireplace back to work, and clearing walkways before the first snowfall makes them dangerous. The trick isn't guesswork; it's tackling each piece before it becomes urgent. Give Cold Rooms Their Own Heat Source Not every room heats evenly, and a whole-house furnace can't always keep up with a drafty office or a chilly basement corner. Rather than cranking up the thermostat for the entire house, an electrical space heater adds supplemental warmth exactly where it's needed, without pushing the main heating system harder than it needs to. It's a small addition that solves a room-specific problem instead of a whole-house one . Put the Fireplace Back on the Rotation A fireplace that's stopped ge...