Learned Lumber

I needed to have a wood fence replaced. I had several contractors come over to give me estimates. Neither of the estimates that I received indicated the type of wood or the grade of wood. I like to be an educated consumer and want to get what I think I am paying for. Before deciding on a contractor, I went to Learned Lumber to get an education on the various woods available for my fence. Brian was so helpful. He showed me the types of wood available and the different grades. He gave me the prices for each grade so that I could compare prices. There is a big difference in price between the lower and higher grades of wood, as well as a big difference in the appearance of the wood. He suggested the questions that I should ask before I made the decision on which contractor to use. If I had not gone to Learned Lumber, I probably would have gotten a lower quality of wood than I would have been happy with.
This is the second time I’ve gone to Learned Lumber to get information for a home repair project. Both times, the sales people were very helpful even when it was obvious that I was not planning on making a purchase.
I feel so much more informed about wood alternatives and can now make a more informed decision. Thanks Learned Lumber.

Called for info re. wood for a project; phone answered almost immediately and rep. was patient and helpful. Also, sent a Unilocal message asking for more info and business mgr. Craig wrote back in no time suggesting another lumber supplier that may help with the redwood I was inquiring about and gave helpful advice. A+ Cust. Svc.

I asked for a ½ piece of plywood 60″ x 36″ and I got a ½ piece of plywood 57″ x 36″. What else do I have to say.
I guess he knew what I wanted better than I did. Unfortunately a little undersize headboard isn’t what I want.
So I’ll go back next week since they are now closed. grrrrrrrrrrrr

Another business recommended by a contractor friend. I needed two 8′ lengths of 2’x2’ and they showed me different grades and helped my pick them
out. Very friendly and helpful, I’ll be back.

This place has been around since wood was invented! I’ll have a project about once or twice a year and I get precision cuts of wood, paint, glue, sand paper and all the stuff I need with little hassle and driving. No wandering down the isles of a big box store hoping to find someone knowledgeable. The staff here can actually help you.

I had a great experience with Learned Lumber. They helped me solve my problem in more ways than one, and added value far in excess of the few bucks I gave them for cutting me some lumber. The people here are resourceful and thoughtful, and easy to work with. Great asset to the South Bay.
Re: parking. Look for the lot about a block before the sign for the store if you’re coming from the south, heading north. Turn right before the Standard Brand paint store, and then find the lot on your right. Street parking is minimal — very crowded area of HB.

I came in to find a hammer and screwdriver. Nothing fancy. The store had what I needed, the staff rang me up and all was well in the world.

These guys are great. I needed a large amount lumber for a project I’m doing in Pacific Palisades, I got referred here from a local contractor and came by with my partner to check out what they could offer us.
Summary: Great selection, warm customer service and excellent guidance. They even helped us out on the price.
If I knew more contractors and builders, I’d definitely send them here!

Shady and dishonest. Overcharged without approval.
I ordered some Cedar lumber over the phone to be delivered to my house. The guy I spoke with quoted me a price and I placed the order. During this he agreed that if the price was higher than the quote, he would call me back to confirm. No call-​back ever occurred. When I looked at the price they charged to my account after receiving the lumber, it was 11% higher than quoted. They obviously just padded the charge to my card without approval.
I could do a charge-​back on my card and return the lumber, but I’ll just eat the cost and chock it up to the cost of learning not to do business with them again.
The wood was delivered as specified and on time, and they get a star for that.
Will not do business with them again. After relating this story to some of the older generation in the South Bay, they laughed and said they already knew not to deal with these ass-​hats. Guess I should have asked around first.

Update: November 3, 2012
I went back to this place again today (undercover) to give them a second chance. I really do prefer going here to Home Depot so I thought I shouldn’t give up after one bad experience. Everybody was super friendly and helpful and I didn’t experience any of the problems in my original review. I’m changing my review to three stars but leaving the old one just in case others have problems with that same employee.
Update: September 29, 2012
I received a call from the manager at the store who assured me that this kind of behavior from employees was not acceptable. He said they were having a store-​wide meeting and the employee who did this would be held responsible for their actions. He sounded pretty serious, jumped right on getting a bad review here, and assured me my experience would be a one-​time thing.
Original Review:
I would never go here again! I was told to go here by a local hardware store who apparently didn’t know any better. The prices on plywood here are insane. I bought some for a shelving unit of mine and ended up paying about $ 12 a shelf, not a price you’d expect for such a cheap product.
When I went outside to get the wood cut, I had to track down an employee who was subsequently furious that the guy who normally does cut-​to-​size orders had walked off the premises and I get the impression this wasn’t a one-​time issue. As I sat for around twenty minutes watching my wood get cut, the employee doing the work kept spouting off at the other employees yelling about how his co-​worker who abandoned him was a «fucking faggot».
Most of my experiences with local businesses have been excellent and I went out of my way to find a place aside from Home Depot where I could get lumber. I would have reported this incident to the store but given that all the employees didn’t seem to care, I guess this kind of bigoted language is commonplace there. Maybe that guy will get fired, but I’m certainly never going back.

Just when I thought I had found a «small business» that would provide customer service that I would love, I found out I was wrong! The «new» GM is a pompous, arrogant SOB who thinks he owns the lumber retail business, when really, he only works at a lumber yard. They let the best employee go, I’m assuming to make their numbers look better for the end of the year bonuses! What a shame… or what a sham, either one will work. I’ll go to Sears Lumber in El Segundo OR Crenshaw Lumber in Torrance for good quality and good service.

I’m not the biggest fan here but the location was most important to get the job done soon the other day. More friendly than Home Depots it seems but much higher prices and less selection. Again, I was in a hurry and Home Depot was too far away for me. Time is money and customers want quality and good pricing.

If you need anything wood or lumber related and don’t have the resources to cut to size yourself, this is the place to go. Much better and more personalized service than Home Depot. They also carry hardware, but the prices would probably be higher than big-​box stores.

This place is pretty good. I’ve purchased a few thing from here. Don’t think it is a normal ‘hardware’ store. The Hardware store products inside are going to be more expensive than a Home Depot etc… But by the name of the place this is a Lumber Yard, you go here for lumber because they have a pretty good selection and it’s not all the same stuff you could get at a Home Depot type place.
The hours aren’t convenient for me, but to a contractor they might be. I’ll go back but if I just need a screwdriver, saw, or a pair of pliers, I’ll probably go to a place closer to home.