The online version of Consumer Reports magazine reports that this July 4th weekend might be a good time to start some of those home improvement projects you’ve been putting off for so long. It reports that the two largest home improvement store chains, Lowes and Home Depot, are both offering sales on appliances, paint, home improvement financing and lots of other items in their stores. Both stores have had sagging stock prices and slowing sales due to the housing slow down lately, so they need to begin working aggressively to get customers in the door. Consumer Reports even has a little something to say about the shopping experience at both stores:

The shopping experience and quality of service are two other major factors in deciding where to shop. Neither big-box retailer excels in customer service and support, according to our new survey of 20,000 subscribers about shopping at home centers, independent stores, and online retailers. Lowe’s outranked Home Depot for product selection and shopping ease, and the checkout lines move faster at Lowe’s.

Maybe improving their customer service and lowering some prices will finally boost their stock prices a bit.

Consumer Reports also has a very cool interactive online guide to home improvement where you can click on different rooms and then pick out the features of each room with your mouse. The guide gives you some home improvement options and shows you a lot of the newer products available. The graphic guide then has links to articles that actually give a brief overview and even review some of the products featured in the home graphic. It’s a little slow at times and I found myself clicking twice here and there just to get it working but all-in-all it’s a pretty fun little guide to click around in and start dreaming.

Generally Consumer Reports does a pretty good job of reviewing just about every home product and service imaginable. I check them out before making any very large home purchases (like appliances and electronic gadgets) and even sometimes when I just want to learn a little more about something. They don’t accept advertising and they try to be impartial, though I don’t always agree with all their reviews. It’s still a good first resource to use whenever you’re planning any sort of home improvement project.