Plant it, paint it — True Value is your go-to for home improvement ...

TRUE VALUE Store Manager Jeff Gutierrez, left, and his father Dave Gutierrez, who owns the Placerville and Penn Valley locations have high standards for the products and services they offer their customers. Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum

Making a "to-do" list of home improvement projects is easy; actually doing any of the tasks is not.

So instead of sitting around, trying to decide where to start, get over to True Value Hardware in Placerville where the staff will get you the tools and knowledge to "get 'er done."

Store manager Jeff Gutierrez suggests starting in the yard because vegetation can be hard to get under control once overgrown. Fortunately, True Value has all the equipment you're going to need to do it yourself. They've got power pruners, aerial lifts, tillers, chain saws and more, most of which can be purchased or rented at the store. "Buy what you want; rent what is needed," Gutierrez said.

Looking to start a lawn or plant a flower bed? The Mantis Tiller is a neat machine that will break up the soil for a healthy foundation to grow a garden or roll out some turf. The tiller could easily fit inside just about any car too.

True Value also services power tools like chain saws or tillers made by top brands like Stihl, Echo and Craftsman. These top brands meet the quality standards at True Value and that's what you will find on the shelves. "I have to stand behind every product I bring in," Gutierrez said. "I'm in the business of making sure customers get what they need."

A large poster hanging in the store advertising the Stihl brand reads: "This dealership is one of the 8,000 reasons why the world's number one selling brand of chain saws is not sold at Lowe's or Home Depot."

To freshen up a home, Gutierrez recommends a new coat of paint. "A common misconception is that people need to go to a big box store to get good paint, colors and good prices," Gutierrez said, but the paint at True Value stands up to the competition and is produced at the True Value paint factory in Chicago. It's also where True Value employees go to learn about the product and how to help customers choose color combinations.

Choosing the right color is one of the greatest challenges when painting a home's interior or exterior but Gutierrez — who attended the paint school himself — has lots of helpful tips. One simple pointer he shared was to pick a color you like. There's also plenty of peel-and-stick color swatches and booklets that provide useful samples to try out around the home.

When painting, it's a good time to weatherstrip and seal the doors and windows of a home. Maintaining a home's energy efficiency is one of the most important responsibilities of homeowners according to Gutierrez, explaining, "If you aren't doing repairs on your home it's going to lose energy efficiency. There's nothing better than an efficient house and it's not going to improve just sitting there. In order to save money you have to put money into it."

True Value Hardware is located at 4571 Missouri Flat Road in Placerville. For more information call 530-622-0992. At True Value, you can also rent a really big cotton candy maker and Gutierrez said he believes he's got the county's best selection of single nuts and bolts.

Krysten Kellum has worked for the Mountain Democrat since 2006. She currently is the Photo Editor at the newspaper. Her Australian Cattle Dog Penny is the Mountain Democrat newshound.

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