4 Best Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs (2024 Guide)
By Dan Simms /
Here’s an overview of our Lowe’s gutter guard review:
As a home improvement store catering to DIYers, Lowe’s carries quite a few different types of gutter guards that fit standard gutter sizes and shapes — most are for K-style and five-inch gutters. These are meant to provide DIY options for gutter protection, so they involve an easy installation process that won’t void your roof warranty or require installation under your roof shingles like some of the professional options.
Lowe’s offers a few types of gutter guards, including screen, mesh, micro mesh, reverse-curve (also called surface tension gutter guards) and foam gutter guards. These vary in price, appearance, effectiveness and ease of installation.
Some of the options come with the possibility of a professional installation for an added cost, but all are also suitable for DIY home improvement projects.
Lowe’s itself maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but the reviews for the gutter guards it sells vary widely from product to product. Additionally, some of the best gutter guards from Lowe’s include warranties for the products and materials, although most don’t offer a performance warranty, as they will usually be installed by DIYers.
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At EcoWatch, we know that gutters and gutter guards are crucial parts of your home protection system that can prevent major property damage and issues with your foundation, fascia, soffits and more. We assess gutter guard companies based on numerous factors to ensure you have all the information you need to choose the best option for your home and budget.
Below, we’ll discuss the major factors we’ve used to assess Lowe’s gutter guards and how each is likely to affect your overall experience with the products.
Unlike most gutter guard companies like LeafFilter and MasterShield that package the product and professional installation together for one price, Lowe’s sells a variety of DIY gutter guard options.
You can choose from foam gutter guards, gutter screen guards, mesh gutter guards, micro mesh gutter guards and reverse-curve gutter guards. These vary quite a bit in their price and performance, but all can be installed as a DIY project by most handy homeowners.
Some of the more popular and efficient gutter guards from Lowe’s include:
These leaf guards range in price from 33 cents to $2.75 per linear foot. Most of them either fit easily into your gutters and sit on the bottom or get snapped into place in the case of K-style gutter guards.
The gutter guards available at Lowe’s come in a variety of materials, including foam, PVC frames with stainless steel mesh, PVC frames with plastic mesh and aluminum frames with stainless steel micro mesh.
PVC and other plastics won’t be as durable as stainless steel and aluminum gutter guards, as they can warp and bend in response to sunlight, heat and humidity changes. It’s generally better to spend a bit more for high-quality materials that won’t need to be replaced every few years.
The efficiency of the gutter guards from Lowe’s will generally be lower than what you’d expect from a professionally installed gutter guard system. Additionally, the products vary in how well they are expected to perform and how much they reduce your need for gutter cleaning services.
Foam filter gutter guards are the least efficient, and they will require gutter cleaning a few times a year to remove debris. Foam guards can still lead to clogs, so be aware of that before choosing this affordable option.
Screen guards will be more efficient, and the micro mesh guards available will be the most efficient.
Regardless of the design and style you choose, the gutter guards from Lowe’s all work the same way. They provide a permeable cover over your rain gutters — sometimes at an angle for the best results — that allows water to fall into your gutters but stops debris like leaves, pine needles and roof grit from accumulating.
The specifics vary a bit from style to style, but the general idea is the same across all products from Lowe’s.
Since the installation is typically done as a DIY project, the process for protecting your existing gutters is simple. You purchase the gutter guards you want from Lowe’s in the linear-feet sections you need, and then you install them according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Some of the gutter guards available from Lowe’s come with an option for professional installation. In that case, you’ll request a free quote and consultation for installation from a sales representative, and then you’ll get a date of installation for your gutter guards.
Since Lowe’s offers a variety of gutter guards for DIY installation, most don’t include a warranty for performance or workmanship. However, many of the available options do include a warranty for the product itself, including the materials and general construction.
Some products have no warranty options, some have short warranties (one to three years) and some have lengthy warranties (20 to 25 years). Again, these warranties typically only cover manufacturer’s defects and won’t guarantee that your guards work as intended.
If you choose gutter guards from Lowe’s that come with the option of a professional installation, there is a chance you can get a warranty for the performance of the guards. However, availability depends on the product you choose and the installation company assigned to your gutter guard project.
In any case, the warranties available for DIY gutter guards aren’t as appealing as the lifetime warranties that come with the professionally-installed options.
The installation process for Lowe’s gutter guards will vary depending on the specific gutter guard you choose and whether you opt to do it yourself or have a professional installation. As a DIY home improvement store, most of the gutter guard options available from Lowe’s will require that you install them yourself.
This is attractive to some homeowners, as the average cost of DIY gutter guards — around $0.75 per square foot — is significantly less than a professional installation — which averages around $6 per square foot.
Foam and lock-in gutter guards can simply be pushed into the top of the gutter and set in place according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Here’s an example of how to install foam gutter guards:
For screen or mesh gutter guards, you might need to use gutter hangers and fasteners to install them properly, which requires the use of power tools and potentially puts your fascia boards and gutters at risk of damage. It’s best only to move forward with a DIY installation if you have some experience, although you can refer to the full video installations Lowe’s has for many of its products on its website.
If you choose a professional installation for your gutter guards, you’ll simply need to pay for the product and the installation cost, set up an installation date with a salesperson in the store and wait for a third-party installer to come to your home to complete the work. The providers are unrelated to Lowe’s, and while they’re briefly vetted, the overall quality of the work and customer experience can vary quite a lot.
The average cost of gutter guards from Lowe’s is around $0.75 per linear foot, but you could pay anywhere between $0.33 and $2.75 per linear foot, depending on the product you choose. For a 1,000-square foot, one-story home, it will typically cost between $75 and $625 to purchase the materials required or an average of $200.
It’s wise to buy some extra material to allow for mistakes and off-cuts, so adding 5-10% isn’t a bad idea for an accurate estimate.
Even with buying some extra material, the cost of DIY gutters from places like Lowe’s and Home Depot will always be lower than professionally installed options. You might also want to factor in your time, as installing gutter guards yourself can take quite a while and cause some frustration.
You’ll have a different experience shopping for gutter guards at Lowe’s depending on whether you go to your local store or shop online.
Shopping online will show you everything available through Lowe’s. Some items will be in stock and ready for purchase at one or more local stores (you can check specific ones). You can pick these items up that day or have them delivered.
Some items are out of stock in stores or need to be ordered specially. Either way, the website will tell you when the items can be delivered to a store of your choice or to your home. Shipping is free if your order totals over $45.
In short, if you go to your local Lowe’s they may not have in stock what you want — but you can save yourself what could be a wasted trip by checking this first online. If you shop online and purchase an item that you want delivered or that’s out of stock or needs to be special ordered, you may have to wait a few days to a week to either pick up your order in–store or have it delivered.
Lowe’s has over 1,700 locations across all 50 states, so many homeowners in America should be able to purchase gutter guards there for a DIY installation. The option for professional installation via Lowe’s depends on local availability, so check with your local store for this option.
Lowe’s has countless reviews across a multitude of websites, but we’re more concerned with the customer reviews for specific products since the customer service provided by Lowe’s is somewhat irrelevant to your experience specifically with gutter guards.
Many of the products have overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Specifically, the Amerimax Titan 3000 Gutter Guard has mostly four- and five-star reviews that comment on the product’s ability to keep all debris — even smaller leaf particles, pine needles and roof grit — out of the gutters. Some of the reviews note that the water flow rate through the mesh isn’t as rapid as the homeowner had hoped, but some overflow is to be expected with all gutter guards.
Another popular product, GutterFoam, has many positive reviews that note how easy the installation is and that the gutter protection was immediate. The negative reviews for this product mention that debris easily gets stuck in the foam, requiring removal, cleaning and reinstallation. However, this is expected of the less efficient foam gutter guards in all cases.
Below, we’ve included some positive and negative reviews from customers that have left comments about gutter guards available from Lowe’s. This should give you a good idea of what to expect from the installation process and the level of protection the products offer.
“[My] recommendation is conditional that buyers would understand these gutter guards (like all others I am aware of) are not ‘a perfect solution.’ They do keep debris out of the gutters — which is my reason for installing. And would install again if needed! They do always let a percentage of rain flow on past them — just plain physics! The harder the rain — the larger the percentage! They do allow snow to slide over them with little/no damage to gutters. They are not difficult to install.”
– VAHillbilly via Lowe’s.com for the Amerimax Titan 3000 Gutter Guards
“They are super easy to install and trim to fit, but they are porous foam, and while the water does flow through easily, those pores clog up quickly with small debris. I live in the [Pacific Northwest] now where small fir tree needles and arborvitae debris rain on my roof year round. All that small debris plugs up those pores, especially on inside corners where water and debris accumulate the most, and after a month rainwater just flows over the gutter in the corners instead of through the foam guards.”
– Aaron via Lowe’s.com for the GutterFoam Gutter Guards
“Overall, these are decent gutter guards. They interlock by overlapping with [the] pre-cut notch they have. I used extras ones to cut small sections out that fit over the internal gutter downspout mouth as added protection. I secured it with gutter sealant. They are easy to cut with cheap wire snips. So far they are doing the job well. I also used a gutter screw to screw the middle and end down with single screw. Overall I’m pleased but [they will need] yearly checking [and]… cleaning.”
– Howiezs via Lowe’s.com for the Amerimax Lock-In Gutter Guards
There are quite a few options for professionally installed gutter guards from independent companies, but Lowe’s is one of the best options for buying the materials yourself and completing a DIY installation.
The home improvement store sells different types of gutter guards — including screen, mesh, foam and reverse-curve — from many different brands. The price, efficiency and warranty vary based on the product.
Most of the gutter guards available from Lowe’s include just a manufacturer’s warranty that covers the parts and materials for defects only. There are no performance guarantees for leaf guards that you install yourself for obvious reasons.
However, Lowe’s does offer professional installation services for some of the gutter guards available, and some of these do come with a warranty for the labor and workmanship.
Overall, buying gutter guards from Lowe’s is a good option if you’re looking to save money and install the products yourself. The gutter guard options here won’t outperform professionally installed gutter guards, so while the lower cost is appealing, you should account for the fact that you’ll still need to pay for gutter cleaning services a few times a year or get up on a ladder once or twice a season to clear out the gutters yourself.
Given the popularity of Lowe’s in the U.S. and the appeal of DIY gutter protection, we get questions all the time about the gutter guards available from this retailer. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions along with our responses.
Lowe’s gutter guards vary quite a bit in price, depending on the specific product you’re looking to install and whether you want to install it yourself or have a Lowe’s-approved installer take care of it for you.
Most of the gutter guard products available fall between $0.33 and $2.75 per linear foot, with an average of around $0.75. For a 1,000-square foot home with a perimeter of 220 linear feet, you can expect to pay between $75 and $625 for your materials, or an average of about $200.
You should budget for 5-10% more than this, as you may need extra material to make up for mistakes and some offcuts that are too short to be used. Even accounting for waste and errors, the cost of gutter guards from Lowe’s is far lower than you’d pay for a professionally installed gutter guard system.
Yes, absolutely! As a DIY home improvement store, all Lowe’s products are meant to be suitable for DIY installation, and the gutter guards are no exception. You can purchase gutter guards from Lowe’s in small sections about three or four feet long, making them easy to transport and maneuver while you’re on your roof or up on a ladder.
All of the DIY gutter guards from Lowe’s are a breeze to install. Some products — like the GutterFoam and Lock-In Gutter Guards — take just a few seconds to set in place per section. Most homeowners can finish the installation in a day or two.
It should be noted that if you need new gutters in addition to gutter guards, it’s best to have a professional installation completed.
Yes. All gutter covers — even professionally-installed systems — need at least an annual cleaning to ensure they continue to function as intended. Generally speaking, DIY gutter guards won’t be as efficient at catching debris as professional systems, so the gutter guards from Lowe’s will very likely still require two to four gutter cleaning services per year.
This will also depend on the style of gutter guard you choose because, for example, foam guards aren’t as efficient as mesh guards.
Lowe’s accepts returns of new and unopened gutter guards within 90 days of the purchase date, provided you have the receipt or the card you used to purchase them. It also accepts returns within this time period for products that are defective. If you opt for a professional installation from a Lowe’s contractor, you cannot return the product.
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