I spend way too many hours – and probably too many dollars – at Lowe’s and Target, shopping for affordable home improvement and decorative items to update my residence. I’ve long noticed that many of the items for sale in both of these big box chains are made in China. That means new tariffs on this top three international trading partner can have a massive impact on home improvement projects to add functionality, convenience, style and wellness potential to our homes this season. It’s likely too that 10% tariffs on goods from every other trading country – whether we’re talking about Spanish or Italian tile, German appliances, Argentine faucets, Brazilian countertop slabs or Indian textiles – will also drive up the costs on home improvement, repair and decoration.
Uncertainty Impacts
“The Trump administration’s current wave of tariffs on most imports to the U.S. are not a surprise,” posits Steven Kleber, the Atlanta-based president of the National Remodeling Foundation and a home products industry strategic consultant, adding, “What is perhaps surprising is the swift global reaction, imposition of retaliatory tariffs, and just how fluid and volatile this situation is.” Conditions are changing weekly or even daily, he observes. “It’s important to view this in a macro sense; tariffs are only part of the picture. What potentially could have a greater impact on the industry and the overall economy are the hits to consumer confidence,” he adds. Americans are seeing their retirement accounts plummet and increased recession warnings by Wall Street, Kleber notes.
According to Bank of America’s Global Research team, its April survey of 1,000 US-based respondents showed a 33% drop from March in planned appliance purchases. The report characterized it as “the lowest in three years, with plans to buy down dramatically vs. last April.” The National Association of Home Builders’ Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index for the first quarter of the year – even before tariffs were announced – showed a five point drop in remodeler sentiment on current market conditions. The organization’s Remodelers section chairperson noted that some remodelers are reporting that uncertainty about tariffs and the direction of the economy are making customers hesitant to spend on larger projects. NerdWallet home expert Kate Wood agrees that homeowner concerns about the economy overall, not just specific products on their shopping lists, can dampen their enthusiasm for home renovation.
“This is echoed in our survey of professional remodelers we do every quarter: consumer uncertainty is the number one reason (above labor, material and financing cost pressures) holding back the remodeling market today,” observes Matthew Saunders, building products research senior vice president for John Burns Research & Consulting. “With budgets under pressure, homeowners are scaling back on major remodels in favor of smaller, more strategic updates.” He predicts, “Tariff-related cost increases will be highest with kitchen and bath categories, including appliances, hardware, and plumbing fixtures, which have outsized import exposure to China.”
The Houzz platform’s Q2 2025 Renovation Barometer saw similar findings. “Businesses in the design sector anticipate tariffs to impact appliances (65%), cabinetry (58%), lighting fixtures (58%), indoor furniture (58%) and outdoor furniture (48%). Construction businesses are concerned about cabinetry (66%), appliances (60%), plumbing fixtures (58%), lighting fixtures (53%) and windows (44%).”
Pros Respond
Steve Sheinkopf, CEO of New England multi-location retailer Yale Appliance, observes that many brands source or assemble parts in China, Vietnam, South Korea and Mexico. He anticipates price increases to hit by late 2025. Expect major increases in ranges, laundry, sinks and grills, he warns. “With a 10% blanket tariff on all imports, and even steeper country-specific tariffs on China, most of the components that go into making appliances just got a lot more expensive.”
Ferguson, with a popular e-commerce site and home products retail locations across the country, says tariff impacts are already being felt throughout the industry. Caroline Danielson, director of showrooms and Ferguson Home, shares, “Manufacturers are regularly issuing price increase notifications, and distributors are responding accordingly.” Adapting to ever-changing realities is key, she points out, especially for clients and specifiers in the midst of their remodel or new build processes. “We’re approaching this with flexibility and focus, adjusting as needed to help projects move forward smoothly.”
Time is of the essence, pros agree. Lansing area designer Julie Westerfield recommends that clients who are either in the middle or approaching the end of their projects’ planning stages, move ahead with their purchases. “Order materials now, even if your contractor is months out,” she urges. Designers and remodelers like her are starting to include contract clauses addressing likely tariff-driven pricing changes.
Richmond, Virginia area cabinet consultant Jonathan Rowland agrees. “Waiting isn’t a smart move here,” he suggests. In the past, manufacturers gave 60 to 90 days’ notice of price increases, he recalls, but that timeline shortened during the pandemic and hasn’t fully returned to its 90 day peak. “Do not guarantee/hold pricing more than one week for your sake,” Rowland urges his design firm clients. Westerfield says she’s doing updated price checks right before placing any orders.
Producers Respond
Jean-Michel Lebeau creates luxury bathtubs as CEO of Quebec-based BainUltra. His materials are nearly all sourced from North America, he says, and he’s currently shielded by the 2018 USMCA trade agreement for the 85% of his sales that come from the U.S. market. This won’t necessarily shield the firm from higher costs due to retaliatory tariffs on critical materials. “Unlike COVID’s sharp economic shock with rapid intervention, the current tariff situation could create a slower-burning crisis with a much longer recovery timeline,” he theorizes. “If resolved in a few months, we’ll control the situation effectively. Worst case, we face across-the-board price increases in source materials, leading to stagflation/inflation scenarios.”
Allison Eden creates custom tile mosaic installations for residential and commercial projects from her Brooklyn factory. Her glass tile projects are completely sourced using domestic materials, she says, and thus not tariff-impacted. These represent about 90 percent of her sales. The 10 percent of stone materials she brings in from Asia are another story. These have been hit with price increases already, she shares. In fact, Eden was five minutes from placing a large order when she received an immediate price hike note of 125% from her stone supplier. A quick offer to shift the client to glass tile saved the sale. “If I had not had that option, I would have lost the project!” she declares.
Final Thoughts
It’s worth repeating: Flexibility is key in this environment! Eden was able to complete her client’s custom mosaic design by shifting materials. In a shifting reality, you too may be offered the opportunity to save money by changing brands, materials, finishes, features or fixtures. Consider the impact on your long-term wellbeing, not just your wallet, by asking whether a substitution will deliver comparable benefits and health/safety protections for as long as you’ll own it. If it’s a major appliance or bathroom fixture, that could mean a decade or longer. If it’s a Target decorative tchotchke, you’ll probably be just fine!
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Author’s Note: Interview quotes were sourced by email and in a Facebook design industry group during the week ending April 13.
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