There are always little repairs that need to be addressed in the home. That could be is fixing an uneven chair leg, tightening a leaky pipe, or even hanging picture frames your wife has been on you about for weeks.
However, these days when something needs to be fixed, or for small home improvement projects, a lot of people go straight to Google and think they have to hire a handyman.
But almost everyone, no matter whether homeowner or renter, should be able to take care of small DIY projects. You just need the right tools and a little know-how. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you successfully complete even the tiniest home maintenance tasks.
So for that reason, everyone should have the following tools in their toolbox at home.
With these tools, you will have everything you need to take on all but the biggest and most dangerous jobs in your house. Now, before you head out to home depot, there are a few things to be aware of.
Here are my 5 favorite tools for the home DIY enthusiast:
1. Cordless drill
You need to hang your curtains, picture frames, shelving with something.
And a screwdriver or hammer and nails doesn’t always do the job right. After all, if you hit a stud (or do so intentionally), you’ll need some power behind you.
Purchase a good cordless drill. It has the convenience of being able to go anywhere in or outside of the house. It has the power for bigger jobs, and the battery usually can last for months.
2. Staple gun
Sometimes you don’t want the damage of nails or screws in your walls.
But you need to hang fabric, paper backing, or maybe even just fix something that’s coming loose. This is where the staple gun comes in.
You might be thinking about a cheap $10 staple gun. But I want you to think a little bigger here and consider one of these electric staple guns recommended by homegearx.com.
That gives you the power to do more with your staple gun!
3. Vice grips
No matter if you need to do some plumbing or even repairs to your car, you need the right type of pliers for the job. But forget that $5.00 pair of pliers!
Vice grips give you a lot more capability, and you can lock them in so you don’t have to expend the energy of holding them in place.
4. Nut driver set
There are always bolts that need to be tightened.
That could be on chairs, tables, outdoor furniture, or anywhere around the house. But sometimes it’s not always easy to reach a big, bulky set of pliers into those spaces.
That’s why you need a set of nut drivers. They work like a screwdriver but tighten like a pair of pliers.
5. Lock-blade knife
Forget those cheap exacto blades.
You know the one you have with the blade that’s 10 years old that can’t cut spaghetti? Instead, get yourself a great knife with a blade that locks in place. It will be much stronger and sharper. And like a good kitchen knife can be sharpened as needed.
Final thoughts
There are plenty of big-box home stores and, of course, Amazon, that sell complete toolkits for as little as $40 bucks. But avoid the temptation of “one and one”, as these kits will usually break after a few times using them. Ultimately, they will end up costing you more over the long run.
Quality tools are costlier, however, they will last a lifetime.
Of course, you can always rely on top brand names like Craftsman. But you can also ask the folks working at the nearby Lowe’s or Home Depot. Many of these folks do a lot of handy-person work themselves and will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Happy DIYing!