A hammer is a tool that you will hold in your hand, and a hammer is often a tool that you will find yourself using in a home repair job. You will reach for a hammer when the door to your cabinet begins to sag. You will reach for a hammer when the baseboards begin to sag.
You will reach for a hammer when one of the nails that holds one piece of your home to another begins to be difficult to drive into that surface. Yet, there is often a difference between those who can complete a repair job and those that end up with bruised thumbs, the difference is often there tools. You dont need to own a large warehouse of equipment in order to complete home repair jobs.
On the contrary, there are a few tools that you can own that can complete the majority of your needs. By understanding each tool and why some tools performs better than others in certain situations, you will find that you can better complete your projects and avoid wasting time. The tools that are listed in the following sections will allow you to take care of the majority of your home repair jobs.
These tools are listed in the order in which you will likely find yourself needing them, from the rough tools to the fine tools. Each tool included in the following sections was selected for the ability of that particular tool to solve a certain frustration that you will encounter in your home. A claw hammer is a tool that will be important to you during your home repair jobs.
A claw hammer is the most important tool that you will own for home repair jobs. When selecting a claw hammer, you will want to select one that has a 16-ounce head and a handle that is made of fiberglass or wood. Additionally, you want the handle to feel good in your hand when you swing the tool; you do not want your grip to be uncomfortable during your repair jobs.
The claw of the hammer should be curved enough to allow the claw to hook the nails that need to be removed, but you do not want the claw to be pronounced enough that it marks the wood with the claw. The weight of the tool is an important aspect to consider. A 16-ounce hammer will allow you to drive a 16d nail with three swings of the tool without jarring your elbow.
Additionally, a 16-ounce hammer will be light enough to complete overhead and trim jobs with the hammer. If you plan on utilizing the hammer often, you can spend extra money on a hammer with a shock absorbing handle. This will help your wrists after you complete a day’s worth of home repair jobs.
Find a hammer that provides you with both power and control over your home repair jobs. Once you find the best hammer for your home, it will feel as though it is an extension of your arm instead of a blunt tool. The next tool that you can purchase are utility knives.
These will perform a majority of the work that you see around your home when you are completing repair jobs. You want to select a knife with a comfortable grip to hold the tool, as well as one with a thumb lock. Additionally, the blades on the knife will be retractable, you will need to change the blades of your tool more than once.
You should also purchase a pack of heavy-duty blades for your knife tool. Whenever the blade feels difficult to swing, you should immediately replace that blade with a sharp blade. Using a dull blade will tear the paper of your drywall.
Using a dull blade will damage the caulk along the edges of your drywall. Using a dull blade will force you to apply more pressure to the tool, which can cause you to create mistakes in your repair jobs. Using a sharp utility knife will allow you to complete your job quickly and neatly.
Essential Tools For Your Home Repair Projects
1. Tape Measure
A tape measure is a tool that may seem ordinary to you. However, without it and without being able to perform your work without one, a tape measure will become important to you. When you select your tape measure, you want to ensure that it has a locking mechanism.
Additionally, there should be a standout on the tape measure that can extend to reach at least seven feet. Finally, the hook on the tool should slide slightly. This will allow the tape measure to account for both inside and outside measurements of the objects that you measure.
Some tape measures include additional features. For example, some tape measures may include a magnet that allows for marking of studs on drywall, or a slot for a pencil that allows for marking of lines on drywall. These features will come in handy when you are on a ladder.
Additionally, the tape measure should feel good in your hand when you hold it. The best tape measures will allow smooth retraction of the tape without snapping the tool back into your hand. Screwdrivers are among the most useful tools for home repair jobs, despite the number of power tools that you may own.
You will want to own four screwdrivers. You will want the #2 Phillips screwdriver, the #1 Phillips screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver that can be used to remove electrical plates, and a stubby screwdriver that can be used in tight spaces. The tips of the screwdrivers should be magnetic so that screws do not fall into the vents in your home.
You will find utility for the screwdriver if you encounter a stripped screw. Additionally, you will need to use the screwdriver instead of the power drill if you are working in delicate areas. For instance, if you are working near a light fixture.
Working slowly with a screwdriver will prevent you from creating small disasters in your home. A small disaster that you create five minutes into a job can become an hour-long ordeal. The only power tool that you should own is a cordless drill-driver.
2. Cordless Drill-Driver
You want a drill-driver that offers at least two speeds for your projects. Additionally, you want to be able to set the amount of torque that the tool will utilize for your projects. Using a cordless drill-driver with lithium-ion batteries allows for the tool to be lighter as well as last longer in your home without having to store a spare charger.
The other setting on your drill-driver that many ignore is the clutch. The clutch will allow you to avoid driving the screw too deep into the wood. You can avoid stripping the wood if you use this setting correctly.
As soon as you learn to recognize the click that indicates that the screw is driven deep into the wood, you will have confidence in your ability to use a cordless drill-driver to complete your projects. Additionally, the cordless drill-driver should also have spade bits, hole saws, and masonry bits so that it becomes a tool that is useful in your home. Adjustable wrenches will save you the trouble of having to own a wide variety of wrenches.
For instance, you can save the trouble of having to purchase a different wrench for each size of bolt on your furniture. Any pair of adjustable wrenches will have a six-inch and ten-inch size. Look for wrenches with smooth jaws so that they will not damage the chrome finish on your furniture.
When you purchase adjustable wrenches, the correct way to use the tool will be to place the fixed jaw against the object that you are trying to turn the bolt or nut on, and then the adjustable jaw will push against the object. Use the adjustable wrench to avoid rounding the heads of the bolts. You can use this tool if you have two of them to perform tasks like tightening your toilet seats, replacing the cartridges on your faucets, or assembling metal shelves.
A level is a tool that you will use to ensure that you complete your projects in a professional manner. A 24-inch level will be sufficient for most projects, but you may find it helpful to have a small torpedo level that can help you level objects in the tight spaces of your cabinets. Digital levels are helpful, but not necessary tools.
3. Level
For most homeowners an old bubble level will do the job and be more accurate than the digital tools. A level can prevent you from completing a home repair project in which a shelf is sloped or a picture hangs out of alignment with the wall. It will give you the confidence and ability to catch slight imperfections in your projects.
Once you have utilized the level to catch errors in your work, you will have confidence in the quality of your projects. A stud finder will prevent you from encountering headaches with your projects. Moddern stud finders are capable of detecting both metal, wood, and live wires.
4. Stud Finder
Use it slowly to find the edges of the studs in the wall. Most stud finders will find the center of the stud; you should mark both edges. Knowing the location of studs will help with hanging mirrors, televisions, or shelves.
Additionally, you will be avoiding drilling into the water lines and electrical wires in your home. While there are magnetic stud finders that will help locate nails in drywall, they are less useful than electronic stud finders. Pliers are tools that will provide you with a grip that your fingers alone cannot provide.
5. Pliers
Needlenose pliers are useful for retrieving nails from tight spaces in your home. Pliers with a groove joint, also known as Channellocks, are adjustable and helpful for gripping pipe fittings. Additionally, keep a pair of diagonal cutters in your repair tool kit.
These will allow you to snip at wires or zip ties, as well as to cut small brads without damaging the materials of your projects. Additionally, the handles of the pliers should not pinch your palm when you use them. The jaws of the pliers should meet at each end of the pliers.
Once you purchase the best pair of pliers for your projects, you will no longer need to use other objects in your home for the same tasks. Although a handsaw may seem to be an old tool, you may find that it is of great use in your home. For instance, it may come in handy should you need to remove a door that sticks or remove baseboard with a handsaw instead of a circular saw.
6. Handsaw
A 15-inch crosscut saw with between 8 and 10 teeth per inch will be most beneficial for your projects. Handsaws take a little patience and require you to pay close attention to the grain of the wood. For example, hand saws are helpful if you need to perform a project in a spot where a power tool would wake a sleeping baby.
For most Western-style hand saws, the saw will be sharp and will be designed to cut on the push stroke. Safety glasses and work gloves are items that you will want to purchase in order to prevent even minor injuries from escalating to major ones. Your safety glasses should fit snugly on your face.
The glasses will have to offer you some protection for the sides of your eyes. Additionally, work gloves should be thin enough to allow you to perform precision work. Yet, they should be thick enough to provide some protection for your hands in case you encounter splinters or hot metal.
7. Safety Glasses and Work Gloves
The final item that any homeowner should purchase for their home repair jobs is a five gallon bucket. You will use this bucket to carry your tools up and down the stairs. You will use this bucket to catch the debris from your cutting tasks.
8. Five Gallon Bucket
Additionally, when filled with water, this bucket can act as a temporary step stool. Another project that you can use the five gallon bucket for is to mix plaster. If you drill two or more holes near the bottom of the five gallon bucket, you can pass a 2×4 through the holes to turn the five gallon bucket into a sawhorse.
These twelve tools will allow you to handle ninety percent of the projects that will come your way in your home. You can begin with these tools and purchase the remaining tools as you find that you require them for your projects. The satisfaction that you will feel when you own these tools and can find each of them in your tool drawer will provide the ultimate feeling of satisfaction for any homeowner.
Your house will continue to surprise you with leaks at midnight or a sagging hinge on the day that company arrives. However, if you have the tools that will allow you to fix these problems at home, you will no longer have to call for help with these common issues. You will find it satisfying to fix these problems on your own, much like learning a language that allows you to communicate with the walls surrounding you.
