With the right supplies and a few good tools, you can tackle small home improvement projects with confidence and ease. Look for quality in the tools you select and invest in a tool bag or carry-all to keep your essentials well organized and easily accessible.
Ensure you have this old standby for general assembly and demolition.
Purchase a variety of sizes to sink nail heads below the work surface, providing for a clean finish.
This saw has a very narrow blade stretched across a U-shaped frame. It’s the tool of choice for making curved cuts to wood.
You’ll find it useful to have both a 12-ft. and a 25-ft. tape measure on hand.
This portable power tool makes light work of drilling holes and driving screws.
A 4 foot bubble level is best used on large surfaces – the smaller torpedo level works nicely in confined spaces.
This square is used to position hardware, such as hinges on doors, and to check right and 45-degree angles.
The pencil’s flat design keeps it from rolling off surfaces and is used for marking and laying out hardware.
A utility knife will handle most cutting and trimming jobs. You’ll need a putty knife for filling holes and patching.
Used with a handsaw to cut accurate 45-degree and 90-degree angles. The miter box is most often used for cutting trim and molding to length.
Your toolkit should include different sizes in both Phillips and Robertson. Or, you can consider a four-in-one screwdriver that holds four bits—two standard and two Phillips, which should meet most jobs.
Eye and ear protection; dust mask or respirator; knee pads; work gloves; work boots; and, a good first aid kit.
If you find yourself overwhelmed at the hardware store when it comes to selecting brands at different price points, it is always best to purchase what you can afford and then if you find yourself using it heavily upgrade to a more premium version. Last, but certainly not least, you’ll want to find yourself a tool box or another type of storage solution. The last thing you want is to invest in all of these tools and not be able to find them when you want to finally tackle that project of yours!