There’re many tools you can use for your DIY or home improvement projects at home, whether it involves woodworking, plumbing, electrical or even metal working projects.
These projects can range from simple ones like painting your room with a brush and roller or an airless paint sprayer, washing your driveway or decking with a pressure washer to more complex projects like building kitchen cabinets or installing crown moldings in your room.
Each of these projects can be handled using different set of tools. For instance, there’re different types of saws to cut wood, and there’re different types of painting tools you can use to spray your room.
The question is, which are the must have tools you need to carry out your projects at home? Should you get every tool you find for a project, or should you get just the really important ones? Well, you probably shouldn’t get all of them.
You shouldn’t because some can perform several functions, making it unnecessary to buy others.
There however, are some must-have indispensable ones you should get depending on the type of project you’re trying to carry out.
In this article, I’m going to be listing some of those must have tools you absolutely need in every home to carry out DIY or home improvement projects.
Table of Contents
1. A Workbench
A workbench is super necessary if you want to carry out DIY projects at home. You don’t want to be placing your work piece on the floor, because you’ll have to bend down to access it and maintaining that posture for a long time won’t be comfortable for you.
One of the best ones I’ve seen is the WORX Pegasus multi-function workbench or work table and sawhorse.
It’s a workbench and sawhorse in one tool. In just the blink of an eye, you can just convert it from the workbench to a sawhorse very easily, and it includes clamps for holding your work piece securely.
It’s also foldable and lightweight which means you can take it with you wherever you want to go for a job or project, which is very ideal for contractors and handymen.
2. Tool Organizer
If you love DIY, then you must have tools, these tools requires proper storage to keep them in good condition. That’s why you need a tool organizer. Apart from keeping your tools in good condition, the organizer also helps you arrange them properly so they don’t form clutter in your workshop.
This Bucket Boss tool organizer is quite an unusual one but it turns out to be a very functional one.
With it you can hold most of your hand tools such as screwdrivers, pliers, table measure, hammer etc and even power tools like drills.
You just have to wear it onto any 5 gallon bucket and you have a fully function tool organizer ready to go.
Of course, this bucket tool organizer is just a sample or an option you can choose from, because there obviously better and bigger tool organizers out there you can get to keep your workshop free from clutter.
3. An Air Compressor
Whether you like it or not, every home should have an air compressor lying around, even more so if the homeowner like engaging in DIY activities.
It doesn’t have to be a big one. You can just go for a small pancake or hot dog air compressor like the one from Makita above.
With it, you can carry out small tasks like inflating car tires, air matrasses, football and other things that needs to be inflated around the home.
You can use it for spray painting if you have a sizable one, and for powering air tools like nailers which can make your DIY projects go a whole lot smoother.
4. A Power Saw
If you really want to get a lot done quicker when carrying out your DIY woodworking projects, you need to dish the regular hand saw, and go for a power saw like a circular saw, a compound miter saw, or if you’re really serious about taking your DIY skills to the next level, you can get a table saw.
It doesn’t have to be a big cabinet type. You can just go for a portable one which you can use to make any type of cuts such as cross cuts, rip cuts, bevel and even dado cuts.
You need a power saw if you really want to get efficient and effective when carrying out projects at home..
5. Nailers or Nail Guns
Before you finish using a claw hammer to hit 10 nails into a 2×4 piece of wood, I should have finished sending more than 50 nails flying into that same 2×4 using a nailer or a nail gun.
They’re must have tools you need if you really want to get more efficient during your DIY projects.
You don’t want to spend all the whole time of the day and all your energy hammering nails into wood. Instead, get the right type of nailer, and sink those nails in just a fraction of the time.
6. Tape Measure
Imagine a table constructed without any form of measurement on the wooden parts that make it up. It will obviously not be balanced after it’s constructed, and will definitely not look pleasant to the eye.
That’s why you need measuring tools like the tape measure to measure things and parameters such as length and distance.
To carry out DIY projects, you need a good tape measure to measure and cut your material to size accurately and precisely, so that the resulting work comes out perfect just the way you want it.
7. Laser Distance Measure
Sometimes your tape measure might not be long enough or accurate enough, and you need something that’s dead accurate, maybe to measure the distance between 2 walls.
In this instance, you need a laser distance measure. You can measure the distance between two points even from 160 feets away and as close as 1/8 of an inch.
8. Universal Socket Wrench
If you need a socket wrench, you don’t have to buy all the wrench sizes and start looking for the specific size each time you want to lose a nut or screw head.
With this universal socket wrench, your wrench will conform its shape to fit each nut or screw you want to loosen or tighten. You can loosen any shape and size of nut from ¼ to ¾ inch.
9. WORX ZipSnip Cutting Tool
Having a scissors is necessary for DIY projects, but who needs a scissors when you have these WORX ZipSnip cutting tool?
If you’re ready to dish your time-wasting scissors and get serious about making clean cuts through different types of materials, then you should by all means get it.
With it, you can cut through a wide range of materials clean and fast. You can cut rubber, cardboard, plastic and a whole lot more, even materials your scissors can’t cut through.
10. A Power Drill
If you don’t have a power drill, just forget it. You’re not ready to start any DIY project. Most of the DIY projects you’ll ever attempt will require the use of a power drill.
In fact, there are many power or cordless drill uses in and around your home, so having the tool is kind of a necessity.
11. Self-Leveling Laser
The application of this self-leveling laser is very wide. If you’re trying to hang pictures, curtains and mirrors at the same height or level in your new home, you need it.
You need it if you’re contractor for making home renovations and decorations.
It projects straight and highly visible vertical and horizontal lines straight to the wall which allows you to align things vertically and horizontally during home renovations and decoration.
So, you don’t have to eyeball the position where you hang your TV or picture frames anymore. The straight accurate lines projected on the wall with the self-leveling laser makes everything easy, fast and accurate.
12. Tool Set
There are few tools we use almost daily for house repairs. These include a scissors, claw hammer, tape measure, plier, knife etc.
The CARTMAN 39-Piece tool set contains 39 of these everyday repair tools. It’s a must have item every DIY-loving homeowner needs
13. Groovelock Pliers
If you look at the pliers above carefully, you’ll find out that they’re not just ordinary pliers. Each pair of these pliers has a press-and-slide button which you can use to adjust the lower jaw to match whatever you want to grip with the plier.
14. Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper
This IRWIN self-adjusting wire stripper will make sure you strip wires perfectly every time. You can strip wires from 10 to 24 AWG perfectly without any mistakes.
It’s a must have tool you should have in your toolbox if you’re thinking of carrying out any DIY electrical project in your home.
15. Screwdriver Bit Set / Drill Bit Set
Having a cordless drill without a drill bit set and screw driver bit set is like having a bow without arrows or having a nail gun without nails. You can’t use your power drill without drill and screwdriver bits.
That’s why this 100 piece screwdriver and drill bit set is a very good bargain for anyone looking to have the complete set of bits to carry out projects at home.
It contains most of the drill bits and drivers you’ll ever need in any DIY project you’re carrying out. I believe it’s a must have tool accessory every DIY-loving homeowner should have.
Thoroughly enjoyed this article! Nothing provides satisfaction like a job well done. Some of the tools you mentioned I never used and I anticipate using them to make my job easier. Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome Rod. Thanks for stopping by.