If you have a home, you definitely need a toolkit. With the right toolkit, any homeowner can be ready for almost anything life throws their way. You don’t need to be a handyman or a rocket scientist to use these tools to maintain your home.
So what are the essential tools every homeowner should own? Check out this list and see if you agree.
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Earmuffs
To prevent hearing damage, use earmuffs. Unlike ear plugs, earmuffs provide maximum protection. When selecting the best earmuff, choose one that has a high noise-reduction rating (NPR). One with an NPR of between 23 and 33 is an excellent choice.
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Allen wrench
Allen wrenches, also called hex keys, perform more or less like screwdrivers. They are particularly handy for set screws on faucet bodies and knockdown furniture.
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Chalk line
To make a crisp, perfectly straight line quickly, you need a chalk line. Besides a costly laser, no other tool makes a perfectly straight line over distances so reliably and quickly. Use it for laying out wall plates for house framing or for marking a straight line when ripping long boards.
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Wood chisel
A sharp wood chisel can scrape off the glue, chop out corners, shave rough surfaces and cut mortises.
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Machinist Vise
Whether swiveling or stationery, a vise is like an extra set of hands for securing your work. For moderate metal pounding, choose one with an anvil behind the jaws. If you cut a lot of rope, choose a vise with V-shaped jaws to grip round materials. Cast-iron models function well for most applications but buy a forged-steel vise for heavy-duty purposes.
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Hammer
It pays to invest in a good quality hammer. This tip was contributed courtesy of Young Management. Choose one with a steel handle and an anti-vibration rubber grip. A nail gun might be fast, but nothing compares to the feeling of sinking a nail in two or three clean hits.
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Spray Lube
A good spray lubricant can remove adhesive, clean bike parts and loosen rusted bolts. There are a couple of good spray lubricants, such as Jig-A-Loo and Liquid Wrench.
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Circular saw
When it comes to making straight cuts on a variety of materials, nothing beats a circular saw for speed and convenience. Of course, it can rip through plywood or a crosscut lumber. With an abrasive blade, it can saw through masonry and metal and a circular saw can also do demolition work.
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Level
For smaller projects like hanging pictures, choose a 9-inch torpedo level. For bigger projects like plumbing posts to support a mailbox or leveling appliances and bookshelves, you need a 2-foot or longer carpenter’s model.
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Locking pliers
Also known as a Vise-Grip, locking pliers is one of the earliest multi-tools – patented in 1924. Not only do they function like ordinary pliers, they can also be used as a welding clamp or wrench.
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Drill bits
We use them all the time. From putting together furniture to curtain rods to hanging pictures. You can get by with a set of 15 or 18 high-speed-steel twist drill bits for almost all general hole drilling.
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Cordless drill/driver
A cordless drill can help you complete challenging projects without a problem. It provides flexibility, precision control, and strong power. Challenging projects, like building a deck, hanging drywall, and assembling furniture, require the kind of versatility, precision, speed, and power that only a cordless drill can provide.
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Needle-nose pliers
When working on electronics, when you need to fish out a dropped screw out of tight space, for instance, nothing works better than needle-nose pliers.
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Round nose shovel
A round-nose shovel is indispensable when it comes to the basic tools that every homeowner should have.
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Snips
You don’t have to be a metalworker to appreciate snips. Snips cuts plastic, cardboard, and rubber, but also sheet steel, aluminum, and copper.
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Side-cutting pliers
Call them electrician’s pliers, linesman pliers or simply side cutters. Models equipped with a die near the jaws can press together the crimp connectors used on grounding wires. Those rated as “high leverage” can cut nails and bolts.
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Soldering Iron
Soldering iron and holder with a sponge is a very useful tool when working with the soldering ironwork.
Having some basic tools handy like is important as you settle into your home. Use these 17 tools to equip you to care for your house.
Author: Joel Sidaka
