10 Essential Tools For DIY Home Maintenance

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When it comes to home maintenance and DIY, you need the right tools to hand as you’ll never know what jobs will come your way – one day you may need to hang a picture, the next you could have to put a bookcase together. With so many tools to choose from it can often be hard to know what you need and what you can live without, so Bearing Boys have put together a list of 10 essential tools for the basic DIY jobs you will commonly have to deal with around the home:

 

Cordless Screwdriver

Sorry folks, that set of mini-screwdrivers you liberated from a Christmas Cracker just won’t cut it – it’s time to invest in a decent piece of kit. Whereas going cordless was a fool’s errand once upon a time, these days the battery life and reduced size means you can get a day’s worth of jobs done without the need to recharge. From putting furniture together to dismantling it, the variety of heads and sizes means this is a tool essential for any DIY enthusiast.

 

Hammer

Every toolbox needs a solid hammer for driving nails into a wall and levelling material. For our money, if you’re only going to get one hammer, we’d opt for a claw hammer with a rubber grip – this will reduce shock absorption and the claw is great for removing unwanted nails and screws.

 

Pliers

You’ll tend to find pliers are sold in packs of three so you’ll have at your disposal needle-nose, tongue-and-grove and slip-joint pliers. Believe it or not you’ll find a use for each of these at some point and on top of this they’re also useful as wire cutters or clamps.

 

Adjustable Wrench

You don’t need to invest in a set of ratchet wrenches or the like, a simple adjustable wrench will do all the important small DIY jobs around the home – whether it’s loosening bolts or tightening your plumbing, this is one important tool.

 

Tape Measure

You won’t need it ‘til you need it, but a tape measure will honestly end up being your most used tool. From measuring up your room to ensure your new three piece sofa will fit to measuring your new curtains, you’ll be lost without it.

 

Retractable Knife

When you need a sharp blade – whether it’s for cutting carpet to size or dismantling cardboard boxes – a retractable knife is your got-to option as none come sharper.

 

Multi-tool

A multi-tool is perfect for when you have a small ad-hoc job that pops up. Featuring knives, files, pliers, screwdrivers, and saws, it’s perfect for having to hand for quick use.

 

Hacksaw

Unless you’ve got a woodwork hobby or a lot of carpentry on your to-do list, a hacksaw is the one saw-type that you need and will use the most. Small and handy, hacksaws can cut through most materials and their blades can be easily fitted. This is one indispensable cutting tool.

 

Drill

If you’ve got a cordless screwdriver you may be tempted to cut a few corners and use that as a time/money-saving makeshift drill. Don’t! If you’ve got thick walls or want to do the job correctly, you need a good drill and the last thing you want to do is ruin your screwdriver. These days most drills come with a battery fuel gauge and bit holders along with a variety of settings so it’ll do all the jobs you need it to.

 

Jigsaw

For when you really get bored of DIY and want to do something else, always keep an emergency jigsaw in your toolbox to take your mind off the job. No, we’re kidding, a good jigsaw can be vital for any DIYer who needs to make short work of wood and cut it accurately and to length.

 

Have we missed a vital tool you can’t live without in your toolbox? Let us know!