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Shop for the tools you need in home centers, hardware stores, or any large mart. Don't try to buy all the tools you'll ever need at one time; instead, buy tools as you need them. Focus on quality rather than quantity, and buy the best quality tool you can afford.
The tool-buying experience can be daunting for a first-time handy homeowner. As you roam the aisles of mega-stores, don't let the overwhelming selection intimidate you. Ask a salesperson for help and explain that you're new to the do-it-yourself scene. A knowledgeable salesperson can help you make your decision by explaining how the wide range of prices reflects the quality, features, and materials of various tools.
So here it is, a list of the basic tools you need to get on the road to home improvement adventures:
- 3/8-inch variable speed reversible drill: This tool, available as plug-in or cordless, uses steel blades called bits to drive in or remove screws, drill holes, sand wood, mix piña coladas, and do other important home improvement tasks. See Figure 1.
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Figure 1: An electric drill with a variety of bits. |
- Claw hammer: Experts recommend a 16-ounce hammer with a fiberglass handle to cushion the blow to your hand. Watch out for carpal tunnel syndrome, an injury that can occur from repetitive motions, like constantly hitting your thumb and then hopping around the room.
- Pliers: Slip-joint pliers have toothed jaws that enable you to grip various sized objects, like a water pipe, the top of a gallon of mineral spirits, or the tape measure you accidentally dropped into the toilet. Because its jaws are adjustable, pliers give you leverage to open and firmly grip the object.
- Toolbox saw: A small, easy-to-use handsaw is useful for cutting materials, such as paneling or shelving.
- Assorted pack of screwdrivers: Be sure that you have both slotted (flat-head) and Phillips screwdrivers in a variety of sizes. The slotted type has a straight, flat blade; the Phillips blade has a cross or plus sign that fits into the grooves of Phillips-head screws.
- Utility knife: Choose a compact knife with replaceable blades that's strong enough to open heavy cardboard boxes and precise enough for trimming wallpaper.
Buy the type with a retractable blade; you'll appreciate it the first time you squat down with the knife in your pocket. (Ouch!)
- Staple gun: You can use this tool for a variety of jobs, like securing insulation, ceiling tile, plastic sheeting, and fabrics.
- Carpenter's level: A straight-edge tool that has a series of glass tubes containing liquid with a bubble of air. When the bubble in a single tube is framed between marks on the glass, it shows that the surface is level (horizontal) or plumb (vertical). See Figure 2.
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Figure 2: A standard carpenter's level for finding level and plumb lines. |
- Metal file: Filing tools like those shown in Figure 3 are flat metal bars with shallow grooves that form teeth. Metal files are useful for sharpening the edges of scrapers, putty knives, and even shovels and garden trowels. These durable little guys have proven to be unaffected by exposure to flour, milk, and eggs, even when baked at 350 degrees for two hours and then festively decorated.
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Figure 3: Metal files are good for more than breaking out of jail. |
- Allen wrench: These L-shaped metal bars, often sold in sets like the one in Figure 4, are designed for turning screws or bolts that have hexagonal sockets in their heads. This tool also goes by the name hex-key or set-screw wrench and is used to assemble everything from knock-down furniture to bicycles to gas grills.
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Figure 4: Many "assembly-required" items call for a set of Allen wrenches. |
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