Why pay someone to fix things when you can do it yourself? The DIY movement is an old practice of personal engagement, using your skills and talents to maintain and care for your home. It's about starting small, focusing on simple and feasible corrections, and using the right tools and equipment.
With DIY, you can develop your talents and creativity and save money on expensive contractor fees. When you're ready to join the do-it-yourself movement, consider the following ten tools to get started.
Paint and brush
Color adds life, improves the appearance of every project and allows you to show your creative side. There are many ways to add color to your DIY project, and using all types of color is one of them. They must have at least three basic colors, green, yellow and red, as well as different types of brushes. Your brush set should have flat, round, pointed and fan brush tips. Apart from buckets with primary colors, you can also stock up with spray paint, watercolor paint and much more. Store all painting supplies on a shelf or box.
Hand tools
Whether you're making DIY picture frames or doing basic electrical work, you'll need suitable hand tools. It would be helpful if you had at least the following in your toolbox
- hammer
- Adjustable wrench
- screwdriver
- Spatula, utility knife
- Pliers
- Hand saw
- Hardware including finishing nails, galvanized nails, vinyl boards, drywall and outside screws
- Tapes such as adhesive tape, painter's tape, insulating tape and plumbing tape
Put all of your tools neatly in a durable tool box. You may prefer to use a tool belt, especially if you need to work in dangerous areas such as the roof or on a tree. A tool belt must have sufficient pockets and sections to hold the tools you need (bring only the tools you need) and should fit you well.
Tape measure
You need a long-lasting, accurate and handy measuring tape. It must have a large number of fonts for you to read the measurement and should have a usable belt loop and a thumb lock. There are many brands of tape measures. Find one that fits your needs well.
Saw horse
A sawhorse is an indispensable device in every shop or shed. It contains wood for sawing, fastening and finishing. It would be helpful if you also had a sawhorse for daily DIY work with wood, metal, electrics and other materials. You can make your sawhorses and a saw table from scraps of wood and plywood, or buy branded saw horses (a pair would do you good). Branded products are adjustable, consist of hard plastic and metal and are very durable.
Cordless drill
A cordless drill is a versatile tool and should be part of your DIY kit. With a drill you can make a big or small hole. You can use screws and other hardware. You can mix paint, concrete and grout with a drill. It can grind various surfaces and grind all kinds of metals to remove rust and dirt. Please note that batteries or a battery pack are used for a cordless drill. It is best to have extra batteries or a fully charged spare battery, especially if you are going to use your drill for a longer time. For special offers on cordless tools, see Coupon Lawn.
Glue & glue gun
Another practical tool is the good old glue gun. It would be helpful if you had hot glue to attach wood, metal, cardboard, paper, rope, ribbons, and more. Make sure you have a working glue gun and at least a dozen glue sticks for your tool. A long extension cord is also handy if you need to take your glue gun with you. Don't forget to turn off your gun when you are not using it, as this is the most common reason why glue guns don't work.
Levels and rulers
With a good level you can check whether the project you created is level. There are many types of rulers. Pick the right one that you are likely to use for your type of home improvement project
- Desk ruler – the most commonly used ruler for necessary measurements
- Scale or dipstick – for measuring fabric, paper and other flat materials.
- Carpenter rule or folding ruler – this is a ruler used for construction or woodwork.
- T-square – This is a type of ruler used for technical drawing and creating plans.
- Seamstress tape is a flexible type of ruler used to measure body parts, fabric and other sewing materials.
Scissors & blades
It would be best if you had very durable scissors to cut the necessary materials such as paper, cardboard, felt, fabric and thread. Do not use kitchen scissors for your handicrafts and projects. Use a blade or cutter with a sharp knife to cut shapes and patterns on different materials. You might want to try cutting machines like a computer controlled cricut cutting machine if you love making patterns and cutting different materials for different projects. This machine has special blade, scoring and cutting tools with which various materials, papers, thin pieces of wood, metal and plastic can be processed.
Cord & ribbons
With colorful cords or ribbons you can make beautiful handicrafts, toys, gifts and much more. Make sure you include paper yarn, satin ribbons, different colors of knitting thread, yarn rope, gift wrapping ribbons, bast, jute yarn and cotton yarn in your collection. You will never know when a great craft idea will appear.
Lamps or lighting
It would be best if you had at least one excellent work lamp so that you can work in suitable lighting conditions. An LED gooseneck lamp works well on a craft table, while an LED spotlight or flashlight is crucial if you want to work safely on electrical or carpentry work at home. Always update your DIY toolbox and equipment. Everything that is used must be refilled immediately. Also properly maintain tools such as hand saw oiling or brush maintenance after use. Doing these simple things can extend the life of your tools so that they are ready for use next time.
