TOOL KIT ESSENTIALS

Even if you never in your life plan to use any of those skills they tried to teach you back in middle school woodshop, there are a few basic tools that you’ll want to have on hand for decorating, repairing and maintaining your home.

1 screwdriver, flathead + Philips head
Ideally you’ll want an assortment of flathead and Philips head screwdrivers, to cover a range of screw sizes. Longer screwdrivers are good, as they can give you access to hard-to-reach places. Try to use Philips head screwdrivers with Philips head screws (the ones with the cross rather than the single slot) – your screwdriver may slip if you try to make do with a flathead, and can potentially cause injury, or at the very least possibly wreck your screws.

2 hammer
It’s generally a good idea to buy quality hand tools, as the well-crafted ones really will last you a lifetime. (Oftentimes top -brand names such as Craftsman will offer lifetime warranties. Splurging on professional quality, however, is probably overkill, unless for some reason you’re planning to make use of your tools on a daily basis). With hammers especially, however, be sure to avoid the real cheap ones, the metal head can snap off from the wood handle rendering your tool completely useless. A good general purpose hammer to look for is a basic carpenter’s claw hammer.

3 electric drill
If you’re going to be doing heavy-duty drilling, a corded drill gives you much more power; however, a cordless drill will be just fine for most light household tasks, and has the advantage of letting you move around without having to be attached to an outlet. A 3/8-inch reversible (reversible is important – it means you’ll be able to un-screw), variable speed drill is a good all-purpose choice. As an added bonus, many electric drills also have screwdriver attachments that convert the tool into an electric screwdriver.

4 pliers, needle-nose and regular
Use pliers for gripping objects and holding them in place while you work. Look for needle-nose pliers with wire-cutting jaws for added versatility.

5 wrenches
For gripping, fastening and unfastening nuts and bolts, an adjustable wrench will give you the most flexibility, as it can accommodate a variety of sizes. However, socket wrench and box-end wrench sets will sometimes work a bit better, since each wrench is designed to fit a specific nut/bolt size perfectly.

You may also want a set of Allen wrenches

6 tape measure
A 25 ft. long tape measure is a good choice

7 metal straight-edge/T-square
Look for a metal yardstick with a t-square at the end. Some t-squares come with a built-in level, which can be quite useful.

8 utility knife
Buy a utility knife with a retractable blade.

9 saw
Use a hacksaw for cutting metal (pipes, table legs, etc.) and a handsaw for cutting wood. Handsaws will work just fine for smaller jobs, although you may want to consider investing in a circular saw if you’re dealing with large pieces of wood.