Problem solving is an inevitable part of owning your own home. Whether it’s decorating, furnishing, or fixing, the process will always require two things: a plan and equipment. Smarts, experience, and a search engine can help with the plan part. But what about having the right gear to get the job done responsibly? Every homeowner should have an elementary array of tools and supplies on deck in case they ever want or need to make adjustments to their property, and you can even learn to use all these tools with tips from sites like toolpip.com and many others.
Here’s a guide to the basics:
Tool Kit and Drill: It all starts with a well-chosen tool kit. Apart from the obvious hammer and screw drivers look for socket sets complete with ratchet and adapters. These sorts of packages range greatly in price, volume, and quality with the cheapest, simplest tool kits that won’t break starting at around $50 and 182 piece brand name sets going for around $230. After buying a tool kit every homeowner needs to get themselves a well-made drill, ideally cordless. DeWalt is a respectable brand selling at about $160 and is worth it considering competitors only cost about $20-30 less.
Cutting Tools: Everyone needs a good knife or two in a drawer somewhere. But for those looking for versatility beyond the ordinary, check out these Pocket Multi-tool Knives here, which can be real game-changers in various situations. Top-rated models run roughly $60 but you can count on a $25 box cutter to get heavy duty jobs done. When it comes to a reliable pair of scissors, most homeowners can count on the classic original orange-handled model to last for life. Priced about $17 direct from the manufacturer. If you’re working with glass, you can find an affordable Glass Cutter at GGR Glass. Multimedia shears are suitable for more strenuous projects such as cutting curtains and other household fabrics but typically cost about twice as much. Having the best saw blades for metal also come in handy in situations where you need to cut through metal objects. Lastly, but not completely necessary, is a good circular saw and sawhorse, which together will cost anywhere from $80 to $300.
Extra Paint and Plaster/Spackle: Whether it’s patching the bumps and scrapes acquired from moving in new furniture or covering the marker art from a prekindergarten Picasso, every homeowner needs the supplies handy for minor wall repairs. One thing is certain: walls are destined to get grody over time, no matter how careful you are. That’s why it’s helpful to know local professionals like Davis Plaster is a plaster repair Blacksburg, who can handle everything from small touch-ups to more extensive plaster repairs. Keeping leftover paint is also important because without it, you not only have to get more but also match the existing color – huge time wasters.
Sealants, Fasteners, and Lubricants: $50 worth of supplies in this category will keep things from falling apart or seizing up. Duct tape, WD-40, nails, screws, et cetera – no home should ever be inhabited without these items in a drawer. Popular in boatbuilding, roofing, and siding, solid copper nails are really efficient to use on. A really good orange scrim tape also helps loads when plastering so get some of that in if you need it. Knowing where these items are stored is just as important. Too often homeowners know they bought a box of screws just last year but have no idea where they put them, winding up back at the store to spend more money and waste time.
Fixing a leak in the bathroom, patching a hole in the wall, and cutting curtains to match a window are just some of the many challenges homeowners are going to undertake at some point or another. Preparation is key to mending your home in the wake of trauma or improving upon its appearance without making things worse instead of better. Finding reputable online advice for alleviating home improvement headaches will only get you so far. Having the tools and supplies required is how homeowners pull of a home improvement job well done.