Five Must Have Tools for the Homeowner

Whether you’re a first time homeowner or you’ve owned plenty of homes, you can bet that calling a contractor or home repair specialist is going to cost you a fortune if you can’t do the project yourself. While it’s not always the best bet to handle some home improvement projects yourself, be sure you have these five important tools at hand and you’ll be sure that you get the most out of your next do it yourself home improvement project.

Tape Measure

This must have tool is essential for measuring simple projects like hanging pictures to more complex projects like measuring for a new toilet. Tape measures may all seem alike, but if you’re looking for a quality tape measure that works great in any condition, try one of these FatMax Tape Measures from Stanley.

20 0Z. Claw Hammer

Not all hammers are the same-especially the claw hammer. There are two basic styles of claws on a hammer-rip and curved. The main difference that a rip claw has a straight claw while a curved claw-well you get the picture. Be sure that you get a straight claw hammer that’s 20 oz. This will allow you to get at the nails you need to pull, pry projects apart and hit the nail on the head with some force.

Circular Saw

Used for cutting wood and other materials, a circular saw is the basic saw that every homeowner needs to have for all of their cuts. Most circular saws use a 7 ¼” blade but other smaller (or larger) blades can be applied to specific circular saws. While a circular saw is a big investment, you may want to one up your power by switching to a worm gear style circular saw.

Framing Nail Gun

While a good hammer can help you to drive nails, a nail gun can let you do that without destroying your fingers or materials in the process. There are two different types of nail guns-stick and coil. The stick nailer is best for small time uses while a coil nailer holds many more nails and works best for heavy duty style nailing projects.

Cordless Drill

Versatile and portable, a cordless screw gun works great for drilling and screwing multiple projects with ease. Being cordless ensures that you get an easy to use tool that works on a wide variety of projects. Homeowners may want to consider buying a cordless drill with a light for tight and dark places.