Tools and Supplies You Need for Home Improvement

No matter what home improvement or repair project you are working on, you will need a variety of tools. The tools are among the most important aspects of any home improvement project. Here we will discuss some of the most common and important tools needed for home improvement.

With any home improvement or repair project, safety should be considered first. Some safety supplies to invest in include goggles, ear protections, masks, and gloves.

If you are planning on repairing or improving your walls and floors, there are a few specific tools that you will need. If you are redoing basement walls, you will need stiff-bristled brushes, a wire brush, and heavy-duty paintbrushes in order to protect the walls. You will also need materials waterproof masonry sealers, household cleaners, buckets and a sponge. For painting, you will need a stiff-bristled paintbrush, and possible masonry primer. If you are working on paneled walls you will need a hammer, chisels, wallboard knife, caulk gun, putty knife, framing square, carpentry knife, pry bar, rubber mallet, and nails.

In order to prevent leaking you will need a trowel or putty knife, a wire brush, vacuum, chisel, and a caulk gun.

For outside jobs, such as installing new gutters or drains, you will need a hacksaw, a good quality drill and bits, caulk gun, and scrapers.

For general indoor repairs you will need some basic tools including, drills, screwdrivers, hammer, scrapers, paintbrushes, pliers, awl, utility knives, a stud finder, a level.

For plaster repair you will need a paintbrush and a wallboard knife. This job necessitates more one-time supplies than tools.

Flooring jobs, such as replacing ceramic tiles require an awl, tile cutter, nippers, utility knife, compass, grout float, and mallet. For making sub-floor repairs you might need a caulk gun, drill, chisel, straightedge, trowel, square, and saw. When replacing flooring always make sure the sub-flooring is in good condition and free of damage.

For wallpaper repairs or replacement, you will need a utility knife, edge roller, sponge, and a syringe in order to apply adhesive. Wallpapering is a tricky task, so go slowly and be very methodical about the job.

For minor ceiling repairs, you might need a drill, wallboard knife and hammer. For ceiling patches, you will need additional tools including chisels, framing square and utility knife.

Roof repairs such as leaks require shingles, masonry nails, hammer, brackets, drill, bits, soft shoes, an extension ladder, and slide guards. This is a two-man job, so enlist the help of a friend for roofing projects.

Now that you have an idea of what kinds of tools you will need for some basic home improvement projects, you can see that many tools can be used for multiple jobs. It is smart to by the basic tools, especially if you like to complete repairs and improvements yourself.

A lot of the big equipment needed for home improvement projects can be rented for one day, which is a cost saver for you.