Essential House Tools for Homeowners
The Right Tools
No matter how broad or minimal your knowledge of how to fix things around the house, every homeowner can benefit from having the right tools available. The need for unexpected repairs can occur at any time. When there isn’t time to call a professional, or the job is so minor that it doesn’t justify an emergency call, the next best thing is to have the right tools to do the job yourself. You may also want to put together a new table or bookcase that comes unassembled in a flat box, or try your hand at interior painting to give a room a fresh look.
To get the best results from any do-it-yourself project, you must use the right tools. Keeping an assortment on hand will ensure they are there when you need them. Although you may not think you will need all of the tools listed below, you never know when a job might arise that calls for anything in your toolbox.
Basic Tools
- A generous, good quality tool box
- Hammer
- Assortment of flat screwdrivers
- Assortment of Phillips screwdrivers
- Assortment of standard wrenches
- Assortment of metric wrenches
- Pliers
- Tape measure
- Cordless drill with a variety of drill bits
- Utility knife
- Work light
Paint Tools
Underestimating the need for quality painting tools is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make. Many go straight to the discount paint pans that include a roller and sometimes a paint brush, thinking that they will get the same results as they would with a better quality of painting tools.
There are many tools available today that make painting easier, less messy, and more effective. Even when a paintbrush and roller are the only tools used, they need to be the right rollers and brushes to do the job right.
DIY Tools
These are some of the tools you should have to keep on hand for your do-it-yourself interior or exterior painting projects.
- Touch-Up Pens – These tools are great for touching up scrapes and scratches that happen when moving things around or getting furniture a little too close to the wall. Just load an empty pen with paint to match any freshly painted room and keep it ready for needed touch-ups. The same is true for stains and varnishes that can be used to touch up wood floors or furnishings.
- Painter’s Tape with Dispenser – Tape is essential for getting sharp lines and preventing paint from bleeding over into unwanted areas. Don’t use other types of paint like masking tape, or paint will creep underneath the edges.
- Chinex Paint Brush – These brushes work in all types of paint, and they are super easy to clean. Your investment in a Chinex brush will provide you with many uses and stay handy for any paint job that comes up.
- Sticky Drop Cloth – A drop cloth should always be used to catch any drips or spatters of paint that could ruin floors, rugs, or furniture. A sticky cloth will stay put and prevent slips and slides from resulting in disaster.
- Paint Bucket – Unlike trays that require frequent refilling and are easy to spill over, a paint bucket holds more paint and is not as awkward to move as a tray.
- Roller Pole – Better than a ladder for reaching ceilings, some of the newer roller poles are made to extend with the touch of a button. It makes it easy to reach a range of heights while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
There are many other more sophisticated painting tools on the market today, including spray painters and electric grinders that are designed to create professional-quality paint jobs. The problem with these tools is that without the knowledge required to prepare the surface and apply the paint expertly, the homeowner is not likely to get the results they desire.
There are many instances where a do-it-yourself paint job is in order, but, when it comes to the appearance of the walls of your home, count on the interior painting contractors at Dixon Painting. We have the right tools, techniques, and products to do the best job from wall preparation to the completed project.