One of the things that can feel overwhelming when it comes to being a beginner DIYer is not knowing where to start when it comes to those first tool purchases. Whether it’s not knowing which tools to get first, or what brand to go with, or what accessories to get, the world of tools is one that you’ll need to enter in order to have success with your DIYs!
Another big reason it can feel overwhelming: money. Tools cost money! And some of them can be more expensive than others. Don’t feel like you need to run out and buy a whole workshop full of tools right of the bat. You can buy tools slowly, as you need them.
We’ll start with some non-power tools that I always keep on hand, and then we’ll get into the power tools that are essential!
Hammer
This almost feels like it goes without saying! A hammer is one of the most basic tools out there and it’s extremely handy. A hammer is great for everything from putting up shelves and building Ikea furniture, to framing a wall. There are lots of hammers out there, but a basic standard hammer is all you really need (unless you start getting into some more specific building realms). And! They’re very inexpensive.
Tape Measure
”Measure twice, cut once!” and in order to measure twice, you’ll need a Tape Measure. You may want multiple, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll misplace yours and there’s nothing more annoying than not being able to find a tape when you’re working. I also keep a smaller 12 or 16ft tape in my house for easy grabbing, and I’ll usually have a 12ft one in my purse for when I’m out and about and need to measure furniture or stuff at Home Depot. A standard 25ft one is a really great length for having in your toolbox, and is what I have in mine!
Level
A level is super handy and the type you get first may depend on what you’re most wanting to do, DIY-wise. If you’re just installing shelving, hanging pictures, etc— smaller stuff, you may only need a short little level. If you’re leveling counters, floors, or larger projects, you’ll probably want a larger one. I like having a small 1ft level for little things, a more substantial 4ft level, as well as an 8ft one. If you want to get techy and fancy you can also get a laser level, which is a very cool little tool!
Sawhorses
Havinga set of sawhorses, even just some cheap plastic ones, comes in SO handy when you’re working on projects. Cutting wood, making a makeshift table, painting things, sawhorses will help with countless projects and make things 100 times easier.
Power Tools:
Power tools come in two options: corded and battery powered. Typically corded versions are a little more affordable, and they can also be more powerful, but cordless battery operated tools can be more lightweight and convenient. For instance, my battery operated brad nailer is WAY more convenient because I don’t have to hook up my air compressor and pull out the long air hose. I just pick it up and start nailing. My battery operated circular saw is also much lighter and easier to wield than my corded version, but the corded version is more powerful.
Another thing to consider if you start buying battery powered tools is that you’ll want to stick to a brand, only because once you start buying batteries, those batteries will be specific to that brand’s tools and won’t work on another brand. So you don’t want to buy a Ryobi drill and get the battery pack and charger for that and then get a Makita circular saw, because then you’ll have to invest in Makita batteries and charger (and batteries can be expensive!). So stick to one brand, get a few batteries so you can have a spare or two on hand, or charging up so you’ll never get stuck with a tool and a bunch of dead batteries mid-project— that’s the worst!
This obviously doesn’t apply to corded tools since their power source will be the outlet, so you can go “off brand” with those. I use Ryobi for my battery powered tools and I have a few random brands in my corded tools.
Brad Nailer
Having a brad nailer is super handy for a lot of different projects. Working on furniture, installing trim, putting up molding, making shelving, my brad nailer gets a ton of use around my house. There are lots of different nailer types and sizes too, so depending on what projects you think you’re most likely to tackle, you may want a stapler, a pin nailer, a 16 gauge, etc. I LOVE having a battery powered nailer because then I don’t have to have an air compressor with a long air hose dragging through my house in order to work on projects.
Drill + Impact Driver
A drill is one of the most useful and basic power tools you can have in your arsenal. Not only can you drill various size holes with standard drill bits, spade bits, hole bits, and more, you can also use it as a power screw driver. I would say that my drill is my most used tool over the years and if you don’t have any tools at all start with a power drill! An impact driver is very similar to a drill and they look almost identical, but there are some differences. Impact drivers are more lightweight and compact and they also have more torque. While drills hold bits using a “chuck” which is basically a unique way to clamp down on the bit to hold it in place (and you can use standard or hex bits), Impact drivers have a quick change clamp and only take hex bits.
So why/when do you use an impact driver? Impact drivers are more commonly used to drive in a large quantity of fasteners, longer screws and lag bolts. If you use impact-rated, 1/4-inch hex-shank drill bits, you can accomplish some basic drilling tasks with an impact driver. However, these tasks will be limited in scope. An impact driver is not ideal for precision drilling tasks and should be limited to jobs where the size or placement of the hole is not crucial but more torque may be needed, such as drilling through metal and dense or knotty wood.
A lot of time you’ll see these two sold in a set, which is a nice way to get both, but if you can only afford one, go with a standard drill. I will add that driving in screws is much easier with an impact driver, and as a small (yet strong) woman, I have to use much less force to screw in using an impact driver, which is nice.
Circular Saw
The circular saw is an extremely useful tool if you’re doing any kind of building. It’s the first power saw you should add to your toolkit, IMHO. You can make cross cuts, rip cuts, angled cuts, and more. It’s great for cutting plywood, lumber, you can use a blade designed to cut metal, etc. It’s a super handy tool that will instantly level up your DIY. A circular saw can feel intimidating to some, so make time to practice to get the feel for and hang of how it behaves and cuts.
Jig Saw
The one big limitation that a circular saw has is that it can’t make curved cuts. Which is why I highly recommend grabbing a jig saw next. After my circular saw, my jig saw is my most used saw. I love it’s capabilities, and it’s the pervect tool for making more precision cuts.
Sander
Having a power sander on hand is super useful. I use mine all the time. Whether I’m sanding down a piece of furniture to refinish, prepping cabinets to paint, cleaning up cut edges, or smoothing rough surfaces, my sander makes it so easy. There are a few different style of sanders, but for starting out I’d get a sheet sander, or orbital sander, though a corner sander is also a great starter. These styles are great for most basic sanding you’ll be doing.
