Whether you are moving into a new home of your own or just looking to complete your collection of essential DIY items, there are plenty of tools that it is almost always useful to have in your toolbox or shed just in case. The tools on this list are enough to cover almost all basic DIY tasks that you may need to carry out.
Flashlight
There are plenty of situations where you may be carrying out DIY tasks in darkness or low light. A bright flashlight with a long battery life is a staple of a toolbox.
Gloves
Whether you are using rubber gloves to clean or avoid getting paint or glue on your skin or using heavy-duty safety gloves, some kind of hand protection is recommended.
Goggles
The eyes can be at risk from various different DIY tasks, from drilling causing flying splinters to fumes from paint or chemicals irritating the eyes. Safety goggles are an essential, and the ones that create a closed seal are usually best.
Tape Measure
A huge number of projects involve taking measurements. You don’t want to get hold of a saw, workbench, and wood to make a shelf but then realize you haven’t got any way of measuring the length of wood you need!
Spirit Level
If you are building furniture such as tables or cabinets or simply putting up a shelf, a spirit level is usually needed. Thankfully, you can get spirit level apps on most smartphones.
Hammer
Whether putting together a piece of furniture or hanging a picture on a wall, a hammer is essential.
Nails
If you are hanging something up on a wall, you will need nails to hang it from. Just make sure that you don’t hammer a nail into a cable or pipe!
Screwdrivers
Screwdrivers are not just used for DIY projects. They are also used to take apart and put back together various household items, from plugs to television sets.
Screws
Even if you aren’t building new furniture, screws are extremely useful to have spares of in case something needs repairing.
Adjustable Wrench
If you need to take apart or adjust anything that is held together with nuts and bolts, an adjustable wrench is absolutely vital.
Handsaw
A decent quality handsaw is certainly needed if you are considering carrying out any kind of woodworking.
Utility Knife
The utility knife – often known as a ‘boxcutter’ or a ‘Stanley knife’ – has many uses, from opening boxes to cutting wallpaper or carpet underlay.
Pliers
If you need to remove nuts or washers or simply grip onto anything small with force, pliers are your best friend.
Electric Drill
If you are interested in advanced DIY, there are plenty of power tools that can be useful additions to your collection, from circular saws to welding kits (which you can find on sites like hotairtools.com). However, the only essential power tool for basic DIY is the electric drill, which is used for purposes like drilling holes for cables.
Tape
Whether holding materials in place or being used as masking to avoid paint or other liquids getting in the wrong places, tape is an important part of your toolbox.
Toolbox
With all of these tools, you will need somewhere handy to keep them all together. A good quality toolbox will help you to be prepared for any task.