I’ve been doing my own renovations for five years and I use these five tools more than any other – SlashGear

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Home renovation can feel intimidating, especially if you don’t have the right tools for the job. I spent most of my adult life renting, doing small jobs around the house but leaving the major repairs to my landlord. That all changed when I bought my house. The place was built in 1980 and pretty much everything in it was old and outdated or falling apart. Suffice to say, it needed a lot more than a fresh coat of paint.

In the years since, I have replaced roofing, plumbing, lighting, flooring, drywall, trim, and crown molding. I also installed and tiled a new shower and tub, built a shed, and converted a room into a home library with custom shelving. And with each new project my tool collection grew a little bigger.

There are certainly projects that require special equipment, but I’ve noticed that there are a handful of tools that I reach for at some point on just about every job I do. Of course there are a few obvious ones. You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that a hammer and screwdriver set can come in handy for home repairs. There are plenty of other tools you probably already have in your junk drawer that are also popping up all the time. A trusty spirit level, a quality ratchet set, a few Allen wrenches, and a pair of needle-nose pliers are also real additions to any collection that deserve an honorable mention, but there are five tools that I think come in handy more often than any of the others.

Technically these are two tools, but drills and impact drivers are often sold together in sets, and it’s definitely worth getting both if you’ll be doing a lot of big projects. The drill is probably the most important power tool you can own for home renovations. Not only do you need a drill to make holes for fasteners, but it is also useful for other tasks.

For example, I’ve used a drill with hole saw attachments to make holes for plumbing and other utilities, while cylindrical sanders and burr grinders have helped me open narrow channels in wooden doors when installing new knobs and locks. Brush attachments can be used to clean vents, while mixing attachments can mix paint, mortar and grout. The ability to use a drill with so many different attachments that have nothing to do with drilling makes it essential for almost any kind of maintenance and renovation.

Having a dedicated impact driver speeds up many tasks for a number of reasons. The first is simply that having your drill and drill bits on separate tools allows you to switch between them more quickly. The second is that impact drivers are different from drills. They have more power, with a mechanism that creates a hammer-like motion. This gives the driver mechanical downforce in addition to high-speed rotation. This is especially useful for framing, roofing, and underfloor installation. It helps get the first bite into the wood, drives and sinks fasteners quickly. I have this DeWalt 20V Max cordless drill and impact driver set that still has to fail me.

A quality knife will be your best friend on all kinds of different renovation jobs. I’ve used mine for scoring drywall and cement backer boards, cutting through chunks of insulation, removing old caulk, cutting shingles, scraping off excess mortar, and running the knife along dried paint lines to prevent accidental chipping. But that’s actually just the tip of the iceberg. There are a million different uses for a knife that come up with every renovation, and once you have one, you’ll find yourself reaching for it every few minutes.

To be clear, I’m not talking about cheap box knives with thin, plastic bodies and blades that are dull after the first cut. I personally have two that I use all the time. The first is the OLFA 18 mm heavy duty universal knifewhich uses snap-off blades that are excellent for fine cuts. This knife has a sturdy handle and a strong ratchet lock that does not slip like cheaper ones do. Pair this with a pack of OLFA bladesand you always have a sharp razor that is ready to use in no time. Simply break off the dull blade with pliers and you’ll have a new tip ready to use.

For heavier tasks I use the Milwaukee Fastback Press and Flip Utility Knife. It uses thicker, stronger blades and its all-metal construction makes it a good choice for tasks that require a lot of pressure. Additionally, it features a tool-free blade change, making it easy to maintain.

When it comes to large power tools, the miter saw is the one that I find comes in handy most often. I’ve used my table saw, circular saw, jigsaw, and reciprocating saw for several projects, but the miter saw is probably the one where I spent the most time with my finger on the trigger.

This tool allows you to quickly and easily make cross, miter, bevel and compound cuts. That means you can make reliable 90-degree cuts, as well as the more complex angles you might need for corners and edges. The ability to make all these different types of cuts makes the miter saw useful for almost any task that requires cutting a board to length, as long as the board is narrow enough to fit under the saw blade.

I’ve used it to cut 2x4s for framing, as well as floorboards, shelves, trim, moldings, and a wide variety of other materials. Your options aren’t limited to just wood, either. You can actually use a miter saw with a good carbide blade to cut plastics such as PVC, ABS and vinyl, aluminum transition strips and composite materials such as those used for decking.

My miter saw is an old Craftsman model given to me by my father-in-law that is no longer in production, but the DeWalt 12-inch Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw is an excellent premium option for those looking for a reliable tool for all their home renovation needs. Those looking for something more affordable may prefer a tool like the Metabo HPT 10 inch single crosscut saw.

There are many different types of pliers, but the type I reach for most often is the tongue-and-groove pliers, also known as channel pliers. These have an adjustable sliding joint that makes them easy to lock into different widths, so you can easily squeeze to get a firm grip on whatever you’re using them for.

I find these come in handy during plumbing work. I have used these pliers to tighten and remove threaded pipes, water pipes, sliding joints, pipe caps, pipe plugs and various other fixtures. I have worked with these guys to replace faucets and toilets, install tub and shower faucets, and update internal plumbing, and they have never let me down. They are also very good for situations that require working with large nuts and bolts. Tongue-and-groove pliers are ideal for gripping one side of a joint while tightening or loosening the other side with a ratchet.

These tools are quite sturdy and even a cheap pair can take a lot of abuse. I personally use the Doyle 10-inch High Quality Grove Joint Pliers from Harbor Freight, which I have found to be very grippy and offer a lot of leverage. Other options include the Craftsman 10-inch groove joint plierswhich are among the highest rated on Amazon, and the Channellock 10-inch tongue and groove pliers that users consider one of the best tools you can buy at Lowe’s.

The oscillating multi-tool is one of those products that you can live without for a long time, but once you get one you’ll wonder why you didn’t buy it sooner. These small tools oscillate blades of different types and shapes, making them ideal for many different applications. I first bought mine when I was replacing an old, worn-out roll-on floor with vinyl tile. The old floor was much thinner than the tile, so I had to cut the door frames to fit the tile underneath. An oscillating multi-tool was the perfect tool to get the job done without breaking out a hacksaw or taking the molding off the wall first.

Since adding one to my tool bag, I find myself using it more and more for all kinds of renovation jobs. It’s great for the small, straight cuts in drywall needed for things like vents, switches, and electrical outlets. That’s why I used it every day when I replaced the ceiling in my bedroom. I’ve also used it to make plunge cuts in subfloors, to cut threaded screws, and to sand corners and tight spaces that round sanders couldn’t reach. I also bought a few diamond file blades when I replaced my shower to remove large mortar deposits between the tiles before grouting.

I use the DeWalt 20V Max XR Oscillating Multi-Tool. It’s strong and reliable, and I haven’t had any problems with it yet. That said, there are dozens of more affordable options available, such as the WEN oscillating multi-tool kitif you only need a multi-tool for one project.