5 Best Hand Tools for Your Home
Ever felt the need to tighten the annoying loose cabinet screws, fix leaky faucets, or to hang a picture frame? Having an essential hand tool set handy in your home can take a lot of stress out.
The 5 most essential hand tools for homeowners are hammers, screwdrivers, tape measure, wrenches, and utility knife.
If you need to fix leaky bathroom or kitchen faucets, in most instances you need good screwdriver and an adjustable wrench.
Assembling furniture, tightening up cabinet screws, or trying your hand at do-it-yourself projects – none of these tasks could be accomplished without a proper tool set.
One of the best and easiest way to own some household tools is get a tool kit. It has tools needed for most small repairs and basic DIY projects around the house.
Hammers
A hammer with a good grip and proper weight makes the job easier.
For most household maintenance a 16 to 20 oz claw hammer is sufficient.
The weight is enough to provide force to drive nails for most jobs. The claw is used for pulling nails out.
Screwdrivers
Screw drivers come in several sizes and types of heads. Some common heads are slotted (flat), cross slots or Philips, square or Robertson, star or torx.
To use the screwdriver efficiently use the proper size of head for the screw type. Wrong size of head can damage the screw head and it may become difficult to screw in or out of the material.
A good quality screwdriver is easy on hands and lasts long. I have been using a screwdriver set for more than ten years.
I have screwdrivers from local dollar store as well. They get the job done, however, a good quality screwdriver is worth having it in your tool box.
Tape Measure
If you are hanging a picture frame you need to measure distance from floor or wall corner.
A ¾ to 1inch metal retractable tape that has 7 feet of horizontal or vertical stand is very convenient. You don’t need another person to hold the other end of the tape as the tape is stiff enough to stand the distance without twisting.
The wider and thicker the tape blade, the longer the distance it can stand without twisting. It is very useful if you are measuring distances on your own.
Wrenches
Adjustable crescent wrench is a must have tool as it is used for loosening or tightening nuts or bolts of any size.
It has a dial located at the base that allows you to adjust the opening required for the nut or bolt.
Other types of wrenches are socket wrench, clamp wrench, tube wrench.
Utility Knife
Utility knife is an indispensable tool for marking and cutting flexible items.
There are several types of utility knives. Folding type and retractable blade type.
Folding type when not in use is folded for safety and to protect the blade.
Retractable knife consists of a retractable blade for safe storage.
The blade can be easily replaced when it gets dull.
A good quality metal case sturdy utility knife lasts longer and provides better grip and cut than a thin plastic box cutter knife.
