I don’t know about you but we’ve definitely made our fair share of mistakes during our home improvement adventures and one of our biggest ones was skimping on buying new tools.
Let’s face it, when you have what feels like hundreds of different jobs around the house to tackle and you know they’ll all be expensive the last thing you really want to be doing is spending more money on tools you might not need.
We’re definitely big fans of borrowing tools from friends and neighbours or even hiring them when we know we’ll only use them once but we learned the hard way that skimping on tools isn’t necessarily the right area to try to save money. The best DIY advice we can give you is if you’re making something that you want to turn out well always use the right tools!
We often see people recommending the wrong tools so here’s our guide to which power tool to use for which project.
This post contains affiliate links. We only recommend products we love and think that you will, too! Read our full disclaimer here.
Cordless Drill
If there’s only one power tool you own this has to be the one! It’s easily our most used tool and is essential for so many projects. We’d definitely recommend opting for a percussion drill (instead of just a standard cordless one) which is lightweight and easy to use but it’s still powerful enough to allow you drill into brick walls as well as lots of other materials like wood, plasterboard and tiles.
Good for:
- Drilling holes
- Screwing (when you’re too lazy to use a screwdriver)
Bad for:
- Drilling into concrete – it may not be powerful enough for to drill into every surface (you’ll need a hammer drill for tougher surfaces)
Here are some of the projects we used our cordless drill for:
- Hanging curtains
- Attaching shelves
- DIY Pegboard
- DIY Concrete Picture Frame
- DIY Wooden Bench
- Hanging pictures
Mitre Saw
Now that we own one, I can’t believe how long we put off purchasing a mitre saw! We use it for soooo many more project than we ever thought.
Pretty much every time we need to cut a piece of timber or shorten something we get out our mitre saw. It may look like a daunting tool but it really couldn’t be easier to use.
Great for:
- Cutting timber battens, plastic pipes or metal strips (depending on the type of blade)
- Cutting angles
Bad for:
- Any long straight cuts (it can only cut up to around 300 mm depending on the type of saw)
Here are some of the projects we used our mitre saw for:
Jigsaw
This is the tool we probably use least (and strictly speaking not a must have tool). It’s good for projects where you have to cut curves or shapes but bad for anything where you need to cut a straight line. I see people recommending a jig saw for cutting timber for all kinds of craft and DIY projects all of the time. Mostly though, it’s not the right tool for the job as it’s almost impossible to cut a straight line with a jigsaw.
Good for:
- Cutting shapes
- Cutting holes eg. in a kitchen worktop for a sink
Bad for:
- Never use a jigsaw when you need a perfectly straight edge!
- Do not use as a substitute for a mitre saw or circular saw!
Projects that we used our jigsaw for:
- Replacing the timber on our gable
- Cutting a hole for our kitchen sink
- DIY Wooden Script Art
- DIY Wooden Mirror
Nailer
It’s no secret that this is our favourite tool – ever! There’s no denying that it’s expensive and not something you’re going to splurge on if you’re not going to use it regularly. Having said that, it’s surprising just how much we do use it!
Good for:
- Anything (almost) you have to nail!
Bad for:
- The nailer can only use thin nails. If you need to use something more substantial or something like ring shank nails, you’re probably better off nailing by hand.
Projects that we used our nailer for:
- DIY Slatted Fence
- DIY Log Store
- DIY Plywood Floor
- Attaching skirting boards
- Adding architraves
- Installing picture rails
- DIY Wooden Bench
Hammer Drill
For everything a percussion drill just isn’t powerful enough you’ll need to use a hammer drill. Ours has a chisel attachment which comes in really handy when knocking down walls, taking up tiles or breaking pretty much anything.
Good for:
- Drilling when you need a lot of power
- Taking things to pieces
Bad for:
- It’s obviously great for all kinds of drilling but for most jobs a percussion drill will be more than enough.
Projects that we used our hammer drill for:
- Removing A Fireplace
- Taking up our cellar floor & removing tiles
- Knocking Down Walls
What’s your favourite must have power tool and which tools can you just not live without?
Dan says
This is the perfect guide for me, as a new homeowner I felt the need to buy loads of stuff from ATC (angliatoolcentre.co.uk) to do handy work and new jobs around the home. The problem for me is that I’m not the most DIY centric person although I want to be, I really like the idea of making a bench/breakfast bar similar to the wooden bench you’ve put together with the nail gun!
Christine says
It’s so easy to go overboard when buying tools, Dan. My best advice would be to buy tools as and when you need them or even borrow them from friends and family if you can. It is really good to have a good basic tool set though and I do love a new power tool!
The bench is a perfect beginner project and is super easy to make! Start small and work your way up to larger projects – DIY is easier than you think, promise!
Good luck with your new home!
Cx
Eve says
Hi Christine, great post, thank you!
What would you suggest using for long, straight cuts? Would that be a circular saw? Or even just a good general purpose saw to save having to buy a different saw for every occasion? I’m a total power tool novice – my only electric saw is a jigsaw, and you’re right – it’s horrible for trying to cut a straight line! :)
Christine says
You’re welcome, Eve!
You’re right – it’s so easy to spend an absolute fortune on tools and yes, a circular saw is power tool you’ll need to cut straight lines. We’ve never recommended one here on the blog because we never managed to find one that was good enough (we’re super picky when it comes to recommendations)!
Having said that, one of the saws we have is this (http://amzn.to/2tH5WRj) little one by Worx. It’s not the best tool in the world but it’s easy to use, it’s light, it works perfectly fine and is reasonably priced (just don’t use the distance holder attachment, it’s not very accurate). It really depends on how much you’ll be using it and if it’s worth investing in something that’s high quality. Something we also often did was to have our timber cut at the DIY store – usually, they’ll do a few cuts for free if you’re purchasing it there.
Hope that helps a bit!
Cx
Eve says
Thanks for taking the time to respond :) That’s really useful and I quite like the look of that little handheld saw! I have tried to get things cut at B & Q but there never seems to be anyone to be found at the cutting station and if there is they seem to have bizarre rules on what they will and won’t cut haha! I think I need to get a bit more demanding with them!
Christine says
It is a nifty little tool and I personally like it because it’s small and easy to use. I never really had any problems at B&Q (although I think they have to have a minimum size they’re cutting). It’s great to get the big basic cuts done and then you can use your small saw for anything additional!
Cx
Lucy says
Thanks for posting this – I might only have one of the above tools (so far!) but it’s cool to see how the others have been used in context and provides some great inspiration. Oh and thanks for linking to the exact ones you own – I went down rabbit holes going through review after review with our drill and circular saw, so it helps to make it easier (and is reassuring) when people like yourselves only link to / recommend tools that are actually good! X
Christine says
I know exactly what you mean, Lucy – I’ve lost countless hours reading reviews! It’s probably a bit of an obsession but I’m really paranoid about spending a lot of money on something that turns out not to be as good as I thought. I just did the same with our new dishwasher and spent so much time reviewing ones that by the time I finally made a decision the model I’d originally chosen was no longer available! Ups!
Cx
Meike B. says
I’m asking myself:
Did you take all your tools (and other electric devices) with you from UK? How about the plugs?
Is it save to use powerful tools with an adapter?
Christine says
You’re totally right, Meike! We took all of our tools with us and a lot of them have UK plugs. On a lot of things like lamps, hairdryers, coffee machines etc. we’ve changed the plugs and on others (especially when they’re still under warranty) we use adapters (with a 13 Amp fuse). It’s perfectly safe, they’re just not meant for permanent use so we only use them for things we use for short periods and unplug them after use.
Cx
enc says
Recently picked up a Dewalt impact driver. Don’t know how I managed fir so long without one !
Christine says
It’s amazing what a difference a good tool can make, isn’t it?
Cx