There are so many tools & building supplies available, that it can easily feel totally overwhelming to find what you need for your project!
To help you avoid the mistakes that we made, we’re sharing our go-to favourite tools and products here!
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Basic Must-Have Power Tools:
Cordless Drill
If there’s just one tool you own, this is the one to get! You’ll use it for everything from hanging pictures and installing shelves right through to building furniture.
It’s so versatile and is a must-have on everyone’s tool list!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
DIY Peg Board | DIY Floating Shelves | DIY Dining Room Bench | DIY Bar Cart
Mitre Saw
This is one of those tools that you’ll use much more than you ever thought and we definitely wish we’d bought ours years earlier! This is an entry-level one that’s super affordable. We’ve had ours for about 5 years and it’s still going strong after a lot of projects!
It may look a bit scary, but it’s actually really easy to use!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
DIY Log Store | DIY Slatted Fence | How To Install Panelling | DIY Floating Shelves | How To Lay A Plywood Floor | Installing Picture Rails & Skirting Boards | DIY Herringbone Desk | DIY Ribbed Sidetable
Multisander
For almost any sanding project, a small palm sander will come in very handy and save you a lot of hand sanding time. The pointy tip is great to getting into tight corners!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
DIY Herringbone desk | DIY Hallway Bench | How To Restore Wooden Furniture | Sanding our wooden floors & floorboards (just for the corners of the rooms), Restoring our doors
Optional Power Tools (for more avid DIYers):
These are ones we own but we would only recommend if you’re planning a lot of DIY. We would never recommend buying tools you don’t need and hiring them is always a good option, too! Having said that, I should probably point out that we’re extremely stingy and often waited too long before investing in new tools. Don’t make your life harder than it has to be and make sure you use the right tools for the job!
Hammer Drill
This is essentially a more powerful version of the cordless drill. You’ll need it if you have to drill into more serious brickwork or concrete. It’ll make light work of any drilling an also comes with a chisel attachment which is great for taking things to pieces!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
DIY Slatted Fence | Installing A Wood Burning Stove | How To Build & Install Super Slim Floating Shelves | DIY Hallway Bench
Nailer
This is the most fun tool to use. Ever. Seriously though, it’s a really practical tool to have, and you’ll probably use it much more than you expect.
It is a serious investment but we love our nailer so much and it’s helped us build lots of our projects much quicker and easier!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
DIY Log Store | DIY Slatted Fence | How To Install Panelling | DIY Hallway Bench | How To Lay A Plywood Floor | Installing Picture Rails & Skirting Boards | DIY Outdoor Sofa with Hidden Storage
Laser Level
It’s a great tool to have, but it is a splurge, and we managed without one for years but DIY is soooo much easier if you have one of these clever gadgets and we wish we’d bought one much sooner!
It makes taping lines for painting, hanging wallpaper and even day-today tasks like hanging pictures so much easier and quicker!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
Painting Our Bedroom | How To Install Panelling | How To Build & Install Super Slim Floating Shelves |DIY Floating Spice Rack | How To Hang Wallpaper | Hanging Pictures, Curtain Rails, Shelves, etc.
Circular Saw
This is one of the tools that we use least but it does occasionally come in handy. It’s great if you have to make long and perfectly straight cuts.
Projects we’ve used it on include:
Jigsaw
For cutting shapes and large holes. For us, it’s a tool that falls into the ‘borrow it off someone if you can rather than buying it’ category because we rarely use it but it can be useful especially for craft projects.
Projects we’ve used it on include:
Installing our kitchen sink | Replacing the decorative timber on our roof | DIY Wooden Script Art | DIY Wooden Mirror | 3 Easy Outdoor Lanterns
Heat Gun
This is our go-to tool for stripping paint. We stripped all door frames, skirting boards and even some doors in our last home with this heat gun.
This one is great because you can adjust the temperature which makes it great for stripping all different kinds of paints. Just remember to be safe and always test for lead paint before you strip anything!
Projects we’ve used it on include:
Stripping all skirting boards | Restoring our front door | Stripping our bathroom door
The Basic Tools & Accessories:
Workbench
A workbench is especially useful if you work in your home a lot and don’t have a dedicated workspace as it will help you avoid sawing into your dining table (as we did). We have this basic one which does the job and folds together to save space.
Hammer
It goes without saying that you’ll need a hammer if you’re planning on doing almost any DIY!
Paintbrushes
We still own the first set of paintbrushes we ever bought. For over 8 years we’ve been using them for everything painting related and they’re still as good as new! They’re not cheap but are so worth the investment and we highly recommend them!
Spirit Level
A good spirit level is essential when DIYing. We’ve used this one for years and love it. We recently upgraded to a laser level which is amazing (you can see which one we have and love in our Optional Tool list).
Sealant Gun
This is our third sealant gun and this one is here to stay. It’s sturdy and does the job. Whatever you do, don’t opt for a plastic one as they are just not strong enough and end up bending which makes caulking a lot less fun!
Screwdrivers
A good set of screwdrivers is a must.
Pliers
A basic selection of pliers for everything from cutting cables to pulling out wall plugs.
Ladder
We have a couple of ladders but this one is still our favourite. It’s super versatile and also comes with a clever platform which is ideal for a lot of pesky DIY jobs where you spend a lot of time up on a ladder. It’s fairly lightweight, too!
Tape Measure
It doesn’t have to be fancy, just make sure it’s a minimum of 5m long.
Vacuum Cleaner
I didn’t realise it was possible to love a vacuum cleaner so much! Our Kärcher Wet & Dry vacuum is super sturdy, cheap and you can even attach it to your power tools to suck away the dust! We’ve been using it for over 5 years and we are ruthless with it! We suck up bits of timber and rubble and it’s still indestructible.
Clamps
The quick grip makes it easy to reposition and move quickly. They’re available in lots of different sizes and it would probably be best to have a few different ones. If you’re only opting for one size, make sure they’re fairly long (about 450mm) to give you a lot of flexibility.
Our Favourite DIY Supplies:
Furniture Oil
We absolutely love this danish oil for restoring and refreshing furniture. It transforms wood surfaces in seconds and gives it an amazing finish without much effort.
Multipurpose Filler
This filler is super lightweight, easy to sand and dries quickly. You really couldn’t want more!
Paint Stripper
Peel Away is the only paint stripper we recommend! Over the years we’ve tried about 7 different ones and Peel Away is the only one that really does what it should. It’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny!
Wood Glue
This is by far our favourite wood glue. There are various versions we just use the plain one. Because it dries completely clear, I use it for most craft projects, too.
Wood Filler
Cheap, effective and comes in lots of colours (although you can stain it to a certain degree, too).
Masking Tape
You don’t have to invest in fancy masking tape to be able to mask off areas for painting. Great painting and decorating results are almost all down to the prep work!
Sandpaper
Surprisingly, there are big differences in sandpaper quality. This one that we use is slightly more expensive than other brands but we find it lasts longer and sands better. Definitely worth spending a little extra on. We always buy a big roll of our most used grits as it works out cheapest and you’d be surprised at how much of the stuff you go through!
As you can probably imagine, having the right tools for the job makes it much easier to DIY efficiently and achieve a result you’ll be happy with.
Obviously, buying lots of tools can be expensive. We built up our collection over time and always recommend borrowing or hiring tools if you think you won’t use them much.
Do you have a favourite tool that you can’t live without?