Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – Beginners Tool List

If you are going to buy your first house, it’s good to invest in a basic tool set. This can really save you money by doing small jobs yourself. It’s also a great idea for a wedding or graduation gift. You can find tutorial videos on You Tube to show you how to do various tasks, including repairing holes in the wall or doing simple plumbing jobs, like replacing a faucet.

14-volt lithium battery power drill– Great for many tasks. They have interchangeable bits to do many jobs from drilling holes to putting together furniture. Watch for sales at Menards or Home Depot. Don’t go for the cheapest one. You want one with good power and battery life.

Levels– need two here. A 4-foot-long spirit level for big jobs like hanging shelves. A torpedo level works for smaller jobs like hanging pictures.

4-in-1 screwdriver– They come with large and small flat and Philips head bits.

Two adjustable crescent wrenches– a small 6-inch one for tight spaces and a larger 14-inch for better leverage.

Adjustable channel lock pliers– Useful for shower heads and other plumbing jobs. Lineman’s pliers good for cutting and twisting; wire and needle nosed pliers for finer jobs.

25-foot tape measure with a one inch blade. It extends and will stay stiff. Much easier when working alone.

16- ounce rip hammer– It should be easy to control while driving in large nails. Invest in a good one and it will last a lifetime.

Utility knife– useful for many tasks like scoring and cutting drywall. Vise grips make great clamps.

Several painting tools are handy to have around.

   1-inch putty knife for filling in holes

   21/2-inch angled paint brush

   9-inch paint roller frame with disposable covers

   5-in-1 painters tool

   6-inch drywall knife

   Paint tray with disposable liners

KATHY WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO