There is nothing more satisfying than having the right tool for the job in hand – and nothing worse than trying to use the wrong tool for a job! The tools featured below are ten tools that no self-respecting toolbox can afford to be seen without. It could be argued that this list should contain more power tools but it has focused solely on the absolutely essential everyday DIY tools.

You should be able to kit yourself out with these essential tools for no more than £60 at tool specialists such as Tool-Net, so there really is no excuse to be left without the right tool for the job anymore.

1. Claw Hammer

The humble claw hammer is essential for driving nails in, pulling them out, and even small demolition jobs.

2. Screwdrivers

You will need both a Phillips screwdriver – with a cross shaped point – and a flathead screwdriver. You can use your flathead for light prying, scraping, and nudging.

3. Tape Measure

A good quality tape measure is invaluable for a number of DIY jobs whether you are estimating paint coverage, measuring wood for cabinets, hanging wallpaper or just checking to see if furniture fits in a room.

4. Crescent Wrench

This versatile tool is a must – you can think of it as about 50 tools in one as the sliding jaw of this adjustable wrench can change its width and allow you to use it on nuts and bolts of all sizes.

5. Socket Wrench (or Ratchet)

A Socket Wrench

6. Pliers

Vice grip pliers and needle nose pliers will both be needed for different jobs. The vice grip plier is essential when you need an extra pair of hands as they lock into place. They are a versatile tool that can be used as pliers, a wrench, wire cutters, or a clamp. Needle nose pliers are an essential tool for electrical work but are useful whenever you need to cut, bend, grip, or strip wire.

7. Cordless Drill and Bits

Cordless Drill

8. Crosscut Saw

A good general purpose handsaw is useful for cutting wood, whether this be branches in the garden or timber for woodworking projects. Crosscut saws are used to cut against the grain on a piece of wood. If you’ll be doing woodwork that requires a cut along the grain you need a rip saw.

9. Spirit Level

The simple bubble spirit level still holds its own in the face of hi-tech competition from laser levels and iPhone apps.

10. Stanley Knife

The super sharp blade of this knife will ensure it is constantly in and out of your toolbox whatever the project.

Some people were luckily enough to have a Dad or Granddad with the time and expertise to each them useful DIY skills – from how to use power tools, to mix concrete, wallpaper and paint. However many of us did not have this opportunity and have to pay other people to perform even simple DIY jobs which is often expensive and can result in low quality work.

But if you are a total novice how can you start to gain the knowledge and skills to allow you to break into DIY?

You tube

I am a computer nerd and although I will refer to books – see later – my first point of call is always the internet. I think that YouTube is a brilliant resource. There are vast quantities of instructional videos that cover pretty much any DIY job mainly produced by American companies to advertise their product ranges. But do not let this put you off, they are informative, high quality and touch on the tools & products you need to complete the job. There are some UK companies who have also taken the time to produce a whole range of instructional DIY videos, for example see how good this one is which talks you through replacing a tap.

Books & DVD’s

YouTube is great but may not provide the detail and all round grounding that you are after. For this there is nothing better than a book to refer to. There are some excellent DIY handbooks out there, make sure you read their reviews and ratings to make sure the style of book will be right for you before you buy. Try the following titles.

Note from the editor: Homebase provided us with this extract to generate interest in their Easter 2010 offers.  Normally we do not publish articiles which are primarily there to push a company or product however in this case we think the article is a timely reminder of the dangers of DIY.  We also think that their free information sheets and their online DIY advice center are useful resources.  Check them out here – Homebase DIY Advice Center.  We have not accepted any money for publishing this article.

Results from the UK’s biggest home and garden survey

The Home & Garden Survey was carried out in November and December 2009 by Homebase and surveyed a total of 208,257people.  As the nation gears up for the first long weekend of the year and paintbrushes, drills, hammers and pasting tables are dusted off, Homebase has revealed the causes of the most common DIY disasters following the biggest home and garden survey ever conducted in the UK.

Homebase, asked more than 200,000 people about their DIY experiences and were inundated with tales of hammer horrors, painting panic and far-from-fool-proof-flooring. The DIY disaster league shows that the number one project likely to cause a calamity is painting and decorating, followed by flooring, hammering nails, drilling and plumbing.

Men are most likely to find themselves in a spot of bother when hammering nails, while for women it’s decorating. One in ten women have had a disaster doing the painting and decorating while 15% of females claimed their biggest disaster when it comes to DIY is their husband! With more than 1,000 of those surveyed claiming to have sustained an injury as a result of a DIY disaster.

Despite a few problems along the way the vast majority of people are still keen to have a go at Doing-It-Themselves with only 10% of respondents saying they rely on the experts for the whole job and 80% of people saying they get pleasure from improving their home doing DIY.

Paint Pot

The Homebase DIY disaster league:

1. Painting and decorating
2. Flooring
3. Hammering nails
4. Drilling
5. Plumbing

Examples of DIY disasters shared with Homebase in the survey:

• Drilling holes through brand new central heating pipes 20 minutes before the carpet fitters were due to arrive
• Cutting an overgrown garden with a strimmer and hitting a stone resulting in a smashed conservatory window
• Hanging floral wallpaper upside down, with the pattern not matching
• Hammering a new shelf resulting in a flat screen TV being knocked off the other side of the wall and falling to pieces on the floor

Simon Yeomans, DIY category marketing manger at Homebase commented, “Easter weekend is always one of the busiest of the year for DIY with plenty of time to tackle important projects around the home. People are more likely to try something ambitious and our advice is to make sure you prepare well. Homebase has a series of ‘How To’ guides available in store and online for all the most popular projects with step-by-step instructions, top tips and the tools you need for the job.”

About Homebase

Homebase is the UK’s second largest home improvement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service across the wider home enhancement market. It has more than 300 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. In the last financial year, Homebase sales were £1.5 billion and it employed some 20,000 people across the business.
Homebase sells over 30,000 products across its home enhancement ranges, and has a growing Internet offering. Homebase serves 60 million customers per year through its stores and offers customers the convenience of home delivery for bulky, high-value items.

Homebase was the first UK DIY retailer to achieve Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification and the first national DIY retailer to be recognised with a Government TrustMark Award, achieved for its kitchen installation service.

Homebase is part of Home Retail Group, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer.

Power tools for women

Most of the people who use power tools are men. However, women have been using power tools more than ever before. In fact, the many power tools for women are very handy and easy to use.

Cordless drills are used by women to help them with handling chores and other tasks around the house. The Barbara K line of drills is an especially popular line in that they are light in weight but still very powerful in terms of drill strength. Its power screwdriver is especially easy to use and popular.

One of the easy to use power tools that women like to use is the Unbelievable Saw. It is very useful for yard work, including for cutting tree limbs and for trimming hedges. The saw is light in weight and is very efficient.

The Black and Decker Project Mate works very well also. It works as a screwdriver, a scraper and a power sander. It can easily fit in the palm of a typical woman’s hand.

The Flex Wrench series from Craftsman is one of the best types of tools that women can use. There are seven different sizes in this line, and they cover both standard and metric variations. These tools work very well in tighter situations as well.

A screwdriver will be a helpful tool to use as well. The PentaGrip screwdriver from Snap-On is one of the most powerful ones to use. This features a button at the top of the screwdriver so that the head can be locked into a certain position. The grip is soft and it works well with smaller hands.

Pliers are used to take care of removing nails and other tough to remove items around the home. Pliers also work to take care of removing items that are sharp and therefore can help to prevent one’s hands from being cut.

One of the most interesting things about power tools for women, however, is that these tools are becoming more advanced. In fact, a group of women at the University of Kansas has been developing its own line of Savvy tools, which are a line of easy to use power tools that are designed with women in mind. They are comfortable, safe and easy enough to handle. Right now Sandra Dee the Sander and a drill named Donna are the tools that are in development right now.

Men aren’t the only ones who have to use power tools. Power tools for women are easily catching on. Not only are there all sorts of different types of power tools to use but these are all easy to use power tools that can make any task easier to handle. The best thing about them is that they aren’t too difficult to use.