The Best Tools For Your Home Tool Kit

Half the battle of completing your DIY jobs and household projects to a high standard is finding the right tools for the job 🛠 

Whether you’re fixing a leaky tap, assembling a brand new bed frame or facing an even bigger task, using top tools can be the difference between a DIY masterpiece and a bodged job 🥴

CHARACTER tools and SQUIGGLE – a striking team 🔧

We’ve searched high and low and found the most dependable products to add to your home tool set. From power and portability to accuracy and ease of use, here’s our round-up of essential tools for homeowners. 

An Electric Sander

Many common DIY tasks, such as updating your kitchen cabinets or upcycling a wardrobe, require an electric hand sander to smooth down rough surfaces and remove old coats of paint. There are a range of different electric hand sanders on the market, including orbital and belt sanders. Here are the key differences between the two: 

Belt sanders

These work wonders on large, flat surfaces and can strip down a piece of wood in a short amount of time. Belt sanders are also handy for stripping the wood of any paint, adhesive, or other coating materials.

Orbital sanders

These are best for small and uneven surfaces, and can be used at various angles. An orbital sander is typically used for the last stages of a project, for tasks such as evening out rough spots, doing some polishing and getting the wood ultra-smooth 👌

We recommend: Bosch 5-Inch Palm Random Orbit Sander / Polisher

This power sander helps to create a smoother surface quicker than if you were to use a manually powered one. This recommendation is a random-orbit type, which means the round sanding pad spins and oscillates to reduce the chance of leaving swirl marks on the surface of the wood.

A Power Drill

Another reliable product for your home tool kit is a power drill. This is ideal for drilling holes in walls to hang up your picture frames or shelves, as well as assembling furniture or fitting hardware to your cabinets. You can choose from a variety of drills, including corded and cordless drills. 

Corded drills are often lighter and don’t involve a heavy battery pack (but if you’re using a mains powered corded drill, you’ll need to have an extension lead to hand). The advantage of cordless drills is that they give you greater mobility when moving around a room. 

We recommend: DeWalt 20V Max XR Brushless Compact Drill/Driver Kit

We’ve gone for this cordless drill for its ease of use, not to mention its efficiency and power. This model comes with two rechargeable batteries, a charger and a storage case. Its compact design is great for drilling screws in small spaces, while its three-way adjustable LED work light makes working in dark spaces or at night much easier 💡

Melanie keeps her lines straight and drills with precision.

Level Tools

As an essential part of Melanie's (@melanielissackinteriors) tool kit, a level is a fail-safe way to ensure you hang pictures or shelves accurately. Levels work by projecting a horizontal or vertical line onto the surface that you’re working on, and you ideally want one that’s as close in length as possible to the surface you’re measuring. You can use a spirit level as a basic option and a laser level as a more advanced tool. 

We recommend: Empire e75 Series TRUE BLUE® Box Level

Guarantee accuracy with this handy tool, which features precision milled edges and surface grippers to prevent the level from sliding on flat or angled surfaces. It has ergonomic grip zones so it’s comfortable to use and can fit neatly into your tool box. Have a slightly bigger budget to spend on your tools? You may want to look at the Library of Things, where you can rent laser levels and other useful tools for your creative home projects 🙌

For smaller jobs try: CHARACTER Spirit Level

Master your angles with the CHARACTER Level, featuring a 12 inch aluminium body and ultra-visible vials for fool-proof readings. This tool-box friendly spirit level is perfect for accurately installing hooks or cabinet handles.

Sophia means business with her builder’s level.

A Hammer

One of the most basic tools for your home is the trusty hammer and with so many on the market, it helps to know which one best suits your needs. For example, if you’re mainly using your hammer for construction or carpentry projects, you’ll want to choose a heavy-duty hammer with a large head. On the other hand, if you’re just using your hammer for odd household jobs and repairs, you’ll find a lightweight model does the trick.

We recommend: Stanley 16-Ounce FatMax Xtreme AntiVibe Rip Claw Nailing Hammer

One to remember if you’re rapidly becoming a DIY enthusiast – hammering repeatedly can potentially cause problems in your hands and wrists as you get older, such as carpal tunnel syndrome 😨 The good news is that this Stanley hammer minimises the risk by absorbing most of the impact of each strike. The handle is designed to reduce the torque (the force of the movement at a joint) placed on the wrists. It also offers a 75% larger strike face than traditional hammers for improved accuracy ✅

An Adjustable Wrench

For basic repairs around your house, you’ll want to add an adjustable wrench to your home tool kit essentials. You’ll be able to quickly and easily tighten or loosen bolts and nuts of all sizes. And as an added bonus, one wrench can do the job for multiple-sized bolts and nuts, saving you time faffing around trying to find the right tool. 

We recommend: Channellock Code Blue Wide Jaw Adjustable Wrench

This wrench takes the guesswork out of setting precise widths as it has a ruler on the head, and metric and imperial measurements etched on too. Another thing we love about this wrench is its versatility. When you remove the blue handle, the spanner is small enough to fit into tight spaces. 

A Multi-bit Screwdriver

When you’re tackling your home improvement and DIY jobs, a multi-bit screwdriver will come in handy for tightening or loosening screws of various sizes. The design of a multi-bit screwdriver lets you easily change the bits, so you’ll always have the right sized screwdriver for the job. 

Heads up, when we send out our knobs and handles, we include 25mm length M4 machine screws as standard. But if you do need screws in different sizes to affix to thicker or thinner doors, you can buy those on our site too 🔩 

We recommend: CHARACTER Screwdriver

Think of this as your all-in-one screwdriver. You can flip and switch between six interchangeable bits, including two nut driver options, with the dual-ended CHARACTER Screwdriver. It is made of a sturdy stainless steel and ribbed handles for a comfortable grip. 

A Tape Measure

Your household tool sets will be incomplete without a tape measure. Not only can you measure the length and width of objects, you can also calculate the size of a room or the distance between two points. This is especially helpful when you’re trying to hang a picture, install new shelves and cupboards, or measure areas to carry out a remodel. 

We recommend: CHARACTER Tape Measure

With a 25-foot length, this tape measure is perfectly suited to both your small and large-scale projects. What makes this one stand out is its larger end hook, which grips corners better than smaller tapes. 

A Set of Pliers

On our list of must-have tools for the home are pliers, which can be used for everything from straightening bent power cord plugs and replacing old shower heads, to slice wiring and getting a good grip on just about anything. There are a variety of types of pliers available, including locking pliers, slip-joint pliers, and needle-nose pliers. 

We recommend: INGCO 3 PCS High Leverage Pliers Set

This set contains three types of pliers for flexibility and has comfortable handles to make it as easy as possible to carry out your work. In case you’re wondering, the three types of pliers are: 8" Combination Pliers, 6"Diagonal Cutting Pliers, 6" Long Nose Pliers.

A Nail Gun

If you plan on installing shelves, cabinets or trimming outdoor frames, you’ll want a nail gun that accurately drives holes into the wood. You can also use this tool for DIY projects such as building a deck or shed, or installing moulding or overhead framing. Yes, you could have a go at swinging a hammer, but nail guns do the hard work for you and are great for that added boost of power. 

We recommend: Ryobi 18V One+ Airstrike Brad Nailer

This cordless, inexpensive tool will make light work of fastening together two pieces of softwood. Slimmer than professional-duty nail guns and offering better handling, it gives you a choice of two firing modes. Choose full sequential mode for precision and contact actuation mode for rapid fastening. You don’t have to worry about keeping count of your nails either, as the tool’s low nail indicator will show you when it’s time to re-load ✅

A Utility Knife

Think you may have to slice through twine, rope, carpet or tape anytime soon as part of your home projects? Then be prepared and add a small, lightweight utility knife to your household tool set. 

We recommended: Bosch Professional Universal Folding Knife

You don’t need to worry about accidents with this secure knife, as the blade can be released using a button and stored away with a practical folding mechanism. 

Of course, there are plenty of other products we could add to this list. But if this is your first tool kit, start out with the must-have tools we’ve recommended and then build your kit up as you tackle more home projects 💪 Last but not least, don’t forget to buy some protective eyewear and a steel tool box so you can neatly store everything away.

With your tool kit complete and renos' ensue, why not send your DIY progress pictures to @plankhardware? We can’t wait to see you in action 👀

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