11 Essential DIY Tools to Make Your House a Home

Starting your DIY journey can be exciting yet overwhelming, especially when faced with blank walls and endless project ideas. Equip yourself with these 11 essential tools to transform your house or apartment into a home that reflects your unique style.

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Did you just buy your first house or rent your first apartment? Do those bland walls fill you with sorrow? Or maybe you’re eager and excited by the blank canvas in front of you? Congratulations, because this is the perfect opportunity to turn your new place into a home that reflects your style and personality.

Today, we’ll show you our top 11 tools that every beginner DIYer needs to own. Each tool is framed around a DIY project, but know you can use each of these tools for a variety of many more purposes! Whether you’re ready to dive headfirst into decorating or prefer taking a more measured approach, these essential DIY tools will set you up for success. Now let’s turn that house into a home!

1. Hammer

The quickest way to make your space feel like home is by hanging pictures, and for that, you need a hammer. Good news, all you need to do this is a hammer and some nails! A reliable claw hammer with a rubber grip is a must-have. Not only is it great for driving nails into walls, but the claw end helps remove any misplaced nails or accidental mistakes. You’ll be hanging pictures in no time. Just be careful of your fingers!

2. Tape Measure

Alright, so you hung up one picture. Good job! But now you need to hang up more pictures and you want to make sure the spacing is consistent? This is where a tape measure comes in handy. You can measure from the ceiling for consistent height and mark out consistent spacing.

The Fast Cap brand tape measure is a favorite, especially since you can write your measurement on the side. It’s perfect for jotting down quick measurements without the fear of forgetting them!

3. Level

Nothing disrupts a room’s balance like crooked frames. Some larger picture frames have two hooks on the back, which can make them difficult to hang. The trick to getting this picture frame hanging straight is to use a level.

A basic 2-foot-long level will help you keep your wall art, shelves, and even mirrors perfectly aligned. For larger picture frames with two hooks, the level becomes essential to ensure both nails are at the same height. Combine a level with your tape measure to make sure your two nails are level and properly spaced to ensure perfection.

Want a tip to make this step even easier? Cheat and use floral wire between the two hooks to turn them into a single hanging point!

4. Laser Level Line or Chalk Line Snapper

So now you can hang pictures and you want to make a gallery wall like you saw on Pinterest or Instagram right? It’s an addiction. We understand. But getting these perfectly aligned with nothing other than a tape measure and level can be very time-consuming.

To make this much easier, we highly recommend picking up an inexpensive laser level or chalk line snapper. It lets you project a straight line across your wall, making it much easier to align all your frames. For best results, use it with a tripod.

5. Stud Finder / Magnet

At this point, you are a master at hanging pictures, so maybe you are ready to hang something heavier. You can always use drywall anchors for lighter items, but the heaviest stuff should be mounted directly to studs.Studs are the vertical boards inside your walls and are much stronger than the drywall.

The easiest way to find a stud is with a magnet. They will catch on the metal screws that hold drywall to the stud. But that also assumes that your drywall installer did a good job and you can’t really ensure you are in the center of the stud where it is the strongest.

To get the best results, use a stud finder. We like this one because it has various depth settings, and can indicate the center of the stud fairly consistently. It also alerts you if there are electric wires in the area.

6. Drill, Drill Bits, & Driver Bit Set

Once you’ve found the stud, you’ll need a way to attach to it. For these heavy items, we recommend you skip the nails and use a screw. You’ll need to use a drill and a drill bit to drill a small pilot hole in your stud. This also helps you make sure that you have actually found the stud because wood shavings should come out on the drill bit.

Then you can use a drill with a driver bit to drive your screw into the stud. There are thousands of DIY uses for these tools so we highly recommend you get a drill that will hold up for many years. Invest in a durable drill like the Dewalt 20V, which balances power and weight, making it suitable for multiple DIY tasks.

7. Impact Driver

If you are going to be driving a ton of screws, you will be better off by buying an impact driver. They are fast at driving screws! Unlike a regular drill, an impact driver is designed for repetitive screw-driving tasks, preventing stripped screw heads and minimizing wrist fatigue.

We recommend the Dewalt brand impact driver. It can share a battery with your drill, which is very convenient. Also, you can often find these two together as a set on sale around the holidays.

8. Impact Sockets & Socket Adapter

For the heaviest items, you’ll need more power. A drill and impact driver can be used to install lag bolts. Lag bolts are used to mount the heaviest of things to your studs, like a TV mounting bracket. You’ll need a set of Impact Sockets and a Socket Adapter to use with your impact driver to install lag bolts..

As a bonus, you can also use these sockets with a socket wrench if you are working on a car or in a tight spot where your impact driver won’t fit. We’ve also used our impact driver and socket to tighten bolts and nuts on dozens of projects around our home. Everything from our kid’s workbench to the retaining walls of our terraced garden beds.

9. Magnetic Paint Can & Stubby Paintbrush

Alright! So now you have hung 1,000 things on your walls, but they still seem too bland right? That’s probably because they are some boring color because it increases “resale” value or something. To heck with that! Let’s bring this home to life with some paint!

We love this magnetic paint cup because it holds a small amount of paint so you have just enough to do edging around the room without having to hold a heavy pail. And the built-in magnet holds your paintbrush when you need to set it down. We also highly recommend you get one of these stubby angled brushes. They are great for edging. And with enough practice, you won’t have to bother with using painters tape around trim or edges.

DIY Tip – You don’t have to paint an entire wall! Paint just a section, or a corner. Heck, paint a diagonal if you want. And, if you bought the laser level we recommended earlier, this becomes super easy to lay out!

10. Tall Step Stool

If you are going to be hanging a bunch of stuff, or painting high up on your walls, you may want to have a step stool. Whether you’re hanging art or painting near the ceiling, a step stool is essential.

We felt a little silly putting this step stool on our wedding registry, but I can’t tell you the number of times that we have used it. It might seem basic, but it saves you from risky maneuvers like balancing on a chair, and a good step stool is definitely a must-have for any homeowner.

11. Multi-Configuration Ladder

For those with tall ceilings or plans to tackle higher projects, a multi-configuration la d der is indispensable. It adapts to different heights and positions, making it a versatile addition to your DIY toolkit. It also collapses down to be fairly compact, which is much easier for storing than a full-sized ladder!

More DIY Projects

Now that you’ve mastered these basic Home Improvement projects, it’s time to take things to the next level! Check out this next post to see the list of tools we recommend you consider next!

Also, check out more of our DIY projects articles for inspiration!

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Hope this roundup of essential tools every beginner DIYer needs helps you transform your home! Let us know what you think of the list and if there are any tools that you think we missed in the comments below!

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Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.