Every now and then, you’ll come across problems in your home that need to be fixed. Your instinct is to call a professional in, but there are plenty of trivial issues that can be repaired all by yourself. Realistically, all you need are the right tools to conduct your repairs. In this post, we will run through the 4 things you need for DIY at home, whether you’re a novice or a pro.
This is a contributed guest post.
The 4 Must Have Things For DIY At Home
Funnily enough, the same sort of tools are needed for multiple home repairs, so here’s what you should always have at your disposal:
A Tool Kit
Everyone needs a household tool kit to manage ongoing home repairs. This should include the following:
- A set of screwdrivers
- Some spanners/wrenches
- A hammer
- Allen keys
- Nails
That’s basically everything a tool kit will require, and you can buy them from Amazon or anywhere online with relative ease. Here, you have a whole host of tools to handle multiple repairs. The screwdrivers will come in handy if something has a screw loose – like your bed frame or a kitchen cabinet door. Wrenches and spanners are useful for tightening the bolts on pipes, which might stop leakages. You will find that the majority of small repairs around your home can be completed with something from a standard household tool kit.
A Glue Gun
What is a glue gun? Basically, it’s a device that’s shaped like a gun and turns thin sticks of glue into a hot gooey substance. The hot glue can then be used to stick two things together, where it will then dry and hold them very firm. You can buy these from places like Glue Guns Direct, and they are super useful for ongoing household repairs.
Glue guns can be used to stick wood to wood, metal to wood, metal to metal, and so much more. If things break in your home, a glue gun is usually the best method of sticking them back together again. They’re also useful for loads of DIY projects, which is a nice bonus.
Sanding Equipment
You should have some form of sanding equipment that helps you sand down surfaces in your home. Sandpaper is the most obvious and affordable idea, but you can also buy small sanding devices as well, which are far more effective.
Why would you need to sand things down? Well, it’s mainly to do with finishing things off after you’ve repaired them. For instance, you fix a dodgy table leg, and you may need to sand down the edges to make it smooth. Or, another really common repair you might have to make revolves around your doors. Many door frames can shrink over time, and this is a natural part of the foundations settling. As a result, the doors in your home can become stuck and hard to open.
Thus, some sanding equipment lets you sand down the top part of the door, making it fit in the frame once again. You might have to do this a few times in your life, particularly if you move into a brand new home that needs to settle.
Paint and Brushes/Rollers
You’ll be amazed at how many superficial repairs in your home can be solved with a new lick of paint. Whether it’s paint chipping from your walls or paint scraped off your furniture, you can tidy everything up by yourself. Get some paint that matches the main structures in your home; the walls, furniture, etc, and you’re good to go. A few brushes and paint rollers will also be necessary, but all you have to do is match the paint and cover any patches. A very simple job, yet one you’ll probably have to do a few times in your lifetime!
When should you avoid DIY repairs?
If you have all of the above at your disposal, there are plenty of running repairs you can make around your house. However, there are also instances where you should avoid DIY repairs at all costs.
Generally, anything that involves electricity should be passed onto an expert – unless it’s something simple, like changing a fuse. If there’s ever an electrical issue, always turn your power off before checking the fuses. Still, things that involve loose wires and other circuitry need to be handed over to a qualified electrician.
Likewise, advanced plumbing problems should be handled by plumbers. Tightening a loose pipe is easy, but if this doesn’t stop a leak then you need to call an expert. Basically, anything that’s too complex or potentially dangerous shouldn’t be done by yourself!
On that note, you should know all the things you need to conduct DIY repairs, along with when it makes sense to avoid them and call in the pros.
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