50 TOOLS AND PRODUCTS EVERY HOMEOWNER NEEDS

There are so many things to think of when purchasing a new home. What color to paint the walls, should you get new flooring and on and on! You should be thinking about the tools and products every homeowner should own. Before owning my own home, I had the pleasure of growing up in an ETERNAL fixer-upper (thanks Mom and Dad). All kidding aside, I am happy that I have been helping my parents with their home improvement my whole life. 

I have previously made a list of my Top 10 tools for DIY’ers. This list of tools and products are things I have on hand at all times. Some of these tools and products you may have never thought of owning, but let me tell you, you’ll be happy to have them in an emergency.

This post may contain affiliate links. I do not advertise or recommend anything I do not use myself. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

50 tools and products you need now!

LADDERS: I feel like this one needs no explanation? If you need a reason to have a ladder and step stool, then think of a clogged gutter in a downpour and a light bulb that requires changing. If I had to choose only one, I would get the step stool. I have used it to paint my entire upper floor, change light bulbs, install all my light fixtures and hang my double industrial conduit curtain rods.

FLASHLIGHT: You really should have a couple of these on hand. Useful in so many ways. Again a no-brainer.

FASTENERS: Essential to every homeowner’s arsenal are a plethora of zip ties, screws, nuts, bolts, and nails. Need to have multiple different lengths, sizes, and head types.

TAPE: Tape will save you in sticky situations. TEE HEE! Okay so maybe not, but, it is very versatile around the house for temporary fixes to stopping a plumbing leak. I always have painters tape, duct tape, Teflon tape, and electrical tape.

GLUE: I use the glue around the house in so many different ways. Wood glue is so vital to me because all I have is wood everything! I found that having the jewelry glue has come in handy when I need to mend things that are mid-century modern and have no replacement parts. Lastly super glue, cuz its super glue. DUH!

DRYWALL REPAIR: Yes, you will eventually get a hole in your wall. If you’re like me, you will get angry at a wall because the wallpaper won’t come off and tear the whole wall down…Yup that happened. For most small holes and dings, I use spackle and a putty knife. For the big jobs like putting up drywall, I use joint compound and drywall joint tape. To “feather” out the joint compound, you will need some good drywall finishing blades. ALWAYS wash and completely dry the blades after each use or they will rust!

HAND SAWS: Okay, if I’m honest, I could own saws for every task. I love a good saw. Saw’s I own are a Drywall jab saw, for repairing and making holes in drywall. Hacksaw, for cutting PVC and miscellaneous things. Wood saw, great for making small cuts to wood (better if there’s a miter box included). Lastly, a Coping saw, great for making intricate cuts in wood.

LEVELS: This is a must-have for so many reasons. You will use it for making level cuts, mounting pictures and if you’re like me, crafting. I own 12 inches, 24 inches, and a 48 inches level.

WRENCHES, SOCKET SETS, AND PLIERS: Lumping these tools together was not by accident. Often when I require one of these I need them all. A Pipe wrench is a must-have, no questions! Socket and crescent wrench sets are relatively inexpensive and are handy to have to fix the garage door and multiple things in a car. If you love to shop at IKEA, then you already may own a good amount of Allen wrenches, but if not, having a good set with multiple sizes is great. Pliers, pliers, and more pliers. Lastly, an Electrical wire stripper and cutter is key to successfully changing out sockets and light fixtures.

BUCKETS: Having at least one 5 gallon bucket is safe. If you plan on tiling, you will be throwing the bucket away. I also have a couple of smaller buckets for cleaning and small odd jobs.

EXTENSION CORD: Running the leaf blower or vacuuming the car is what I love using it for. I couldn’t use any of my electric tools if I didn’t have an extension cord. I own a 100 footer.

“FINISHING” TOOLS AND PRODUCTS: These are just a few of the things I own for “finishing” a project. I narrowed it down to the few things that I could not live without. Caulking and a caulking gun are used in my house more than I’d like to admit. It is needed to seal cracks and to finish woodworking jobs. Maybe you haven’t ever heard of a nail set before, but if you like to trim anything out, make frames or put up wainscoting, then you need these little guys. Assorted grit sandpaper is like a painter’s fine brushes. Take a crappy piece of wood and turn it into a masterpiece with a bit of elbow grease and some sandpaper. And finally, steel wool. Are you planning on doing any plumbing projects or maybe making some industrial curtain rods? You will need some steel wool.

UTILITY KNIFE: I shouldn’t have to explain why you need this! I use my utility knife ALL the time for something simple like opening boxes to something more complex like scoring drywall. E–SSEN–TIAL!

RUBBER MALLET: If you plan on pulling the trim off or putting it on; I found that my rubber mallet was the least destructive in helping with this.

WORK GLOVES: Have you ever put up fiberglass or glass subway tile? SPLINTER CITY!!!! Trust me. A perfect pair of work gloves will save your hands from damage and pain.

EMERGENCY PRODUCTS: Having lived through a house fire and a house flood, I can assure you that I am never going to be without a few proper Fire extinguishers and Water detectors. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE have these in your house! Not only can they save your life but also potentially thousands of dollars.

CLEAN UP: Where there is any construction, there is dust and dirt. I have a great old push broom that I used inside and outside the house during my larger constructions projects. A simple angle broom and dustpan are a must for the little jobs. I LOVE MICROFIBER. Okay, that got weird. What I mean to say is I love really good quality microfiber cloths. They are super versatile and can manage to clean a greasy mess as well as remove my makeup. Swifter sweeper mops are pretty awesome as well. I add about ten drops of peppermint oil to mine to keep the bugs from wanting to hang out in my house.

GOOD OLD FASHIONED TOOL KIT: After all that and you see this tool kit. Yes, I own this exact one, but I still need all of the afore-mentioned tools and products to keep a functioning and happy home.

Proper tools and products can not only save you money but a headache if you have them on hand when they’re needed. You can find my Top 10 tools for DIY’ers here. Happy fixing!