Many of the common home improvement jobs we run into during the course of owning a home are of the small variety--little touch-ups on our trim, patching some dinged-up drywall, and stuff like that.
In and of themselves, these jobs take 10 minutes here, 20 minutes there. But unfortunately, many of these little jobs require some specific tools. If we don't have these tools on hand, the tendency is to put the job off, to wait on it until we get the right supplies. It doesn't take long for the jobs to pile up into mountains of work. Suddenly the 20 minute job is joined by 14 other 20 minute jobs and we find ourselves looking at hours and hours of work.
Having the right tools on hand means you can accomplish jobs quickly and easily--you can basically cross them off your "To-Do" list before you even put them on. And best of all, compiling this "emergency kit" of "Must-Have" tools can cost as little as $50.
The Essential Tools There are a handful of tools and supplies that you need to have sitting on your shelves if you own a home. Now, we're not talking about expensive tools and gadgets--we're talking about an "Emergency Kit" made up of basic items that will help you deal with many of the common touch-ups and fix-its you will run into when you own your own home.
Here's our list of critical home improvement items you need to have in your tool box:
 | | ROLLER FRAMES. We recommend that you have at least one 9" roller frame and one 4" roller frame. Most folks already have one or more of these, but if you don't you'll want to make sure you get some. Having a 9" frame is great for larger areas and having a 4" frame is great when you've got small jobs or touch-ups to do. | | | |
|  | | ROLLER COVERS. Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that your roller frames are only going to be useful if you've got covers to go on them. We recommend that you have at least one 9" cover and one 4" cover on hand all the time. And, if at all possible, make sure they're new. Used roller covers are OK for priming, but if you're going to do any touch-ups or re-painting, you'll want a new cover. | | | | |  |
| 9" ROLLER TRAYS. Again, most folks have a roller tray sitting around, but if you don't, then get your hands on one. You could buy a standard metal tray, or you could opt for a cheaper, disposable plastic tray. Either way, get your hands on a 9" roller tray. | | | | |  | | 4" ROLLER TRAYS. Besides making sure you have a standard 9" tray on hand, you should also buy a handful of disposable 4" roller trays. The 4" trays are great for all sorts of touch-ups. They clean up well and will easily last you through 3 or more jobs. Best of all, they retail for less than $1.00. | | | | |  | | THE CHINEX EXCALIBUR BRUSH from CORONA. OK, this is one area where we'd recommend that you splurge a little. This brush from Corona is comprised of special filaments that are chemically engineered to release latex paints. This means the brush applies latex paints remarkably well, but most importantly, it means that clean up is a breeze. Literally, you can swirl this brush around in a bucket of water for about 30 seconds and then run it under a tap for 10 - 15 seconds more and it will be perfectly clean. That's why we recommend it for your "Emergency Kit". The ease with which it cleans up makes it less of a pain for you to switch colors and accomplish multiple little touch-ups quickly and easily. It's the same price as any good brush, but it's worth every penny. | | | | |  | | SPACKLING COMPOUND. Another key component for your "Home Repair Emergency Kit" is an 8 oz container of White Lightning Lightweight Spackling Compound. It's easy to work with, it dries quickly and resists shrinking and it's easy to sand. Having a tub of this on hand at all times means you're always ready to patch a ding in your drywall or fill nail holes. | | | | |  | | PUTTY KNIVES. If you're going to stock up on a little bit of spackling compound, then you better get a few putty knives to go with it. Now, if you want some high quality knives, you can buy them at RepcoLite for about $5.00 - $7.00 or so. But if you want something cheaper for your emergency kit, look into the plastic knives we stock. They're not going to last forever, but if you're just filling a few holes or doing a little puttying, they'll be fine. You can purchase them in 1", 2" and 3" sizes--each one less than $1.00. | | | | |  | | 6" and 10" JOINT KNIVES. However, though plastic knives will work out alright for most patching work, you'll probably want to invest in one or two drywall joint knives. These are 6" and 10" knives that run between $4.22 and $6.75 and they're very handy to have if you're filling any large areas--a definite must-have in your kit. | | | | | | |
| DROPCLOTH. Besides the masking tape, we'd recommend that you purchase a 12 x 15 or so plastic dropcloth. These aren't expensive and they can be used for any number of little jobs that come up--from protecting your floors while you're painting, to protecting your furniture from dust if you're doing any remodeling. | | | | | | | | TAPE. Always have a roll of safe-release painters blue tape from 3M around. You could buy cheaper rolls of tape, but the Safe Release tape is nice because it can be used on so many surfaces--walls, trim, freshly painted areas, wallpaper, etc. Regular tape is very limited as to where it can be used, but the safe-release 3M tape can be used in almost any situation you encounter. | | | | | | | | SANDPAPER. One of the easiest little tools to overlook is sandpaper, yet it's something that we use in many home repair projects. Whether you're repainting, patching walls, or painting furniture, sandpaper plays a critical roll in the process. So get your hands on six to ten sheets of 220 grit, 150 grit and 120 grit paper. Those are the most commonly used grits and having a stock of each one on hand will help you out immensely. |
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