How to Build Your Apartment Tool Kit

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Anyone moving into an apartment or a new home needs to have tool kit. You’ll want to hang pictures or wall decorations, plus you know something is eventually going to break or need repairing. When that time comes, your neighbors may not be home and your Dad might be miles away, so here’s some ideas of what you should get for your first tool kit. All together there are only about a dozen items, they're not expensive and that small money investment will save you lots of aggravation down the road.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Set of screwdrivers - blade, Phillips, and Robertson (square head)
Set of pliers – needle nose, slip joint, cutting
Hammer
Small level (a small level is known as a torpedo level)
Tape measure
Tool box to hold everything

What will you need tools for?

Step1

Consider getting an inexpensive set of screwdrivers containing two or three sizes of the various types of screwdrivers (Phillips, blade and square head) at most hardware and home stores (sometimes for less than $10.00 but definitely under $20.00). Home appliances, electronics and computer equipment often use Philips (cross-shaped heads) screws for assembly or even just to cover battery compartments. Switch plates, faceplates and terminal connections usually have slotted screws that need a straight (blade) screwdriver (and you can even use them to open cans of paint). Assembling (or tightening) some furniture requires a Robertson (square head) screwdriver

Step2

Think about hanging pictures. You’ll need a hammer to drive the nail, a measuring tape to determine the height on the wall and a small level to make sure the picture is level. Here again, all readily available at home stores and you can get all three for less than $20.00 in total.

Step3

Enjoy the idea of getting hair and soap scum out of a shower drain? A perfect tool for reaching into the drain (so you don’t have to) is a pair of needle nose (long tapering nose) pliers. Many home stores sell pliers in sets of three, a pair of needle nose, a set of slip joint pliers (jaws can open wide) and a pair of cutters. Once again all three often cost $10 to $20. and you’ll need them in your tool kit.

Step4

Finally, consider a toolbox to hold all your tools. Nothing is more frustrating than spending time looking in all the drawers and on closet shelves to find a tool you know you have somewhere. A small tool box to hold your apartment tool kit should cost you less than $10.00 and if you put your tools away in the box every time you use them, it’s money well spent.

Beyond the necessities

Step1

Adjustable (or Crescent) wrench, adjusts to fit the vast majority of nuts you’ll run into. A crescent wrench is a necessity for fixing bicycles and often a requirement for putting together things like patio furniture or furniture that comes in a box.

Step2

Locking pliers. (Vice grips) Adjustable jaws but with a major advantage - you can actually lock the jaws in position while holding onto something. They you a really good grip to loosen stiff nuts and can act as a small portable vice (hence the name) for holding something while you work on it.

Step3

Duct tape, no home tool kit should be without it. You’ll find all kinds of uses for it from a quick patch to a pipe to sealing boxes or holding a broken lamp together (not pretty but functional).

Tips & Warnings

Some other tools that you might want to have available are spray lubricant (like WD-40) to help loosen stiff nuts and stop minor squeaks. A utility knife (actually a razor blade in a holder) - great for cutting carpet, cardboard or rope
An inexpensive electric drill (cordless will cost less $50.00) can be a great addition. Along with a screw attachment it can save lots of wear and tear on your wrist and elbows if you need to assemble something with lots of screws, like some metal shelving.
Always work carefully when using hand tools. They are sharp enough to give your hands or fingers a bad gash.
Wear eye protection when using a hammer.

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Comments

KE5LDO said

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on 11/12/2007 WD-40 is NOT a Lubricant. It is for displacing water (hence the WD). 40 refers the number of the formula that was successful. Use a teflon based lubricant such as Triflow@, Triflon@, or something else that has teflon as an ingredient. These can be purchased at auto or gun shops.