hether you are a new homeowner who is looking to stock your garage, or you have had a home and its garage needs a renovation, you are in the right place! This article will give you ideas and helpful hints about what tools are best suited for your garage and will be the best for your weekend projects. This list of tools may also inspire you to go the extra distance when thinking of projects to work on, as well as have the project of sprucing up your garage! Read on for a comprehensive list of tools to keep in your garage that you will be able to get great use out of.
The best tools for you to keep in your garage are ones that are useful and practical. Some of the tools on this list are ones that you will use often and be able to get your money's worth out of. Others will be more like “support” for those tools that you use often-- storage and helpful organizational essentials that will keep your garage looking and feeling neat and organized for you when you most need it to be.
Workspace tools and safety
Have these tools handy when you want to work on projects in your garage
1. Workbench. If you are using your garage not only as a place to store your car(s) but also as a workspace, it is important to have a sturdy workbench to ensure that you have a solid place to work on various projects. In addition to the actual workspace, investing in some “anti-fatigue” floor mat that supports your legs and back will help you work for longer more comfortably.
2. A toolbox is the perfect complement to a workbench, and it helps you organize all the tools that you’ll need to complete projects.
3. You’ll need hand tools to be able to work on all your projects. These can include:
- Tape measure: You can use a tape measure to measure everything from the walls to wood needed for a project. A tape measure winds up into itself and is easy to use and easy to store.
- Utility knife
- Hammer(s): You will be sure to need to pound in some stray nails in and around your house. Use your hammer for just that, as well as to pull out nails if you get a claw hammer, which has talons at the end of the hammer to easily slide onto a nail and pull out.
- Screwdrivers (Phillips and flathead): Screwdrivers are useful for a number of things, and the two types of screwdrivers serve different functions. Use a Phillips to tighten a few screws on a door hinge, and a flathead to open a battery door on a remote.
- Hex keys
- Wrenches (crescent and socket): Adjustable wrenches are particularly helpful in small household repairs. They can be used to loosen a bolt on an outside spigot to fix a leak, or to tighten a bolt on a pipe underneath a bathroom sink.
- Saw(s): A handheld saw can be for simple tasks such as to cut a low hanging branch that is in the way in your yard. Below we will discuss the use of a circular saw.
- Pliers (needle nose and vice grip): You can use pliers to grip an item such as a nail or a screw, and you may need this tool to loosen a bolt or pull a loose nail out of the wall.
- Level: A level is helpful whether you need to hang a picture on the wall and make sure it’s straight, or to build a set of kitchen cabinets.
4. Safety gear. Make sure you are being safe while working on a project and being in your garage. This can include making sure you have the following in and around your garage:
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses (prescription if you wear glasses, or ones that fit over your glasses)
- First aid kit
- Face mask
5. Use good lighting to go along with making sure you are safe while working in the garage.
- Have strong lighting above whatever you are working on.
- Invest in a portable shop work light, the kind which is mounted on a tripod stand.
A set of more intense tools will provide you with additional support for projects
These tools will help you even more!
A set of power tools may seem as though they are unnecessary and would be best to rent from your local hardware store, but they may be more useful than you think. Take into consideration how often you may use them, and then go from there. These tools can include:
- Cordless drill (with full set of bits): This is a very handy tool to have. Use it for small or large projects alike, such as loosening or tightening screws. Keep it charged to greatly reduce the time it takes to complete small tasks.
- Circular saw: A circular saw will allow you to cut wood for home projects,
- Sander
- Router
- Planer
1. Along with your power tools, it can be helpful to have a power tool organizer. This will help you keep all the tools together and looking neat.
2. An air compressor is a tool that many people overlook. It will allow you to power other tools, inflate tires, and clean your workbench in seconds. Go for an air compressor that has more power than you think you need because it will be able to get more jobs done in a shorter amount of time!
3. A ladder is a simple tool that will be helpful in many ways. It is easy to store along a wall or on hooks above the area that you will be working. A ladder will come in handy for not only projects that you are working on, but also for fixes that you are bound to have around the house. Look for a ladder that best suits your needs, usually around an eight-footer to be able to easily change lightbulbs.
4. Storage hooks will provide a place for both your ladder as well as other essentials. Get heavy duty hooks for items such as the ladder, which is an item that needs a great amount of support. In addition to providing a nice storage space for your belongings, the hooks allow for an organized garage that make the most of the garage’s space.
Additional aspects of storage units and other types of cabinets
These will allow you to make the most of your space, and be able to better use your garage and all the tools you have in it
1. A bike storage rack will minimize the space your bikes take up on the wall. Mount it at one end of the garage, and make sure it is easy to access so you can take your bikes on and off with little effort.
2. A kayak hoist can be useful if you are an avid outdoors person and like to go kayaking, but it can double as a handy hanger for a ladder, bikes, or a number of other items.
3. A wall organizer is handy for all your tools and accessories. This can be mounted on the wall behind/above your work bench for easy accessibility. This can be one that is simply a pegboard with hooks, but it can be even more than that, with drawers and bins for small items.
4. A garden organizer goes along with tools that you may need in your garden that you store in your garage. These tools can include:
- A shovel
- A pitchfork
- A trowel
- A broom
5. A battery organizer keeps all your batteries easily accessible and within view.
Don’t be overwhelmed by this extensive list of worktools for your garage. You don’t need to buy them all at once! Start small and go from there. Soon enough, you will have a collection of tools and a fully stocked garage, ready for all of your home improvement projects and adventure that awaits!
Cover photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping
