These are my favorite power tools and products to help you DIY your home repairs, make home decor, renovate, and create beginner woodworking projects!
Like most bloggers, we sometimes make recommendations on products; I flat-out review quite a few. So when I find something that works — like really, definitely-used-this-in-my-home works — I want you guys to know about it. Below, you’ll find a list of awesome stuff that has been thumbs-upped by me after years upon years of figuring out how to fix my ugly duckling house. If you’ve ever wondered where to get started, you’ll find your answer below!
Happy shopping! xoxo
Affiliate Disclosure: If you purchase one of these items by clicking on it, I may earn a commission (usually just a few cents per sale) for having recommended it. I then funnel that back into things like new projects, new tools, and website maintenance — all at no additional cost to you. For more about how affiliates work, check out my disclosure page.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
If you’re going to DIY, it is absolutely essential to protect your eyes, ears, lungs, hands, and feet! Here are my top recommendations for what to wear when working with power tools.
Safety glasses
Who says PPE can’t be personalized? I love that safety glasses come in all sorts of styles and colors now. Just be sure to check that they’re anti-fog so they don’t steam up when wearing your mask!
Hearing protection
I use a variety of hearing protectors including these banded disposable ones and these ISOtunes (they allow me to play music while still protecting my hearing).
Breathing mask
This GVS respirator is my favorite because it comes in two sizes and the S/M is the perfect fit for smaller heads like mine. Specialty filters are available depending on if you’re around fine dust, welding, painting, etc. and swapping them is easy.
Safety gloves
Demo in particular can be tough on your hands, and it’s important they fit well so they don’t get caught. I wrote a whole post dedicated to finding well-fitting gloves for women like me who have small hands right here.
Footwear
I may be pickier than most when it comes to safety footwear because I hate it when my feet get hot. These are my current favorite though because I’m a slip-on-or-I’ll-reach-for-my-flip-flops kind of gal and they don’t feel like clown shoes when I look at pictures of myself wearing them.
Power Tool Essentials
Everything on this list is something I own, and use ALL the time for DIY projects! These essentials made the list because they are not only versatile for DIY home improvement projects but are used for woodworking projects, too! I’ve gone ahead and listed both budget friendly options and a few upgraded choices that I own myself.
Compound Miter Saw
A miter saw is incredibly useful for making repeated and/or angled cuts (for trim and woodworking, for example). While the miter saw I now use is much larger and has more features than the one I started with, it is well worth it given how I use it on just about every project I do. If you’re on a budget, this one is highly rated too!
Cordless Drill
A battery powered drill/driver is a must-have item for any DIYer. It helps to have backup batteries when working on large projects, but my drill is probably the MVP of the shop and the tool I reach for most often. I highly recommend buying a drill, battery, and charger combo as your first power tool.
Jigsaw
When you need a curved cut, the jigsaw is the way to go, especially for beginners! And extremely affordable. It can make otherwise tricky cuts a breeze and can be used in a pinch in place of other specialty tools you might add later on. I personally own both corded and battery powered jigsaws.
Circular Saw
Another versatile and affordable tool (ranges from inexpensive to pricey but worth it). This tool is great for making long straight cuts when the jigsaw and miter saw aren’t a good fit.
Orbital Sander
Sanding isn’t a fun job EVER. But having a good power sander can do a lot of that work in a short amount of time.
Nail Gun
One of my favorite tools because it makes me feel badass! There are many different types of nail guns that serve different purposes, but a good brad nailer is a fine place to start for finish work.