DIY Essential Fasteners, Holding Things Together

Essen­tial DIY Fasteners.

Like anyone’s house, there’s always little projects and repairs to be done. You know, replace a deck board, hang a picture, install a ceiling fan… you get the idea. And so many times when you set off to take care of these projects or repairs you come up missing the right fastener for the job.

This can be very frus­trating, as we all dislike running to the store for just one item. And it’s espe­cially frus­trating and costly if the hard­ware store or home center is 30 miles away, like it is for me.

So, if we’re missing the essen­tial fastener we need, we end up either putting off those projects and repairs or do them improp­erly (only to end up having to do them again).

Life can be so much easier if you have right fasteners as well as the right tools for the job at hand. That’s why I’ve created this essen­tial list of Do-It-Yourself Fasteners. You know, the ones you’ll use most often.

Types of Fasteners

Although there are many different types of fasteners; Screws, Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Pins — and avail­able in a range of mate­rials and grades; Metal, Plastic, Stain­less, Stan­dard, Indus­trial and Specialty — these are the fasteners to have on-hand because they’re the ones you will use the most.

Screws

Drywall Screws

Pick up a box (each) of these sizes of drywall screws. (3/4″, 1 1/4″, 2″ and 3″). Drywall screws are the great universal fastener and can be used in so many appli­ca­tions (note: indoor use only).

Torx Head Screws

Torx screws come in various sizes (1 1/4″, 1 3/4″, 2 1/2″ and 3″). These are self-drilling and great for building decks or any outdoor project. Pick up a box of each.

Nails

Finishing Nails

As far as nails go I don’t stock many because screws are defi­nitely the fastener of choice these days. Having said that, I do keep some 1 1/4″ finish nails on hand for projects like hanging pictures and small repairs. I also keep some 16d galva­nized finish nails around for deck repairs.

16d Vinyl Sinkers

The reason they’re called sinkers is that they have a vinyl coating, making them easier to drive and once in, hard to remove. 16d vinyl sinkers are the best choice for framing and 8d vinyl sinkers for the smaller jobs.

8d Galva­nize Nails

Lastly I recom­mend having some 8d galva­nized nails on hand. These are great for building and repairing smaller outdoor projects.

Nuts and Bolts

Nuts and bolts are a more diffi­cult item to decide what to keep on hand. What I recom­mend is picking up a combi­na­tion set. You know, like the ones that come in an orga­nizer. Like this.

Overall, I find the need for nuts and bolts is pretty low and, typi­cally, you’ll know in advance exactly what you’ll need for a partic­ular project.

Wall Anchors

A must have for any DIY’er, wall anchors are invalu­able for fastening just about anything to walls and tile. Pick up a couple packs of each of the various sizes and types listed below — and don’t forget to pick up the correct size screws to go with each size anchor.

Plastic Expan­sion Anchors

Plastic anchors are very popular but are mostly used for smaller jobs and for tile.

EZ-Anchors

EZ-Anchor fasteners (also called threaded drywall anchors) are one of the best inven­tions ever. Best used for attaching just about anything to drywall as they hold quite well. I find the EZ-Anchors the best wall anchors for mounting LCD and Plasma TV mounts.

These anchors come in several sizes and are easy to install as well as remove. Be sure to pick up some #6 and #8 sheet metal screws to go with them (note that small 3/4″ — 1 1/4″ drywall screws also work with these anchors).

Toggle Bolts

Toggle bolts are mostly used for fastening things to ceil­ings as they spread the load over a larger surface area. These too are removable.

Having the right fasteners on-hand will save you time, money, and frus­tra­tion — and you’ll seldom have a problem holding things together.

So consider picking up these essen­tial fasteners at your local home center or hard­ware store. Believe me, they will last quite a while and be well worth the investment.

Coming up next, a fantastic, light­weight and DIY tool box-organizer to hold all your hand tools or fasteners. This great tool box makes it so conve­nient to take all your hand tools or fasteners to your project. Also coming up, DIY Essen­tial Supplies.

One more way to succeed with speed from your DIY Answer Guy.

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