Essential DIY Supplies

The essen­tial list of do-it-yourself, home improve­ment supplies you should never be without.

Over the years I noticed that there were certain do-it-yourself supplies I was contin­u­ally buying. You know; tape, glue, caulking and many others. Having these DIY supplies on-hand has saved me so much time and money that I decided to assemble a list of those indis­pens­able and most used supplies you should have on-hand before taking on your next DIY project. I’ve also included photos of each for easier reference.

Since these supplies are used so often and are quite inex­pen­sive, you’ll be glad to have them on hand. Also, not having to run to the store every time you need one of these supplies will save you time, money and frustration.

So here we go.

Do-it-Yourself Supplies

Cable Ties

This first one has saved me many times. Cable ties are the totally indis­pens­able fastener. You’ll just be amazed of how many uses there are for these handy items. They come in many different sizes and colors and you can tie almost anything together with these. I have used them for hinges, clamps and even to temporarily hold up plumbing pipes. Defi­nitely a 1001 uses and only about $12 for 650 pieces.

Wood Glue

First choice of glue is yellow carpen­ters wood glue.  This is a great multi-purpose glue used for joining all types wood. Used exten­sively in cabinet making and Popsicle stick houses.

Liquid Nails

Liquid Nails is great to have for heavy duty jobs, like lami­nating wood for a beam, installing sub-floors and extra holding power for outdoor jobs.  Remember, this adhe­sive is stronger than the wood it holds together, so once it’s glued, getting it apart will be quite improbable.

Liquid Nails also comes in small tubes and in clear as well.

There are many other types of liquid nails for masonry, mirrors, tub surrounds and more. Great for small projects as well.

Latex Caulk

Caulking is essen­tial for giving projects a finished look.  The most popular is Latex painter caulk, used for filling the gaps in mold­ings, nail holes, sealing up doors and windows and many others. Latex caulking comes in different colors and is paintable.

Don’t forget the caulking-gun (one of many essen­tial DIY tools you should own).

Sili­cone Caulk

Sili­cone caulk is great for kitchens, baths, doors and windows. It’s water­proof and comes in colors as well as clear.

Patching Plaster

Patching Plaster  is another must. Great for filling holes in drywall, trim and various finish jobs around the house. It’s easy to apply and can be sanded.

Masking Tape

Masking tape comes in different widths and colors.  The colors repre­sent different appli­ca­tions, such as green is used for very fine line and curve masking. Blue works well for most applications.

Double Back Tape

Double back tape is great for steadying pictures from moving side to side, posting tempo­rary art, holding rugs down and so much more.

Duct Tape

Duct tape is number one on the list of must haves. You know what they say, “duct tape and baling wire”, it’ll hold just about any thing together. There are many different brands, grades and colors, so buy the correct type for the job.

Teflon Tape

Teflon tape is applied to the threaded ends of pipes to improve the water tight­ness of a joint.  They also make teflon tape for gas pipes too.

Plumbers Tape

Plumbers tape is most often used for hanging pipes, giving them support, but this product is great for so many other uses because it is so pliable.

Drill Bit Gauge

A drill bit gauge is the easiest way to match the size bit you need to a partic­ular screw or bolt.

Carpenter Pencils

A must have for any DIY project.

Coat Hanger

You laugh, but a piece of a coat hanger is great to have in your tool box. It can be used to hold things in place, reach for some­thing you dropped, hang some­thing you want to paint and a million other DIY uses. I’ve had a piece of coat hanger in my tool box for over 30 years–well not the same one.

Walnut Pick

These are great for cleaning out screw heads filled with paint or cleaning out any small area.

Lubri­cants

Tip, WD-40 is a solvent not a lubri­cant.
So use a teflon or sili­cone spray to lubri­cate.

Elec­trical Supplies

It nice to have various elec­trical supplies and connec­tors avail­able for you home, car and others projects.  I would recom­mend picking up an assort­ment of connec­tors like this.

Many of these kits come with a wire-stripper and a crimping tool.

If you’re ever in a pinch you’ll be happy to have these DIY Essen­tial Fasteners on hand.

Just one more way you can succeed with speed.

Thanks again.
Larry
Your DIY Answer Guy. Follow me on twitter here.

DIY Help Category Materials
Related Topics: Caulking, Drywall, Glue, Home Improvement, Home Repair, Lubricants, Patching, Tape