10 Home Improvement Tools and Ideas for DIY home repairs

If you are busy at work or with your family, it’s often the easiest solution to call a handyman for help to repair whatever needs fixing in the house. However, some of these ‘small’ tasks are actually very expensive and can result in a big bill.

We have put together a short list of things you can do by yourself easily when you are equipped with the right tools. This will not only help you save some time but might also be more cost-effective.

10 Home Improvement Tools and Ideas

As the saying goes, “Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.” There are plenty of basic, budget-friendly ways to maintain your home and as a result, save on maintenance service costs.

Rubber Pumper Cleaner, $17.23

Unblock the sink

It’s a problem that most of us have encountered. Whether it's the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink - pipes can get blocked very quickly if you don’t pay attention. However, unblocking the sink is something you can do yourself. In fact, it might be faster than calling a plumber. Most sink blockages occur right below the drain, which means you can access it easily.

Firstly, stop using the sink and let all the water drain away slowly. Next, clear the area around the pipes below and slowly unscrew the pipe that is right underneath the sink. Remember to use gloves for protection.

Use a rubber pumper to remove all the hair, dirt, and everything else that might be stuck in the pipe. Then put the piping back together and gently pour some bleach down the drain. Let it react for 20 minutes to unclog the pipe.

Rubber Pumper Cleaner is available for $17.23 from Aik Chin Hin.

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Houze 21-Piece Tool Set, $98

Assemble furniture

IKEA and other furniture shops have a bad reputation when it comes to putting together their furniture. Everyone has heard stories about missing screws, broken parts, and incomprehensible manuals. They have managed to turn this weakness into an opportunity and upsell their services.

However, assembling furniture isn't too difficult when you are equipped with a handy tool set. Ask a friend to help you and you surely will manage to put together anything that comes from these furniture shops. After all, IKEA’s assembly service will cost you 15% of the original retail price.

Houze 21-Piece Tool Set is retailing for $98 from Houze.

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Alora Paint Accent Wall Bundle, $55

Paint the walls (or old furniture)

Do you consider yourself to be precise and accurate? If so, then there is another way to save extra cash on home improvements. Painting the walls in your house can be costly simply because it takes a lot of time and you will have to pay the painter. A small paint job for a studio might already cost S$1,000.

However, if you are just looking to do a simple paint job, you should be able to do it yourself. Talking from experience, the most important (and time-consuming) job is to cover the floor, light switches, and pieces of furniture. Just work slowly and steadily to avoid any spillages around the house.

Alora Paint Accent Wall Bundle is available for $55 from Alora Paint.

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3M High Strength Large Hole Repair Compound Kit 345ml, $33.25

Patch a hole in the wall

Have you found a big hole in the wall behind some furniture or after removing a painting? There is no need to call your handyman just yet. In fact, head over to your local DIY store or your favourite eCommerce website. Hole-patching kits start at $35.

These kits will have everything you need to patch that hole in your wall - including instructions, tools, and the paste itself.

3M High Strength Large Hole Repair Compound Kit 345ml is retailing for $33.25 from Horme Hardware.

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Rejuvenate Wood Repair Markers 6pc, $20.10

Fix furniture scratches

This may seem complicated but fixing furniture scratches is simpler than you may think. If you want to get the scratches on wooden furniture removed, any such service in Singapore will charge you a lot of money for the transportation and scratch removal.

However, if you do it yourself, you obviously won’t have to move the furniture. If it is a simple scratch on your wooden furniture, all you need is to cover it up with a repair marker that can closely match the colour of the wood. They will only cost you a fraction of the price and will do an acceptable job.

Rejuvenate Wood Repair Markers 6pc is available for $20.10 from FairPrice.

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Grout Repair Kit, $21.41

Repair and freshen dull and dirty grout

It is a challenge to prevent the grout lines in bathrooms and kitchens from turning stained and dirty as they are high-traffic zones with heavy water usage. Even with regular cleaning and maintenance using mold remover spray, sometimes the heavily stained grout remains dirty and dull.

If cleaning the grout is not a solution, why not try using a grout repair kit? Aside from making the grout all fresh and white again, the water-based grout filler is also great at preventing water and stains from appearing on the gaps.

In the repair kit, you will find the essential tools like a pair of gloves, a small stick, a gummed paper and a scraper, along with instructions and the tube of grout sealer.

Grout Repair Kit is available for $20.10 from Amazon.

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Selleys Liquid Nail Heavy Duty, $8.54

Mounting bathroom hooks and shelves

Installing bathroom shelves is able to help with the organisation of toiletries, however, most of us would seek the easy way out and turn to professionals for this task as we would think that drilling the wall is the only solution to properly secure the shelves in place.

Drilling the wall is a daunting task, and drilling on wall tiles even comes with the risk of cracking and breaking the tiles in the process. Forget about drilling the wall and try out the heavy-duty liquid nail, which is essentially a construction adhesive that you can use to secure and mount your bathroom hooks and shelves in a breeze.

Unlike normal glue compound, the liquid nail is resistant to water after it is fully cured in about 8 hours.

Selleys Liquid Nail Heavy Duty is retailing for $8.54 from Eezee.

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Houze Glue Gun, $8.90

Fixing small broken pieces

For simple repairs like fixing a broken picture frame stand or re-attaching a fallen decoration piece from a vase, all you need is a hot glue gun which is great at bonding many surfaces and materials in an instant with its rapid heating mechanism.

Aside from small household repairs, a hot glue gun is also useful for DIY craft projects such as scrapbooking and customising decor pieces around the home. If you are not a fan of being around a heating tool, you can also try using super glue for easy and quick fixes.

Houze Glue Gun is available for $8.90 from Houze.

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3M Command Damage-Free Picture Hanging Sticky Nail, $6.95

Installing wall-hanging picture frames

Traditionally, the only way to hang up picture frames on the wall is only possible with nails and screws. Thanks to innovative nail-free solutions like the 3M command damage-free heavy-duty tape, homeowners can dress up their walls freely, without having to be confined to the need to activate the power drill or hammer.

Simply stick the adhesive to the picture frame, then position it on the wall or any other surface from wood to the tile in order to have it nicely secured. No need to worry about leaving behind any holes after the picture frame is taken down, as the adhesive is able to come off cleanly without any sticky residue.

3M Command Damage-Free Picture Hanging Sticky Nail is retailing for $6.95 from Home N Office.

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Daiso Magic Sponge, $2.16

Removing stubborn stains

Families with children will understand the pain of having to live with stains and blemishes on the walls and wooden furniture, which can range from crayons to marker pen scribbles that just show up mysteriously.

Instead of repainting the walls or replacing the furniture, you can try removing any difficult or stubborn stains with a magic sponge. Magic sponges are made out of a lightweight melamine foam which is an effective abrasive cleaner, while also functioning as a soundproofing and thermal insulation material.

All you need to do is to wet the magic sponge slightly so that it is damp and you can erase any stains like it is magic, where it works just like an extremely fine sandpaper. Remember to work it on a test spot so as to not run the risk of damaging your wall or furniture.

Daiso Magic Sponge is available for $2.16 from Daiso.

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Part of this article was first published on Value Champion.