Home Improvement: the Importance of Choosing the Right Tools

Are you in the middle of a large home renovation and you’re wondering how in the world you are going to replace 200 square feet of fine porcelain tiles? It’s a complicated yet not impossible task. If that’s your first attempt at home improvement, pay close attention to choosing the right tools. Remodeling your house and changing all the tiles in one of your rooms is much more complicated than installing, say, a couple of sliding glass doors. It may easily become an incredibly heavy work that may require days, and much more importantly, a significant investment.

Knowing in advance what kind of tiles, and most importantly, what kind of tools you will require is of paramount importance. We cannot stress enough that the difference between a discount tool and a contractor-grade tool can make all the difference in the world during your home improvement plan. Even if you don’t like the idea of spending a little more, just think about this: the average budget to renovate your kitchen is $7,000 to $10,000. A high-quality toolset will cost you $200 instead of $20, but can save you a lot of time and effort. Buying cheap tools will also significantly increase the probability of accidents, tile mismatches and other mistakes, which, in turn, will cost you additional money.

Improving Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of any home. Improving this room will always pay off, and you can recoup 50-150% of your initial investment if you do not exaggerate and go overboard with useless expenses.

Give attention to your home ’s appearance: an old colonial house may get much of its charm from its vintage feel, and antique decor makes it look cozy and comfortable. Although a super-luxury kitchen remodel may seem like a great investment, it may severely detract from its overall appearance, ultimately making it less appealing. A classic ceramic tiled floor may be a much smaller investment compared to replacing appliances, but it will repay you and your potential buyers ten times more in terms of appeal and charm.

Why Ceramic Tiles?

Ceramic is a rigid and durable material that doesn’t rust or corrode, making it ideal as a substitute for your old wooden floor. Ceramics and porcelain are 100% impervious to water. Ceramic tiles can be both beautiful and useful, and will keep that magnificently cozy appeal when you install them. They can be brightly colored too, so with the right amount of artistic ingenuity and the right tools, you can build a positively artful and fascinating piece of home-made mosaic art.

Choosing the Right Tools

But what about tools? Think about how much you can lose when you buy a low-grade tile saw. You may crack your tiles, so you will end up throwing them away. They will chip, or you will lack precision: say goodbye to that marvelous underwater mosaic of blue and turquoise porcelain tiles you wanted for your bathroom. The saw blade will lose its honing after a few tiles, and although it will be still cheaper to replace it than buy a professional one, a quality tool will last for years and empart much more value than it’s cheaper counterparts. Stronger saws can also cut stone and marble with ease. Cheaper blades may kick back posing a serious danger to the user (especially less experienced ones).

Logically it all depends on what kind of job you’re going to do. If you just need to cut some tiles and you’re just looking speed, look for a snap cutter. Snap cutters are great for making straight cuts, and a professional grade snap cutter can let you cut the tile with almost no effort. If you’re doing lots and lots of cutting and you do not want to drown under a pile of sawdust,  a wet saw will make your job faster and easier. Just be sure to buy a good pair of safety glasses to protect you from all the water splatters and fragments they produce.

Paint Sprayers

Lastly, we should talk about paint sprayers. Spraying some paint on your tiles is a quick (and cheap) way to improve their appearance. You can apply an even and good-looking coat of paint with just a hand-held paint sprayer, and make your personal finish to your tiles without leaving those ugly brush marks behind. But what about bringing all these goodies to the next level? An hand-sprayer needs to be constantly reloaded, it’s somewhat heavy when it’s full, and it does not allow for precision spraying. An HVLP sprayer surely cost a little more, but it will allow for a much better professional-looking finish. With a long-enough hose you can easily finish spraying a whole room in less than an hour.

The Bottom Line

Make your life easier, cheaper and safer by choosing the right tools. They’re a worthy investment, as you may never know how many times you’re going to use them again!

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