Until last Winter I'd pretty much left the heavy lifting to Mark when it came to DIY. I'd be happy to do anything with hand tools but anything that required a power tool I shied away from, the risk factor meant I was always worried I'd do some damage either to the house or myself. Then it got to the point that I had so many ideas and always wanted stuff doing by last week that I decided to learn how to do it myself, how hard could it be right? Of course I had Mark there to help some of the time but when I didn't, I discovered that actually YouTube had all the tutorials I needed, even if I did need to watch a few shockers before finding the real diamonds out there.
So, last Christmas I put on my big girl pants and I built bunk beds in the girls room and this year I've just finished a built in bookcase/desk and window seat unit.
Both projects took a lot longer than I thought they would, one, because I spent loads of time watching YouTube tutorials, two, because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and three because I tried to do filming while I went so I could put together posts like this. But, despite a few tears along the way, I've learnt loads and saved a ton of cash and know that if you're willing to put in the time to learn and take the risk to have a go then it's totally possible.
Getting the job done
If you want to have a go at something like this, you're going to need some tools. We own a bit of a mishmash, different brands, some that plug into the mains and others that are cordless. If you're starting from scratch my advice would be to go cordless, they don't necessarily always have the same power as those that plug into the mains but for these projects they did everything I needed them to. If you can and stick with one brand buy a couple of batteries and then you'll always have one to use while the other is charging.
I worked with Ryobri on the last project, they sent me a router and nailer and I was really impressed by ease of use for a beginner, the price point and the quality. So much so that when I knocked our plunge saw off the bench and it wouldn't cut straight anymore (whoops) I went out and bought their cordless circular saw.
The following are the tools I used in both projects. They aren't in any particular order, I thought about doing that at first and listing from most to least important but, if you are going to have a go at your own DIY large MDF/wood projects, I actually think, you'll need them all (except perhaps 7 if you aren't doing any curves) to do a decent job.
The List
1. Combi Drill
I'm starting with two drills on my list because, who knew that they weren't all the same? Seriously, I always wondered why we had so many in the shed and now I (sort of) know why. This one does a combination of things, but like most 'combi' things in life this sometimes means its good but not great at each of its functions. What it's ideal for is drilling into wood, metal, plastic etc and it has a hammer mode that increases the impact force if you want to use it to drill into masonry.
2. Impact Driver
If you buy a drill twin kit (and that would be my advice) you'll get the combi and the impact driver. The sole use of the impact driver is, like the name suggests, to drive in and remove screws. It's really good at doing this, especially if you're wanting to drive big screws into tough materials.
3. Circular Saw
When you buy pieces of MDF/ plywood they usually come in really big sheets and need to be cut to size. There's a few ways of doing this. You could work them all out before hand and then order online or B&Q offering a cutting service (unless you live near mine and then they are forever sticking the 'out of order' sign up because they don't seem to want to do it). But, let's face it, you're probably going to make some mistakes or at least make adjustments at some point and for this reason, a saw that can make long straight cuts is essential. In reality a table saw would be amazing, but unless you have a workshop it's a little difficult to fit one of these in your shed. So a circular saw is necessary. I bought the Cordless 150mm Circular Saw from Ryobi because I had the batteries and it did the job.
4. Nailer
Getting a cordless on of these was a game changer. I got sent this one from Ryobi One and it made my life so much easier. It's perfect for panelling, face frames, skirting boards, fixing fence posts ect. When I built the bunk beds I used our old one and was forever hammering the nails in after I'd used the nail gun because there wasn't enough power to sink them into the wood. This one has what they call AirStrike technology that means you can fire 18G nails between 15mm and 54mm in length into wood at a easily adjustable depth without the need for a compressor.
5. Router
What a difference this made to the finishing of the project. Being able to add edge profiles rather than leaving the square edge of the wood/MDF really took the projects to the next level and making them look so much more professional. Probably my favourite tool to use because of how easy it was to use combined with the instant impact it made.
6. Mitre Saw
Perfect for making straight or angled cuts into wood trim and skirting boards, cutting lengths accurately to size quickly. This is the next cordless tool I'd love to get my hands on after our old one no longer cuts straight!
7. Jigsaw
You'll need one of these if you want to cut different shapes into wood. When I made the playroom built in's I wanted a curve at the top of the bookcase and used the jigsaw to do this.
As well as the power tools above other tools I used constantly throughout both projects are
Tape Measure
Spirit level
Set square
And finally a mitre box and mitre saw for cutting the coving but that's a whole other post!
Is it worth it?
If you are starting from scratch buying all of these will set you back and I'd only invest if you are serious about giving these projects a go, but, if you do, you'll save yourself so much more by doing them yourself rather than getting a pro in. The built ins probably cost us around £400/£500 in the end (I haven't done the exact maths yet) but the would have been at least a couple of thousand to get someone in so we saved the cost of the tools in just this one project. You can always save money by buying on FB marketplace and eBay, there's always a few gems on there! I really enjoyed doing these, learning new skills, saving money and also the feeling when it's finally finished, stand back and think 'I made this' is awesome. Bring on the next one.