If you’re a natural DIYer, you’re probably interested in performing many home projects in your free time. Whether you have a craft room or a workstation in the garage, it makes sense to invest in the right tools to help you with your tasks. One of the most helpful handyman devices is the plier. They come in different types and boast a wide range of uses.
Each pair of pliers comes with specific functions and attributes. Whether you’re dealing with tight nuts and bolts, loose wires, or performing other technical tasks, pliers can help you deal with a wide range of functions. However, the key is to know their distinct types and uses so you’ll know which one is good for what specific chore.
Here are the different home DIY projects wherein pliers become a must-own tool:
Upholstering Furniture
Buying new furniture may require a lot of money if you’re revamping your living room. But fortunately, you can find ways to save on costs. A cost-effective and wise alternative is to upholster and repurpose your existing furniture. With lots of creativity and handyman skills, you can upholster your furniture and make it appear like a new set. It is an exciting and challenging project to give an old couch a new look by reupholstering it. It is the time when you’ll need to secure the right tools like a staple gun, staple remover, hammer, screwdriver, shears, and high-quality pliers.
How To Choose Pliers
Maunindustries.com says you should choose snipe nose pliers when working in small spaces, as the tapered ends make it easier to be precise when you can’t move as much.
Of course, you should also buy a suitable fabric for your sofa. It is possible to save money by reupholstering while sharpening your upholstering skills. You never know; maybe you can make money on the side and accept upholstering services in the future. The process of reupholstering involves replacing the old fabric on furniture with new material.
Tightening Bathroom Hardware
If you are tightening or untightening the mounting nuts or bolts on the faucet or other plumbing hardware, many DIYers reach for long-handled channel lock pliers. It’s easier to grip faucet nuts using this tool due to their long handles, but they can’t be used in a pinch. You must know how to use this tool to tighten or untighten any bathroom component.
Plier’s primary function is to grip. They can be used to remove pins, nails, or other fasteners and loosen or tighten bolts. This tool should be your go-to if you’re experiencing plumbing issues in the kitchen or bathroom sink. You’ll need this when fixing pipes and troubleshooting the most common electric water heater issues.
Since there are many pliers to choose from, use the specific one that will be helpful for you. Utility pliers work on the same principle as tongue-and-groove pliers but have longer handles and offset jaws for greater leverage. Large nuts and pipes can be gripped with highly adjustable jaws. The key here is to select the specific plier that can perform what you need it to do.
Performing Garage Repairs
Pliers should become handy if you own a garage and are fond of tackling repairs with your vehicles and bikes. They are often used to straighten bicycle chains. Mechanical parts can be bent or straightened with these tools. Metal, nails, and wires can be bent and twisted by the metallic holding part of the pliers. Pliers can help you achieve your goals, whatever garage repair project you have.
The right size of pliers is crucial since all pliers can bend objects anyway. Wires and cables are usually bent by electricians using linesman pliers. However, if you need to grip more minor things, you should use long-nosed pliers instead. With their cross braces, these pliers can bend and twist sheet metal. If you don’t have the physical strength to turn something, the pliers can help you.
Cutting Wires
You’ll need sturdy pliers if you need to do some electrical tasks at home. Before you begin your DIY project, prepare combination pliers if you are unsure which pliers to use. Combination pliers, also called linesman pliers, are versatile tools because they have both cutting and gripping capabilities. They have sharp jaws that can cut through wires and other electrical elements.
Wire splicing and insulation stripping are performed by electricians using special pliers. There is no doubt that linesman pliers are the best tool to use for this task. With the wire cutting feature, you can remove a short segment of insulation from an electrical cable to expose its bare wire. Once you have done that, you can use the pliers to splice or attach another electrical cable.
When performing DIY electrical jobs, you must ensure they’re safe enough to be done by yourself. Otherwise, it should be done by a certified and licensed electrician. While you can replace wires, install recessed lighting, and add switches and power supplies, you should avoid performing complex electrical tasks. If the repairs are in a bathroom, kitchen, or outside, you will not be allowed to do them yourself. Due to the presence of water in these places, these places need a specialist.
Maintaining Or Fixing A Fence
Another home improvement job that needs pliers is when you’re trying to fix or maintain your fence. Due to the heavy features of pliers, they can also work as hammers. The multi-functional tools can be used as hammers or for erecting or maintaining fences. A fencing plier is generally used as a cutter, hammer, and remover of staples which are the metal loops driven into poles. These pliers can cut thick wires and are used for cutting fencing.
As the age of your fence becomes older, it’s natural for its staples to look rusty and corroded. You can drive staples like with the real hammer using the jaws that resemble the head and neck of the hammer. Alternatively, use jaws that look like hammer claws to remove staples.
Conclusion
If you fancy performing DIY home projects, you probably own a lot of devices in your toolbox. It’s important to keep the essential hand tools close at hand when working on DIY home projects. Hopefully, this article has helped guide you on what home projects to perform if you ever own some great-quality pliers. These hand tools will make your jobs more accessible and efficient, as well as be a lifesaver when your house needs quick spruce up or repair.