19 Awesome Tool Gifts For Beginner DIYers

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Last updated on October 21st, 2022 at 04:11 pm

Legit Tool Gift Ideas For Beginner DIYers

Is it that time of year again? Yes, it’s time for more gifts for the DIYer in your life that will show her she’s loved and adored!

Luckily, she’s a DIYer and we are easy to please! If you’ve ever looked, the cost of tools can add up quickly for a woman who’s just starting out in the DIY world. So she will be ecstatic to receive any of these gifts from you because you will be helping her build her dream tool collection.

In fact, she will be so thankful, she might even DIY something special for you. How cool!

As I’ve tackled various DIY projects myself, I’ve found that there are just some tools that make my life so much easier. (And they help me build beautiful projects that I otherwise couldn’t complete.) Some I’ve bought myself, and some I’ve gotten as gifts. All I’ve been equally excited to break open and use!

To make your life easier, I’ve added those tools to this list of tool gift ideas (separated by price for easy searching). That way, you can easily find the perfect gift for the beginner DIYer in your life.

Let’s dive on in!

gifts for diyers
Find the next tool gift for the beginner DIYer in your life!

Tool Gifts For DIYers

  1. Contractor pencils
  2. Safety Glasses & Face Masks
  3. Tape measure
  4. Painter’s tape
  5. Work Gloves
  6. Tool Belt
  7. Toolbag
  8. Square
  9. Ratcheting multi-tip screwdriver
  10. Needle Nose Plier
  11. Level
  12. Hammer
  13. 10-in-1 Paint Multi-Tool
  14. Quality paint brush & roller
  15. Putty knife
  16. Mechanical sander & sandpaper
  17. Stud finder
  18. Kreg jig
  19. Power tools/combo kit
    1. Drill – with multiple size tips, battery, and charger
    2. Cordless Brad Nailer
    3. Circular saw, battery, and charger
    4. Jigsaw
    5. Extra battery & charger

$10 And Under

Contractor Pencils

The first tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a pencil! I know, I know what you’re thinking. A pencil isn’t a tool! Well, you might not consider a pencil a tool, but in the DIY world, it is one of the most vital items you can have around.

I always forget how important a pencil is until I don’t have one around! Pencils allow you to mark your measurements on the wall. That way, you know exactly where to drill a hole to hang something.

They also allow you to mark your measurements on a piece of wood to saw. Or most simply, they allow you to write down your measurements as you’re working so you don’t forget and have to re-measure. #BeenThereDoneThat

Any pencil will work, but I like these contractor pencils found at Amazon because the lead is thick, and they give you refills so you don’t have to worry about sharpening your pencil.

Get her several so she won’t want to pull her hair out when she can’t find the one that she “swears she just set down right there” haha!

Safety Glasses & Face Masks

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is all about safety! I know you’re buying gifts for this woman because you love her! So chances are you want her to stay safe. These colorful safety glasses found at Amazon are perfect for protecting her eyes from flying debris. An extra bonus is that they’ll let her look cute on the job too!

On top of that, face masks are super important when she wants to saw or sand wood. (My rule of thumb is if you can smell it, you’re inhaling something you probably don’t want.) You’ll help her protect her lungs for years to come with this adorable and pretty face mask found at Amazon on hand!

Tape Measure

If she doesn’t already have her own, a handy tape measure is a must to get her. She’ll be able to measure anything; cuts on her wood, doorways to see if the furniture will fit through, her space so she’ll know if the furniture will fit before she buys it, placement of her wall decor on the wall, you name it! 

She won’t be able to complete DIY projects without this tool, so why don’t you be the thoughtful person that gets it for her!

Tape measures come in several different sizes, but I love this tape measure found at Amazon. It self-locks, fits nicely in my hand, has a lock button, and is long enough to measure most of my projects.

Also, it is fantastic for helping her get better at reading her measurements! (Believe me, we all start somewhere.) I remember when I first started using my tape measure regularly. I had to double-check with my husband or father to make sure I was reading the correct measurement.

This tape measure helped me relay exact measurements, especially when I struggled to remember smaller line measurements, and it will help her too! No more accidental measurement mistakes because she tried to read her tape measure too quickly and translated it to the wrong number. (Plus, it just speeds up the measuring process because she won’t have to think anymore. That’s a double win!)

Painter’s Tape

This may seem like a weird tool to give as a gift, but she will be so happy once she starts to use it. Not only is painter’s tape handy to use when painting to keep baseboards and random fixtures paint-free, but it’s also a super designing tool!

I’m sure she will have this problem; she’ll be trying to figure out the best layout for her gallery wall art or her other wall decor she’s made. Or maybe she’ll be attempting to figure out the perfect height for those new shelves she’s about to install.

That’s where delicate painter’s tape found at Amazon is the BOMB.COM! She can use it to layout the exact dimensions and placement of her wall decor before she drills any holes. 

She can also use her handy level that we will talk about later to level out the piece of tape. Then she can mark out the holes for shelves, so she will know exactly where to put the shelf without having to lift it and set it down 100 times.

It can also be used to help finished wood keep from splintering while sawing.

She will love you for getting her a roll because it will save her a ton of time visualizing her design. Plus, it’s super cheap to buy and keep on hand. So, you might as well snag a roll and throw it in her tool bag for her!

$25 And Under

Work Gloves

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a quality pair of work gloves. While we all love a girl who’s ready to get down and dirty, we don’t always want to feel dirty. These pretty pink work gloves found at Amazon will help keep her hands clean, let her use her Smart Phone touch screen, let her hands breathe, and most importantly, they’ll protect her from cuts and scrapes while she’s working.

I love wearing gloves while I demo something. You just never know exactly what kind of dirt and grime you’re going to come across. It’s so easy to slide them on, demolish the thing you’re taking apart, and slide them off leaving clean, protected hands.

Tool Belt

Ever misplace your tape measure or your pencil? Well, your girl won’t have to worry about that anymore with this awesome tool belt found at Amazon.

I am the queen of misplacing my tape measure. Half the time I use my tape measure, I’ll cut a piece of wood, carry it into the house to see how it fits with my project, then have to walk back out because I forgot my tape measure and pencil next to the saw. (We redid all the window/door trim and baseboard in our home. Ask me how many times I ended up walking back out to the saw table because I didn’t have my tool belt on!)

When I have my tool belt on, though, I always have my tools (literally) attached to my hip. So, I’m able to tackle projects much faster.

Toolbag

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a tool bag. With all these awesome tools she’s collecting, she’s going to need a place to store them! My favorite is this heavy-duty and sweet-looking tool bag found at Amazon because it has tons of pockets for optimal tool organization, little rubber feet, and a reinforced bottom to protect your tools, and a padded shoulder strap to protect your shoulder as well!

She’ll love having all of her tools organized for when she’s ready to tackle her next project.

PRO TIP: Create a tool bag gift basket and she will go nuts! Take one of these tool bags & fill it with several of the smaller tools listed in this post that she doesn’t have/she can always use more of (like pencils, you can never have enough of them).

It turns several great, small gifts into one giant, awesome gift that’s ready for her to use right away!

Square Tool

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a speedy square. I love using a speedy square to make wood shelves just like these, and she might too! Speedy squares are triangles that give you perfect 90-degree and 45-degree angles. This square tool found at Amazon is awesome because it’s black with white writing, so it’s super easy to read quickly!

If she’s ever expressed wanting to build her own shelves or do woodworking of any kind, then she’ll want one of these. They’ll help her make sure the brackets on her DIY shelves are perfectly square by using this tool to line them up. Or if she simply wants to draw a straight line or miter her wood corners without using a miter saw, this tool does the trick.

Plus, they’re small, so they’ll fit perfectly in her new tool bag!

Ratcheting Multi-Tip Screwdriver

You were probably thinking a screwdriver was going to be included on this list, and you’d be right. However, I think your handywoman needs one specific screwdriver that’ll be a total game-changer (cost-wise and use-wise) as she starts her DIY journey.

This screwdriver found at Home Depot has multiple tips stored within it, so she’ll only ever need one tool no matter what type of screw she comes across (hello money saver!). Also, the ratcheting part lets her screw things in one-handed and much faster than screwdrivers without this feature.

There’s been many-a-times when I was trying to hold an outlet cover in place with one hand and twist my screwdriver with the other. Half the time, the darn thing falls off the screw and I have to realign it. Or worse, the screw didn’t make it far enough in and I dropped the whole thing completely.

It’s something that she’ll most likely take for granted until she doesn’t have that feature anymore, then she’ll be so thankful you chose this one for her!

Needle Nose Pliers

There are 100 different types of pliers you could buy her, and all of them serve their specific purpose. But I feel one of the best ones to own when doing a DIY or home improvement project is a needle nose plier. Just as their name suggests, their head is very skinny, so they’re perfect to fit into tight spaces or pull out small items.

(While you’re at it, you might as well grab this entire plier set found at Amazon for her, so she has options!)

If she’s ever going to be using drywall anchors to hang decor (which she definitely will), then occasionally they can get stuck halfway in causing the top to collapse. It’s super frustrating because you don’t want to create extra holes in your walls!

That’s where a needle nose plier would come in handy – she could use the skinny head to grip the ruined drywall anchor and slowly work it out. If it didn’t make it too far into the wall, then she can just use the same hole with a new drywall anchor. No damage done to the walls!

She also could use needle nose pliers for jewelry making, pulling staples out of an old chair she wants to reupholster, or even brad nails that got shot part-way in and bent. The possibilities for this simple tool are endless!

Level

If she ever wants to hang anything up or build anything vertical (which she probably will because wall decor & hand-built furniture makes a huge difference in a room makeover), then she will need a level. You don’t have to get her a big one, one of these small torpedo levels found at Amazon will work.

She’ll be able to level her pictures or shelves perfectly and avoid random decor rolling off her beautiful new shelves because they aren’t completely level!

In addition, if she’s ready to level up her DIY skills, it might be time to buy her this self-leveling laser level found at Amazon! You will save her so much time and frustration from trying to hold a tiny level up while making a mark on the wall for her measurement. She will be able to hang her wall decor with ease all thanks to you!

Hammer

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a hammer! A hammer probably isn’t a surprise that it’s on this list! If you get a hammer for her, anytime she needs to hit something or pry something, she’ll be thinking of you! (Hopefully, she won’t be thinking of hitting you though haha!)

I recommend finding one that has a good weight to it and will feel good in her hand. This 16 oz hammer found at Amazon would be a great addition to her tool collection!

10-in-1 Paint Multi-Tool

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a paint multi-tool.This is one of my favorite tools because it’s so functional, super cheap, and so simple. If your girl is going to need to (aka struggle with) opening a paint can (or even closing one), then this paint multi-tool found at Amazon will be so worth it (even if that’s the only feature on it she uses)! 

This tool can: 

  • Open paint can lids
  • Hammer paint can lids on
  • Scrape paint off walls
  • Dig into corners to clean out stuff
  • Pull nails
  • Clean a roller
  • Spread spackle/compound
  • And so on

Just to name a few things. For less than $15, it’s worth her not having to scream at the paint can every time she wants to open it and close it in my opinion haha!

And since paint is such an easy and cheap way to completely refresh a room, furniture, vanity, etc., she will use this tool a lot.

Quality Paint Brush & Roller

I’m sure your handywoman can tell you one of the easiest and cheapest ways to makeover a room or refinish a piece of furniture is to paint it. Even if she were to simply repaint it with the same color, the fresh coat will give the room or piece of furniture a clean and new feel.

Don’t believe me? Check out how I painted my bathroom cabinets like a pro. They were already white, but with a fresh coat of white paint, they look completely different!

That’s why I recommend buying her a quality paintbrush and paint roller (and a paint tray for that matter!) so she can have them on hand for her first room makeover! I loooove this quality 2” angled paintbrush found at Amazon that’ll help her get in tight corners and make crisp lines along ceilings and baseboards. (Yes, I know the short handle seems weird, but usually, my hand hurts after painting for a while, and this short brush helps fix that problem! Plus, a smaller brush is easier to store in her toolbag.)

Just be sure to warn her to keep the paint out of the top of the bristles near the metal part of the handle, and clean it well after each use, so her paintbrush can last a long time.

Putty Knife

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a putty knife. Help your girl lose the fear of putting holes in her wall while decorating by buying her a putty knife! Occasionally, we DIYers make a mistake and drill a hole in the wrong place, or put a gash in the wall while moving things.

It happens! But it doesn’t have to stay ruined and detract from all the hard work she’s put into her room. She can easily keep a small tub of spackle and this putty knife found at Amazon on hand and make it super easy to patch those little gashes when life happens.

Once I realized that it isn’t that hard to fix your walls, I was able to decorate my space way better. She can also paint over it with her new paintbrush or roller and no one will ever know the difference! Heck yes!

$50 And Under

Mechanical Sander & Sandpaper

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a mechanical sander. If your special lady is going to be doing any type of woodwork, furniture building, or furniture refinishing, then this mechanical sander found at Amazon is a must!

She will save so much time & effort by using a mechanical sander rather than sanding all of her projects by hand. Plus she can save money because she won’t always have to purchase the pre-sanded wood. She will be able to do it herself!

I used to hand-sand everything because I was being too cheap to buy a mechanical sander. My dad quickly got impatient with how long I was taking prepping the wood. So he gifted me this Dewalt sander, and I swear my life changed. Not only did the quality of my projects suddenly get way better, but also I got back so much of my time!

That means more time for more DIY projects! Woohoo!

Be a real MVP and buy her first few packs of sandpaper that go with the mechanical sander, so she can use it right away. I recommend buying a pack of 80 grit, 120 grit, and 220 grit, so she can create a perfectly smooth finish on all her projects.

Side note, this would be a perfect application for her to use her new face mask, so she can protect her lungs and health well into the future of her DIY journey!

Stud Finder

The next tool gift idea for the beginner DIYer in your life is a stud finder. This stud finder found at Amazon will make her life so much easier when she goes to decorate her room for a room makeover. Wall hangings are so much more secure if they can be secured into a stud as opposed to using just drywall anchors.

This stud finder will beep and flash red when she runs over the center of a stud. Plus, it has a feature where another area flashes red when she’s near electrical wiring. This tool could just save her from having to cut into her walls to do expensive electrical repair, and literally, save her from the electric current!

It is definitely one of the better starter tools for beginner DIYers.

$150 And Under

Kreg Jig

For my woodworking ladies, this Kreg jig found at Amazon might just be the perfect gift. When she goes to build furniture, she will need to secure the pieces together with pocket holes.

Pocket holes are awesome for building furniture because they let you hide the screws. With no screws visible, her furniture will look like it was bought straight out of a store (and probably built for half the price!)

Well, a Kreg jig is how she will drill those pocket holes into her furniture pieces. Snag one of these, and she’ll be sure to thank you!

$300 And Under

Power Tool(s) / Combo Kit

If you are wanting to go all out for this woman and show your support for her DIY journey, then a power tool combo kit from Ryobi will be perfect!

Not only will she be saving money because you’ll be snagging her some of her most used tools, but you will also be saving money by buying multiple tools at once. And they already come with their own tool bag, so there’s no need to try to find one that’ll fit all of her new tools.

By buying her any power tools (even if it’s only, one and not this kit), you’ll be saving her so much time and effort. She will be able to drill holes with ease, cut wood like butter, screw screws like it’s nothing.

Believe me when I say nothing is more empowering than using power tools to create something unique. You will help her build confidence in herself that she can tackle anything this life throws at her. Isn’t that the most precious gift of all?

The thing I love about this tool combo kit found at Amazon is that it comes with two batteries and a charging station. Buying the batteries individually are almost as expensive as each tool itself, so you’ll be saving loads of money through this kit.

Plus, for her sake, she will always have a back up battery charging, so she doesn’t have to quit her project right in the middle just because the battery died.

If she doesn’t need all of those tools? Then you can always buy each tool individually, so you can tailor her gift perfectly for her needs. 

Side note: If you know the tool brand she normally uses, buy her that brand! It’s always better to stick with one brand so the batteries work on all the tools.

Final Thoughts On Tool Gifts For DIYers

There you have it! Those are the 19 best tool gift ideas for your blossoming DIY handywoman.

If she receives even a few of these items, she will be bubbling over with joy because she will be able to finally bring her DIY projects to life.

All thanks to you and your thoughtful gift!

Catch you in my next post!

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19 Awesome Tool Gifts For Beginner DIYers

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