We’ve already talked about how every homeowner should own a power drill, the workhorse of the home toolbox.  But there is another extremely useful power tool out there, and I’m not talking about a saw or another type of drill, wonderful as those are.  What I’m talking about is the oscillating multi-tool.  This little compact baby is a virtual powerhouse of versatility, and will enable you to do so many things much more quickly than you would be able to do them with hand tools.  It sands, it cuts, it scrapes, it does so many different things.  And it comes with various blades which all have different applications.  And you can get it for around $100, usually.  Here is a list of some of the best things you can do around the house with your oscillating multi-tool:

1.  Remove caulking around a sink or tub.  Forget about scraping and scraping with a hand tool.  The multi-tool will loosen all your old caulking in a jiffy so that you can pull it right out, shortening the length of a re-caulking job considerably.

2.  Trim the door casings when installing floor tile.  We in fact have a video which shows exactly how to do this:

3.  Sand wood in tight corners or crevices.

4.  Cut pipe. If you need to cut copper pipe in preparation for a soldering job, you can do so with a tubing cutter, but you can also do the job very quickly with a multi-tool, which has the added advantage of being able to get right up against a wall.

5.  Remove old paint.  Who actually likes scraping old paint by hand?  Now you don’t have to.  Just attach the scraper blade to your multi-tool and let her rip!

6.  Cut drywall.  This tool enables you to cut perfectly straight lines in drywall, in preparation for installing electrical outlets or boxes, or repairing drywall holes.

7.  Grinding down rough surfaces.  One example would be if you were installing flooring, and accidentally let the mortar harden in  lumps, you could grind it down smooth in minutes with a multi-tool.

8.  Trim work.  For instance, if a part of your baseboard or molding is damaged, and you don’t want to have to replace the whole thing, you could neatly and cleanly cut off and remove the bad portion so that you only have to replace a portion of it.

And these are just a few examples.  You may be able to figure out more great things to do with a multi-tool.  Another nice feature is how small and portable it is to carry around.  Last but not least, an oscillating multi-tool is the PERFECT holiday or birthday gift to either give yourself or another home improvement enthusiast that you know.  To check out a couple of possibilities, click here.

BY SEE JANE DRILL

Where Beginner Home Improvement Enthusiasts Come to Learn