The Best Power Tools To Pick Up At Home Depot If You're Installing A Patio

If you're thinking of installing a patio, you'll be glad to know that you can complete a good chunk of the work through nothing but your own blood, sweat, and tears — which are really cheap. However, there are also a few fancy power tools you can buy to speed up some of the key jobs.

While it can be tempting to keep costs down by doing everything by hand, the benefits of power tools go beyond just reducing effort. They can also save time, which is an important factor for outdoor projects that are heavily affected by weather. In some cases, they produce better results than manual tools, too. This is especially true if you're lacking in the strength and skill needed to get the best results — we can't all be professional-grade DIYers.

To help your project progress as smoothly and successfully as possible, check out these easy-to-grab power tools from Home Depot.

When you dig out the area for your patio, the soil will be freshly disturbed and loose — which doesn't make for a strong foundation to build on. To prep the area for pavers, you need to compact the soil so it's flat and solidified. If you're building a small patio or you're confident in your strength and stamina, you can complete this job with a hand tamper. This is basically a long stick with a heavy square plate at the bottom that you lift and drop onto the soil over and over until it's flat and compacted. If you'd rather avoid that ordeal, you can invest in what's known as a plate compactor.

At Home Depot, one of the best-selling plate compactors is the Wen 7 JP 4500-Pound Plate Compactor, which will set you back around $600. Its gas engine produces 4,496 pounds of force, slamming the 24 by 17-inch plate into the ground 5,400 times per minute and compacting dirt without the need for any human effort. The tool is easy to maneuver and easy to transport, plus it dampens vibrations to extend the engine life and increase ease of use. If you're not about to spend $600 on a tool you're only going to use once, Home Depot also offers rental plate compactors that you can use for just a few days or even a few hours.

Just as you trim carpet or linoleum to fit the precise shape of a room, pavers often need to be cut to fit the shape of your patio. The amount of cutting you need to do will depend on the shape of your patio (straight edges, diagonal edges, curved edges) and the shape of your pavers. The layout pattern you choose can also affect how your pavers meet the edges — common patterns include stacked, herringbone, and basketweave.

As you might expect, cutting pavers requires specific equipment such as the Ryobi Corded Wet Tile Saw. This power tool uses three main features to complete its job: a powerful 12-amp motor, a diamond blade, and a water supply hose. By keeping the paver wet, the saw can significantly reduce the amount of dust rising into your face — though you should absolutely still wear your protective gear. Diamond blades are also essential for the job of cutting pavers. If you try to use a different kind of blade, you could end up with an overheating machine, messy cuts, and extreme inefficiency. Even with a diamond blade, though, it's important to stop sawing every 30 seconds and give the blade time to cool. With a price tag of around $100, the Ryobi Tile Saw is well worth the small investment if you want to create neat cuts and build a perfectly shaped patio.

Once your pavers are all in place, you'll need to strengthen the joints. This is done with polymeric sand, which turns into a strong bonding agent when it comes into contact with water. To use polymeric sand, you'll need to pour it onto your pavers and use a broom to push it into all of the cracks. Once you're done, it's important to completely remove the excess sand from the surface of the pavers because if it stays and gets wet, it'll stick to the surface and cause discoloration.

This is where another Ryobi tool comes in: the Whisper Series Leaf Blower. Using the leaf blower at the right angle, you can blow away every grain of sand from the surface of your pavers without disturbing the sand nestled in the cracks. This model is cordless and runs for up to 30 minutes, giving you plenty of time to blast away unwanted sand and prep your pavers for a perfect finish. Another useful feature of the Whisper series is its noise-dampening technology, keeping it up to seven times quieter than gas-powered leaf blowers. It costs around $300 to buy but this particular tool will stay useful even after your project is complete by helping you keep your new patio leaf and debris-free with minimum effort.