5 Harbor Freight Tools You'll Want For Your Home Restoration Project

If you haven't worked on a home restoration project in a while or are doing it yourself for the first time, there are probably some gaps in your tool collection you'll need to fill in order to complete it. Fortunately, hardware retailers like Harbor Freight often sell all the items you need under one roof (or on one website). What you'll need depends on the nature and scope of your home restoration project, which can range from specific functional projects like plumbing repairs or installing more efficient insulation to a total design renovation of your entire home.

Some tools are more multipurpose and will likely be needed no matter what kind of restoration you're doing, like a drill/driver, or even simpler — yet essential — items like a tape measure. Other tools may be more specific to a project, but you'll still get additional use out of them on similar projects in the future. For example, many home restoration projects involve woodworking, requiring tools that you can later use for both creative projects and other DIY repairs down the line. If that's the case, you'll want to pick up some Harbor Freight woodworking tools. Depending on your specific renovations, here are five Harbor Freight tools you'll want for your home restoration project.

There are plenty of reasons you may need a palm sander for a home restoration project, including removing old paint, smoothing lumber you'll be using to build new furniture, or refinishing old furniture, like tables and cabinets. The Bauer 5-inch Random Orbit Palm Sander is a durable tool designed to be used often and for long periods of time, so you can use it to get through your project with no problem. Its motor uses fans to keep it from overheating, and a comfortable rubber grip and ergonomic design help keep you from getting hand fatigue, which can also limit how long you can use a palm sander.

The 2.8 amp motor can deliver up to 13,000 orbits per minute while the random action moves in 3/32-inch orbits, giving you a smooth finish without annoying swirls. It also has six different speeds you can set, allowing you to use the right amount of power depending on the project's needs. Despite being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the orbit sander is unfortunately not cordless. This can be annoying if you don't like getting tangled up in wires and inconvenient if you're doing your sanding outside or far from a power outlet. Still, corded tools are generally more affordable, and you won't have to worry about buying batteries or keeping them charged. Harbor Freight sells the Bauer 5-inch Random Orbit Palm Sander for $39.99, though it's currently on sale for 25% off.

A drill/driver will come in handy for all sorts of DIY projects, especially if it's cordless, making it easy to quickly grab out of your garage and use for just a few seconds to hang a painting, for instance. You'll also need one for your home restoration project, and the Warrior 18V Cordless ⅜-inch Drill/Driver is a solid, affordable option. It gives you 20 different torque clutch settings to choose from and allows for variable speeds, including reverse. Features include an electric brake, a keyless chuck, and an LED light to illuminate dark spaces in which you may need to use it.

Cordless Warrior tools use batteries that are interchangeable with other products made by the brand but aren't compatible with other brands. If you own several other Warrior tools, this is an advantage. However, this can be a huge drawback if you already have a tool collection made up primarily of Ryobi or Milwaukee tools, for example. You may not want to spend the extra money on additional batteries. If that's not a concern, you can pick up the Warrior 18V Cordless ⅜-inch Drill/Driver (battery included) from Harbor Freight for $29.99.

You'll definitely need a tape measure to make sure any restorations you're making to your home are accurate and don't create more work than you need to fix any avoidable mistakes. Not all tape measures are the same, however, and if you're looking for a good one, Harbor Freight sells the Bauer 25-foot Self-Locking Tape Measure. Bauer is a solid brand that makes some of the best power tools sold by Harbor Freight, and its tape measure is high quality, employing a durable steel blade that instantly locks into place with no unexpected snapback. An easy thumb release lets you automatically retract it just as smoothly.

The tape measure has a tough ABS plastic case, a thermoplastic rubber overmold that provides a better grip and stronger impact resistance, and a spring steel belt clip. The tape blade itself has a protective nylon coating, and matte finish that reduces glare and makes it easy to read, even in sunlight or under bright work lights. It's marked in 1/16-inch increments that are nylon-bonded and won't fade.

One drawback to the Bauer 25-foot Self-Locking Tape Measure is that it's more expensive than many other tape measures — in some cases, more than twice the price, if not more. That includes those that are just as long and also sold by Harbor Freight. However, the Bauer 25-foot Self-Locking Tape Measure doesn't exactly break the bank with its $8.99 retail price, and its quality construction makes it a solid buy if you're willing to spend a few extra bucks.

The Banks 18 GA Brad Nailer will drastically save you time and effort on your home restoration project, eschewing the need for hours of manual hammering. It's lightweight and designed with a narrow body, making it easy to handle — especially if you use it for floor molding or cabinet trims. Plus, it has an ergonomic, comfortable grip to prevent hand fatigue.

Compatible with 18 gauge brad nails between ⅝ inches and 2 inches, the tool has substantial drive power to easily fasten all types of trim and is built with a 360-degree adjustable exhaust. Its magazine can hold 100 brad nails at a time, so you won't need to constantly stop what you're doing to add more, and a handy reload indicator window will let you know when you're almost out of nails.

If your home restoration project is more comprehensive and involves multiple parts of your home, you'll likely need different kinds of nails — not just 18 gauge. If that's the case, you might save money by going for a three-in-one nailer that's compatible with 18 gauge, 16 gauge, staples, or something similar. But if your project only uses 18 gauge nails, the Banks 18 Gauge Brad Air Nailer is a solid, affordable choice. Harbor Freight sells it for $34.99.

If you're doing everything yourself for your home restoration project, including making your own trim or dowels, you'll want the Drill Master 2-inch Mini Benchtop Cut-Off Saw. Despite its small size, it can run up to 10,600 rpm for high-speed, precision cuts and is accurate enough that you may not need to even file or sand ends. The tool can make miter cuts between zero and 45 degrees and cuts to a depth of half an inch, which makes it perfect for frames and molding. Plus, in addition to wood, the saw can also cleanly cut plastic and soft metals. Compared to larger pieces, manually cutting smaller objects isn't the end of the world, but this product saves you time by making cuts in a tenth of the time it would take by hand.

Of course, this saw is too small for cutting two-by-fours and other larger pieces and is meant for more detailed parts of your home restoration. Despite its small size, it's also not cordless, which you might find inconvenient. Depending on the scope of your project, you may need additional and larger power saws if you don't already own any. The Drill Master 2-inch Mini Benchtop Cut-Off Saw, which costs $39.99 at Harbor Freight, can still be a smart addition to your tool collection either way.

In addition to being immediately available to purchase from Harbor Freight, these five tools were selected for this list based on their utility for home restoration projects and stellar user ratings on Harbor Freight's website. Considering Harbor Freight customers know the retailer's products best, a high overall user rating from people who've purchased these tools is a good indicator that they are reliable, well-made, and will work as advertised.

The five tools recommended in this list all have user ratings on Harbor Freight's website that score 4.5 out of five or higher. Plus, only tools with hundreds, if not thousands, of ratings, were chosen because a larger pool of customers makes the average score more reliable, weeding out any outlier ratings (either good or bad) that may have been made in bad faith.

Additionally, tools were selected based on how likely you may need them in various home restoration projects and whether they were reasonably affordable or not. Selections weren't limited to a particular tool type, such as power saws. Instead, a wider range of products — from tape measures to palm sanders — was sought out for this list of Harbor Freight tools you may want for your home restoration project.