Before you undertake painting, the exterior of your home you may want to learn some safety tips from a professional painting contractor. You need to make sure you are prepared both physically and with the correct equipment before you begin.
Buy and install ladder levelers on your ladders.
When it comes to ladder accidents the majority are caused by make shift props such as bricks and other construction materials. A leveler will fix this problem, they attach to the legs of the ladder providing more security. Painting contractors concerned with production and safety use them often. Using ladder levelers will greatly reduce your risk of being injured while providing stability. Even your production will increase, as you are not constantly searching for something to stick under the ladder legs. This is worth the cost of investment in itself.
Do you have the proper range of ladders to safely reach all areas of your house?
When it comes to the range of ladder sizes, painting contractors general have several sizes. If you were to ask a professional painting contractor, they would likely advise you to purchase a 6ft stepladder, 20 ft extension and a 36 ft extension if necessary. With a range of ladders like this, you should be able to reach all areas around your home, at least if they are ladder accessible. Remember the advertised length of the ladder is not the actual working length. When fully extended the lap of the ladder will limit its reach by around three or four feet. For instance, a 28 ft ladder will only offer you about 25 feet.
One more thing to consider when it comes to ladders is the fact that you will lose a couple of feet due to leaning the ladder against your home. This angle will decrease the overall height another couple of feet reducing your access from 28 ft to about 22 ft.
Buy the correct drop cloths for the project?
For tough stuff such as driveways, bushes, shrubs and hard surfaces a canvas drop cloth is fine, however when it comes to small plants and flowers they are too heavy. For your small plants and flowers, you should use an old bed sheet. They will provide ample protection from dripping paint while allowing your plants to breathe and not be crushed.
Plastic drops are a no no. The plastic can permanently damage your shrubs or flowers. The plastic doesn't allow your plants to breath and the temperature can reach damaging levels. Only a few hours under plastic is all that's needed to damage your plants. Plastic can cause the tops of your plants and shrubs to die.
You need to keep some cold Gatorade on hand for yourself as well, dehydration can happen quickly when you are working outside in the heat.
I can't emphasize this enough. Painting outdoors in the sunlight will dehydrate you quickly, especially if you aren't use to this type of work. Don't let dehydration catch you by surprise. It doesn't take long to dehydrate. You can suddenly become light headed and lose your balance. Staying properly hydrated is very important for your health in other ways. One of the more serious complications you can develop from dehydration is a stroke, so always play it safe and use lots Gatorade.
Choose a nice shady area for frequent breaks and most importantly do not over exert yourself.
Many homeowners will try to pack a lot of work into one day, as painting is very time consuming. This is a big mistake because you can get in trouble physically. If you try to stretch the limits on a hot summer day, you can easily overexert yourself.
What is Your Physical Fitness?
After climbing up and down, a ladder all day your legs may begin to cramp severely. You need to prepare the muscles in your legs for this kind of work. When your legs become stressed they may suddenly feel shaky or weak a dangerous position to be on when you are climbing a ladder. You will want to evaluate your physical condition before beginning this kind of work. If you have any physical limitations, it may be wise to consult your physician before you begin painting the outside of your home. Professional painting contractors are used to this type of work; they spend all day running up and down ladders. If you are not used to it, you could find yourself in trouble.
Beware of flying hazards as well; wasps are about the worst thing you can encounter while at the top of a 36-foot ladder.
Before attempting to paint, you need to eliminate the wasp problem. You do not want to battle a stinging insect while on a ladder! You could lose your grip on the ladder an fall.
Rent a roof ladder.
Some homes will have areas above the roofline that need to be painted and this is where a roof ladder comes in handy. Sliding off your roof while painting could be fatal, so check into renting a roof ladder for the day. Roof ladders are designed to lay flay on top of your shingles and hook over the peak. This gives you sure footing while painting any areas that are above the roofline. It usually does not cost much to rent one for a day.
Never place your ladder on a slope that falls backwards and away from the ladder.
It is extremely important to always notch the ground out using a shovel and pic. Make a level, flat spot for each adjustable leg of your ladder. You have to lean your latter against the house, sloped enough to allow for you to properly navigate up. This slope, combined with the land slopping backward and away from your ladder, can make an extremely dangerous situation. Notch the ground and reseed the area latter. It is always best to play it safe. This is a very important safety tip that painting contractors teach their workers.
Your painting project needs to be carefully planned. To maximize safety you should be properly equipped. Consider the time this project will take and make sure, you are comfortable with it, and you do not want to try to rush the job. It may be that you do not have adequate time or are otherwise unable to do the job safely and in that case, you might want to hire a professional painting contractor. They will be able to do the job much more quickly than you can. - 29957
Buy and install ladder levelers on your ladders.
When it comes to ladder accidents the majority are caused by make shift props such as bricks and other construction materials. A leveler will fix this problem, they attach to the legs of the ladder providing more security. Painting contractors concerned with production and safety use them often. Using ladder levelers will greatly reduce your risk of being injured while providing stability. Even your production will increase, as you are not constantly searching for something to stick under the ladder legs. This is worth the cost of investment in itself.
Do you have the proper range of ladders to safely reach all areas of your house?
When it comes to the range of ladder sizes, painting contractors general have several sizes. If you were to ask a professional painting contractor, they would likely advise you to purchase a 6ft stepladder, 20 ft extension and a 36 ft extension if necessary. With a range of ladders like this, you should be able to reach all areas around your home, at least if they are ladder accessible. Remember the advertised length of the ladder is not the actual working length. When fully extended the lap of the ladder will limit its reach by around three or four feet. For instance, a 28 ft ladder will only offer you about 25 feet.
One more thing to consider when it comes to ladders is the fact that you will lose a couple of feet due to leaning the ladder against your home. This angle will decrease the overall height another couple of feet reducing your access from 28 ft to about 22 ft.
Buy the correct drop cloths for the project?
For tough stuff such as driveways, bushes, shrubs and hard surfaces a canvas drop cloth is fine, however when it comes to small plants and flowers they are too heavy. For your small plants and flowers, you should use an old bed sheet. They will provide ample protection from dripping paint while allowing your plants to breathe and not be crushed.
Plastic drops are a no no. The plastic can permanently damage your shrubs or flowers. The plastic doesn't allow your plants to breath and the temperature can reach damaging levels. Only a few hours under plastic is all that's needed to damage your plants. Plastic can cause the tops of your plants and shrubs to die.
You need to keep some cold Gatorade on hand for yourself as well, dehydration can happen quickly when you are working outside in the heat.
I can't emphasize this enough. Painting outdoors in the sunlight will dehydrate you quickly, especially if you aren't use to this type of work. Don't let dehydration catch you by surprise. It doesn't take long to dehydrate. You can suddenly become light headed and lose your balance. Staying properly hydrated is very important for your health in other ways. One of the more serious complications you can develop from dehydration is a stroke, so always play it safe and use lots Gatorade.
Choose a nice shady area for frequent breaks and most importantly do not over exert yourself.
Many homeowners will try to pack a lot of work into one day, as painting is very time consuming. This is a big mistake because you can get in trouble physically. If you try to stretch the limits on a hot summer day, you can easily overexert yourself.
What is Your Physical Fitness?
After climbing up and down, a ladder all day your legs may begin to cramp severely. You need to prepare the muscles in your legs for this kind of work. When your legs become stressed they may suddenly feel shaky or weak a dangerous position to be on when you are climbing a ladder. You will want to evaluate your physical condition before beginning this kind of work. If you have any physical limitations, it may be wise to consult your physician before you begin painting the outside of your home. Professional painting contractors are used to this type of work; they spend all day running up and down ladders. If you are not used to it, you could find yourself in trouble.
Beware of flying hazards as well; wasps are about the worst thing you can encounter while at the top of a 36-foot ladder.
Before attempting to paint, you need to eliminate the wasp problem. You do not want to battle a stinging insect while on a ladder! You could lose your grip on the ladder an fall.
Rent a roof ladder.
Some homes will have areas above the roofline that need to be painted and this is where a roof ladder comes in handy. Sliding off your roof while painting could be fatal, so check into renting a roof ladder for the day. Roof ladders are designed to lay flay on top of your shingles and hook over the peak. This gives you sure footing while painting any areas that are above the roofline. It usually does not cost much to rent one for a day.
Never place your ladder on a slope that falls backwards and away from the ladder.
It is extremely important to always notch the ground out using a shovel and pic. Make a level, flat spot for each adjustable leg of your ladder. You have to lean your latter against the house, sloped enough to allow for you to properly navigate up. This slope, combined with the land slopping backward and away from your ladder, can make an extremely dangerous situation. Notch the ground and reseed the area latter. It is always best to play it safe. This is a very important safety tip that painting contractors teach their workers.
Your painting project needs to be carefully planned. To maximize safety you should be properly equipped. Consider the time this project will take and make sure, you are comfortable with it, and you do not want to try to rush the job. It may be that you do not have adequate time or are otherwise unable to do the job safely and in that case, you might want to hire a professional painting contractor. They will be able to do the job much more quickly than you can. - 29957
About the Author:
Nicky Taylor owns a Marietta painting contractor firm. Nicky has worked in the painting industry 27 year now with his Marietta house painting company and home repair service. Nicky's company paints in North Metro Atlanta Ga. Nicky is quick to give his ideas on selectingMarietta house painters and other improvement subject matter relating to your home at the above links through articles and other resources. Contains helpful information for anyone planning their own projects.
