Paint and Ladder Safety Equipment

House painting is dangerous if the right precautions and the necessary safety equipment are not used. For your next home improvement painting project there are several types of paint safety equipment that can make a big difference. Consider hiring Professional House painters and decorators if you decide not to invest in all the necessary safety equipment, this could be more cost effective for you in the long run.

Professional House painters recommend the main areas to protect are the skin and clothing, eyes and lungs. Neoprene gloves are the best way to protect your hands from exposure to solvents or dangerous chemicals. And the head and hair can be covered with a cap. Eye protection is often overlooked. The greatest risks are paint chips from scraping or dust from sanding plus paint drips. To avoid damage to the eyes wear safety glasses or goggles. Also to consider is a dust masks, an absolute must have painting tools in many situations. The primary dangers are from sanding, especially when working on old finishes.

Ladder Safety Equipment

Additional paint safety equipment deals with the most dangerous aspect of many home improvement projects, ladder safety. The ladders that are most dangerous are extension ladders and there are three primary pieces of safety equipment that you should own. These are ladder levellers, ladder stabilisers and the pot hook.

Ladder Levellers: Are an absolute must and very useful for both interior as well as exterior painting. The levellers keep the ladder level on varying terrain, much safer than piling wood or other items to stabilise the ladder. Several types of ladder levellers are available, from self adjusting to manual. The manual type can be used on stairs for a stable painting experience.

A Ladder Stabiliser: A set of arms that attaches to the top of the extension ladder, spreading out the two contact points for more stability. Another advantage is the ability to span the ladder across windows or other obstacles. The stabiliser does however make it hard to position the ladder close to a corner for easy reach of trim. Also, ladder stabilizers add more weight to the top of the ladder making erecting and repositioning a little more difficult.

The Pot Hook: Is like having a third hand. This simple and very inexpensive accessory allows you to work and still have one hand firmly holding the ladder. The simple pot hook probably does as much for paint safety as all the other accessories combined.

All of these safety accessories combined together will drastically increase your safety and possibly save your life. When you add up the cost of all the equipment needed to even start to renovate your home, you may want to consider getting some quotes on getting the professional House painters in to undertake your next home improvement painting project.