Learn From a professional painting contractor safety tips you should know before painting the exterior of your house. Make sure you're properly equipped physically and with the proper equipment before undertaking the project.
Be Ladder Safe with Levelers
The majority of ladder accidents happen because the ladder has a make shift prop. Ladder levelers attach to the legs and provide security on uneven ground. Painting companies concerned with safety and production use them all the time. These devices make you ladder a much more secure platform to work from and reduce the chances of injury. Even your production will improve, as you are not constantly looking for something to prop the ladder up with. This alone makes them a smart investment.
What is the Range of Ladders You Own?
Professional painting contractors usually have the following range in ladders as standard equipment. Coming from a professional painting perspective, I recommend a 6 foot step ladder, a 20 ft extension, a 28 ft extension, and a 36 ft extension ladder if your house is needs a ladder this size. This range will allow you to comfortably reach all areas of your house that are accessible with ladders. The advertised length of a ladder is not the actual accessible length. The lap of your ladder when fully extended will reduce its reach by 3 or 4 feet. As an example, a 28 foot rated ladder will only extend about 24 or 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.
Purchasing the Correct Drop Cloth
Canvas drop cloths are perfect for rough and tough materials such as hard surfaces, driveways, shrubs and bushes but they are much too heavy for things that are more delicate. If you have small plants or flowers around your home, you might want to use an old bed sheet as a drop cloth. This way the plants will be protected but the material is light enough not to crush them and allows airflow so the plants can breathe.
Never use a plastic drop cloth. You may find your plants or shrubs permanently damaged from plastic use. Plastic is solid and will not allow air for your plants to breathe, plus it can get very hot under there in a hurry. Within a couple of hours under temperatures can rise to dangerous levels. Using a plastic drop cloth can kill the tops of your shrubs or plants.
Do not forget to protect yourself as well, drink plenty of fluids such as cold Gatorade throughout the day to stay hydrated.
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.
Pick out a place where you can rest in the shade. Don't over exert yourself.
Painting the exterior of your house is time consuming and most homeowners try to pack to much painting into one day. This can be a huge mistake, Don't allow yourself to get into trouble physically. This is easy to do if you try and stretch your physical limitations on hot sunny days.
Are you physically fit enough to safely rise to the challenge?
Your legs may begin to cramp severely after a day of climbing up and down the ladder. You really need to be prepared for this kind of work otherwise; your leg muscles can become overstressed and weak. Shaky legs increases your chances of taking a nasty spill from your ladder. Consider carefully your physical condition before you start. Consult your physician if you have any preexisting medical conditions, before you begin painting. This is generally not a problem for contractors because they spend most of each day climbing up and down ladders. Someone who is not used to this type of work can quickly get into 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.
Eliminate all wasp nest before attempting to paint. If you are standing on the end of an extension ladder, you do not want be fighting wasp. You can easily be distracted to the point of losing your grip or balance and falling.
Consider Renting 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.
Be sure you do not set your ladder up on a slope that falls back and away from it.
You can notch the ground out with a shovel and pic, this is very important to safety. Create a level flat area for each ladder leg. Setting up a ladder means leaning it against your house so that you can easily navigate the ladder. When you combine the leaning ladder and a backwards slope, you have an extremely dangerous situation. You can always reseed the area later, it is better to be safe. Painting contractors all teach this important safety tip to their workers.
Carefully plan your painting project. Make sure you are properly equipped to maximize safety. Make sure you are comfortable with the amount of time it takes compared to the time you have to give to the project. Don't rush it. If you really find you don't have the time or are physically unable to safely tackle the project, then hire a professional painting contractor. A painting contractor can do the project in a fraction of the time it will take you.
Author Resource:-
Nicky Taylor is owner of a Marietta painting contractor company. Nicky has operated the 27 year old Marietta painting contractor company and home repair company servicing all North Metro Atlanta Ga. Nicky shares his ideas on selectingMarietta house painters and other improvement topics relating to your home at the above links through articles and other resources. Contains helpful information for anyone planning their own projects.
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