Professional Painting Contractor From Marietta Shares Safety Tips
Learn from a Marietta painting contractor regarding 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.
Buy and install ladder levelers on your ladders.
Over 70 % of all ladder accidents are caused by make shift props for ladders. Levelers attach securely to the legs of your ladders providing a very secure fit. Safety minded and production oriented painting companies use them. Good quality levelers make your ladder a lot more stable and greatly reduce your risk of injury. They will increase your production significantly. You will not be constantly trying to fit something under the leg of the ladder. This in itself is well worth the investment.
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.
Also, you have to consider that you are going to lose a couple more feet when you place the foot of the ladder out from the side of your house to give you a proper angle to safely climb the ladder. A 28 ft ladder will only give you about 20 to 22 feet access.
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.
A big no-no are plastic drop cloths as they can cause permanent damage to your shrubs or flowers. There is a twofold problem with plastic, first your plants cannot breathe and second it can heat up under plastic in a hurry. All that is needed to cause damage under plastic is a few hours. You may find the tops of your shrubs or plants dead after using plastic drop cloths
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.
Can You Handle the Job Physically?
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.
Remember to prepare for flying insects as well; you do not want to fight off a wasp while working at the end of a 36 ft 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 the wall it is leaning against.
A very important tip that most painting contractors teach all their hands is to notch the ground with a pick and shovel. This way you can make a flat level area for each leg of your ladder. The ladder must lean against your house for you to be able to climb up and down. Combine that with a backward slope and you have a dangerous situation on your hands. It is better to dig the ground up and reseed it later than to work in a dangerous environment.
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 marietta painting contractor. A painting contractor can do the project in a fraction of the time it will take you.
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