| House painting is a job with certain inherent | | | | tasks such as sanding. A respirator, safety |
| dangers. Nevertheless, some homeowners decide | | | | glasses and protective gloves should be used |
| to do the job themselves. By following some | | | | when working with corrosive solvents, compounds |
| basic safety tips, you can greatly reduce the | | | | or strippers. |
| chance of someone getting injured or worse. | | | | Don't forget that many of the products you are |
| Ladders are required for nearly all house-painting | | | | using may be highly flammable. Store paint and |
| jobs. Ladder levelers should be installed and utilized | | | | related products away from heat sources. Allow |
| to avoid instability problems. All ladders should be | | | | used rags to dry thoroughly before disposing of |
| inspected for sturdiness. Although you should | | | | them. |
| avoid power lines, if you find you must work | | | | If you need to scrape off old paint, first find out |
| around or near them you should use a fiberglass | | | | when your home was built. If it was built in 1978 |
| ladder to reduce the risk of electrocution. Ladders | | | | or earlier it is likely that lead-based paint is |
| should be angled in a 3:1 ratio relative to the | | | | present. Even if your home was built slightly after |
| surface against which they are placed. In other | | | | 1978, it still may have lead-based paint in some |
| words, for every three feet of vertical rise, the | | | | areas. If in doubt, get a testing kit and find out |
| base of the ladders should be one foot from the | | | | for certain if you are dealing with lead-based paint. |
| bottom of the work surface. You should always | | | | You should hire a professional contractor to do |
| maintain three points of contact with a ladder | | | | the preparation work if there is in fact lead-based |
| when you are on it. For example, two feet and | | | | paint at the project site. |
| one hand or two hands and one foot will provide | | | | House painting can be a dangerous endeavor for |
| a sufficiently stable grip on the ladder. Inspect | | | | the do-it-yourself crowd. If these safety guidelines |
| your work area for insect nests before climbing a | | | | are adhered to, dangers can largely be mitigated. |
| ladder. | | | | However, if you are unsure of how to safely |
| If it is not possible to adequately ventilate your | | | | complete any portion of your painting job, you |
| work area, use a respirator that is rated for the | | | | should contact a professional painting contractor |
| purpose at hand. You should use safety glasses | | | | for help. |
| and a dust mask when performing preparation | | | | |