Rockville Painter Contractor Hiring Guide

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  • Author Joe Painter
  • Published August 12, 2010
  • Word count 1,005

Health and safety hazards of do-it-yourself painting.

At first glance, painting the interior or exterior of your home may look like a great way to save money. In fact, it may be that it is wise to look at some of the potential pitfalls and safety hazards that painting yourself often entails.

Tip number one -- your muscles.

Yes, painting requires strength. It may not look difficult to simply swipe the brush back and forth but if you do it more than 20 times you're going to start to feel it in your wrists. This is because you do not regularly use these muscles on a repetitive basis. The result can be painful.

Tip number two -- your back.

Painter spent a lot of time in positions that will be awkward for someone who does not do this on a daily basis. It is common for somebody who paints for four hours a day to wake up the next day feeling like someone beat them with a baseball bat. Think about it, the repetitive motion of rolling a wall with paint may not look too difficult but you may think differently the next day. One of the most common complaints that people have to state that muscles hurt that they did not know they had. This is no fun.

Tip number three -- working in pain.

Often the job of painting, or any other job for that matter, takes longer than we anticipate. Therefore it is likely that you may spend several additional hours or even days completing the job. Some people will take medication for the pain and continue to work possibly causing a more severe injury. This happens more often than you may think.

Tip number four -- proper body position.

Professional painters understand how and when to move their bodies to minimize pain and discomfort and maximize the proper application of paint. This results in a more even and appealing finished job. For the weekend painter who may paint only a few times a year, this may not seem like an important skill but it really is.

Tip number five -- proper layout of tools and brushes.

When you come right down to it, is all about efficiency of motion. Professional painters do not move any more than is necessary to apply the paint to the surface. This includes knowing what tools and brushes they will need in having them readily available. For the occasional painter, many of these things are actually learned during the job. For example: having a damp rag in your pocket is a great way to quickly correct minor spills and splatters. Think about the amount of wasted motion you will incur if you have to stop what you're doing, put down your tools, get off the ladder, and go get a paper towel. The rotten part about this is that we tend to make the same mistake over and over due to lack of skill and a reason to anticipate such mistakes.

Tip number six -- anticipating mistakes.

Because we are not professional painters we need to anticipate making more mistakes and needing more help in correcting these mistakes than a professional painter. The results of these mistakes are additional motion on the part of the infrequent painter that is often not taken into account. This adds to the time of the job amount of strain on your body.

Tip number seven -- position safety.

This can be one of the most dangerous areas of painting that many of us may never even think about. When we are up on a ladder and trying to reach that last spot of wall, we may tend to push the limit. Instead of safely climbing down the ladder and repositioning it, we may attempt to overreach or take shortcuts which could lead to a fall. This is especially important in exterior painting where we may be high up on an extension ladder.

Tip number eight -- area safety.

Keeping an organized work area means knowing where things are and knowing where you're going to move to. The more often you have to reposition both yourself your tools and your paint the more likely it is to incur a safety hazard. Stepping in the paint tray, kicking over the paint can or bucket, slipping on wet paint, or tripping on a tool are all possible. If you have any doubt, talk to hospital emergency personnel who see these accidents regularly.

Tip number nine -- frustration factor.

When things don't go as we would like them to it creates stress. Painting is one of those jobs that can create physical, emotional, and psychological stress. We have already talked about the physical stress. So what about emotional and psychological stress? When we take on a job, most of us seek the satisfaction of a number of things. We enjoyed the feeling of doing the job ourselves. We enjoy admiring our handiwork. We enjoy showing the completed job to a spouse, friend, or family member. As many a painter can attest to, these feelings do not always accompany the job. We may be disappointed in the choice of paint we used in terms of color, shine, and light reflection. We may be disappointed in our spouse's reaction to the completed job. This can often lead to disagreements and more stress. Finally, if we spill paint or get it on something that we did not intend during the painting or cleanup process we can become very frustrated.

Tip number 10 -- look at the whole picture before you start.

The key to a well done and satisfying paint job is to anticipate problems before they occur. Perhaps your time is better spent picking the right color than actually doing the job. The quality of paint, surface preparation, health and safety concerns and frustration are all things that should be considered. A good quality paint job will last many years. Before you rush into it, consider all of your options and make safe wise choices before you start.

Everything they never told you about Rockville House Painting contractors revealed! For more insider tips and information be sure and check out theRockville Painters Guide.

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