painting safety

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While painting isn’t a dangerous activity, it always pays to follow good safety practices. Carelessness is the quickest way to get in trouble when doing any project around the home, and painting is no exception.

Personal Protective Gear

Good painting practice requires that the skin, eyes and lungs be protected at all times. This can be accomplished with a small investment in gloves, safety goggles, and a dust mask.

Be sure to wear cloth gloves whenever you are doing the various surface preparation tasks: scraping, wire-brushing, sanding and patching. Wear them at all times when working around splintered wood, even while painting.

Rubber gloves should be worn when working with bleach solution, paint removers and any type of acid. Also wear rubber gloves when cleaning painting equipment with paint thinner, mineral spirits and similar materials. (Note: Be sure the rubber gloves are of the kind that will not melt when exposed to lacquer thinners and other chemicals.)

You should also wear eye protection when wire brushing, scraping, sanding or painting overhead. Safety goggles are a must when handling acids, bleach or other harsh chemicals.

It is also wise to wear a dust mask when sanding. And if you are doing spray painting, wear an organic vapor respirator to prevent paint spray or fumes from entering the lungs.

Finally, opt for comfortable, loose-fitting clothing when doing any type of painting.

Tips on Ladder Safety

A hapless homeowner hanging from a ladder may be funny in a cartoon. But, in real life, ladder safety is serious business. Here are some things to keep in mind, whether your ladder work involves interior or exterior painting:

Inspect your ladders before you use them. Make sure the rungs are intact and free of dirt and paint buildup that could interfere with footing.
When extending or retracting an extension ladder, hold the pulley rope firmly; if the rope is released, the upper ladder section could drop down like a guillotine on your fingers, arms or feet.
Follow the “four contact” rule: When using an extension ladder, make sure that the tops of both rails make solid contact with walls, and that both legs make solid contact with the floor or ground.
Ensure that the ladder reaches at least three feet (91cm) higher than the highest level at which you want to stand. Never stand above the third-highest rung.
Place foam protectors on the tops of extension ladders, or simply wrap cloth around them. This will help prevent the ladders from slipping and protect your walls.
Before attempting to climb a stepladder, make sure the spreader bar is fully extended and locked in place for maximum stability.
Place the ladder at the correct angle. With a straight or extension ladder, the base should be one foot (30cm) away from the wall for every three feet (91cm) of height.
Empty your pockets of knives, scissors and other pointed tools before mounting any type of ladder.
Always face the ladder as you climb and dismount.
When on the ladder, keep your hips between the rails for good balance.
Always wear rubber-soled or non-slip shoes on any type of ladder.

Special Guidelines for Ladder Use Outdoors

If your project involves only exterior painting, here are some extra tips for added safety:

Avoid working in wet or windy weather. Do not, under any circumstances, climb a wet ladder.
Keep all ladders – especially those made of metal – away from power lines.
If the ground below isn’t solid and perfectly flat, provide secure, level footing for your ladders by placing wood panels or flagstones under the legs.
For added safety, anchor your ladder by tying it to a sturdy structural portion of the house or a large eyebolt fixed in the wall or fascia board.
While up on a ladder, do not push or pull too hard on a scraper or other tool. You could lose your balance or cause the ladder to slide.

Rules for Power Tools

Power washers, power sanders, spray painting equipment and the like can be a painter’s best friend – when they are used with adequate care and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Sprayers and washers work on the principle of forcing extremely high pressure – up to 3,000 psi (210.9 kg / cm2) – through a tiny vent. As a result, they can be hazardous to both health and home when used incorrectly or at very close range. Never point either type of equipment at any person or pet. And be sure this equipment is out of the reach of children at all times.

Furthermore, always wear proper clothing (long pants, long-sleeved shirts, gloves, etc.) when working with power sprayers; this will help protect you against the possibility of inadvertently injecting paint through your skin, should you accidentally hit the trigger while the nozzle is touching you.

Be careful that you don’t damage your home when using a power washer. If the pressure setting is too high, or if the nozzle is placed too close to the surface, the water can literally bore into wood siding, and break windows, sliding doors or other glass.

Power tools should never be plugged into a power source unless you are absolutely certain that the trigger or power switch is in the “off” position. Needless to say, power equipment should not be used in the rain, or the result could be an injury-causing electrical short circuit.

Safety With Solvents

When using spray equipment to apply oil-based paint or any other solvent-based coating, make sure all sources of flame are extinguished, including cigarettes and pilot lights on ovens and heating equipment.

Be sure to wear rubber gloves and work only in well-ventilated areas when using solvent-based products like oil-based paint, paint thinner, liquid sandpaper, de-glosser, brush cleaners and paint-and-varnish removers. And avoid haphazardly mixing these products together – toxic fumes may result.

If you use rags and paper to apply or clean up solvents or solvent-based coatings, spread them out to dry afterward, then place them in a fireproof container. If left in a wad or pile, they could spontaneously combust and cause a fire.

Cleaning Up After Painting

After you have finished painting, take time to properly clean your tools so that they will be ready for your next project. Try to do this before the paint has dried on your application equipment – it will simplify your work.

The first step in cleaning brushes and rollers is to remove any excess paint that may remain on them. Two tools can help with this task:

A brush comb is useful for removing excess paint from the bristles of brushes, especially paint that has collected and hardened down at the bottom of the bristles. Simply insert the comb into the bristles and “comb” the paint out toward the end of the bristles.
A spin dryer is designed to spin brushes and rollers to quickly remove excess paint. When using a spinner, operate it inside a cardboard box or pail to help contain droplets as they fly off your tools.

Once you have removed most of the excess paint with one of these tools, you should final-clean brushes and rollers. This is a simple job if you are using the more popular water-based latex paints; and slightly more difficult if you are working with oil-based or alkyd coatings.

To clean latex paint from brushes and rollers, simply wash them with plain soap (or detergent) and warm water. To clean oil-based or alkyd paints from application equipment, use turpentine or paint thinner; when you are finished, dispose of used cleaning fluids, rags and paper towels in a proper manner.

Tips on Storing Paint

At the end of the paint job, you will almost always have some leftover paint. Don’t dispose of it. There will be times when you will want to touch up your paint job, and you might have trouble matching the color at a later date.

What is the best way to store paint that has been opened? First, use a paper towel to thoroughly clean paint from the groove on the rim. Next, cover the can opening with plastic wrap to help keep the container airtight. Finally, replace the lid by using strong pressure to press it down into the groove lines.

When the leftover paint is an alkyd or oil-based product, it is also helpful to place a piece of waxed paper directly onto the paint before sealing the can. This will help you remove the film that tends to form on these types of paint when the can sits on the shelf for a long period of time. In the alternative, you can store cans of alkyd or oil-based paint upside down, so that the paint film is at the bottom of the can when it is reopened.

Always store paint in its original container, with the label intact. This will help you properly identify the color and type of paint when you go to use it again. If key information is concealed by paint drippings, write down the brand, manufacturer’s code, color, gloss level and type of paint on a strip of masking tape and affix it to the side of the can before you put it away.

One final tip: Never store paint where it will be subjected to subfreezing cold or extreme heat (over 100°F / 37.78°C). Although most paints are formulated to withstand several freeze-thaw cycles, these conditions can ruin coatings by causing them to solidify.

Proper Paint Disposal

If, for whatever reason, you want to dispose of leftover paint… or, if you have solvents or other chemicals that you want to dispose of... NEVER pour them down the drain, bury them or otherwise carelessly discard them. Depending upon the products involved and many other factors, this could create a health or environmental hazard.

Consider donating leftover paint in usable condition to churches or schools. They will probably appreciate the gesture. And you may earn yourself a “charitable contribution” tax deduction.

Otherwise, look into the local procedures for disposing of paints and chemicals. These vary from community to community: Some make regularly scheduled pickups of household hazardous waste; others have recycling and other disposal programs.

Disposal of Water-Based Latex Paints

In most areas, you can discard cans containing dried latex paint with ordinary household trash. If you have empty paint cans or cans that contain only a small amount of latex paint, remove the lids and allow the paint to dry out in a well-ventilated area that is out of the reach of children and pets. You can even add an absorbent material such as cat box litter to speed drying. When the paint is dry, you can throw away the cans and their contents with your regular trash. (Note: If you live in California, Washington or Minnesota, your state may require special procedures for disposal of latex paints.)

Disposal of Oil-based Paints

Air-drying of oil-based paints is not recommended, but if the paint has already solidified in a closed can, you can dispose of it in your regular trash.

Oil-based paint in liquid form should not be discarded with your ordinary trash. Instead, save it for a special paint collection program or household waste program in your community.

Recycle Empty Paint Cans

If you use up all of the paint in the cans (or if the cans contain one-quarter or less of dried latex paint), make sure you recycle the empty steel cans. This is as easy as recycling your aluminum soda cans, and every can you recycle is one less that will end up in a landfill!

Enjoy Your Painting Project

While exterior and interior painting are important means of protecting your home, they can also provide a great deal of personal satisfaction and be a lot of fun. So enjoy your painting project!

And don’t hesitate to ask your California Paints Dealer for information or advice. Our paint dealers are trained professionals with extensive knowledge of paints and coatings. They are there to help you. So draw on their expertise and experience. You will be glad that you did!

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