Home renovations are so painful, stressful, refreshing and wonderful! Whether you’re re-doing the entire house, or just updating a room or two, the renovation process can upend marriages, create clutter and lead to accidents without proper planning. Ease your mind: by working responsibly and putting safety procedures in place, you can keep risk, frustration and mess to a minimum.
Here are our tips for keeping your family safe during a renovation:
- Relocate high-use areas. If the room(s) you are renovating are those used every day – such as a kitchen, dining room or lounge – set up temporary spaces elsewhere in your home away from the activity so you can still safely accomplish as much as possible while those rooms are unavailable.
- Make tidying up a habit at the end of every day. Tidying pots of paint, primer, etc., putting away folding ladders and other basic housekeeping tasks are key to limiting the possibility of accidents while the renovation is underway. If young children are on-site, make sure tools, power equipment and materials are not accessible to them at any time.
- Use quality equipment. If you have decided to carry out the work yourself rather than hiring a remodeling company to undertake your renovation, good quality equipment will be key to your success. Some equipment is suited for occasional household tasks as well as the bigger renovations, so choose wisely to ensure you are maximizing cost-effectiveness while staying on budget.
- Take the power of power tools seriously. Renovating can be fun, especially with the help of power tools, but knowing how and where to use them is vital to keeping everyone safe. Always read and follow the instructions before using any power tool. Here are a few of the most common power tools and our safety reminders:
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- Table Saw: If you decide to go the DIY route, a table saw will surely come in handy for all your woodcutting needs. We recommend finding one like the Sawstop, which has the amazing safety feature of sensing skin and will immediately power off, if your fingers go near the blade.
- Electric Sanders: Using sandpaper is laborious. Instead, use an electric sander in preparation of wooden floors or furniture before varnishing, or to smooth a wall surface after primer before you paint. A pair of googles is a must to protect your eyes from the sawdust a sander creates.
- Power Drills: A power drill is another must-have and can be used to remove old grouting before retiling, to hang pictures or doors, and in woodwork such as building cupboards or assembling decking. A cordless drill will be even more convenient than worrying about the length of the power cord. Choose a drill with a high enough voltage to meet your renovation needs. If you are laying decking or drilling into walls, you don’t want to burn out the motor if you only have a low voltage drill.
- Angle Grinders: If tiling is to be done, the power tool you will need is an angle grinder, perfect for cutting tiles. For safety, DO NOT USE an angle grinder near flammable chemicals as sparks are created. Bear in mind the spinning disc can slip and risk amputating limbs or fingers, so extreme care must be taken. An angle grinder can also be used to polish metal or remove rust.
- Choose the safest paint on the market. We may be a bit biased, but the truth is, when it comes to choosing which paint to buy, AFM Safecoat products should be your first choice for a nontoxic environment! As the leading provider of environmentally responsible, sustainable and non-polluting paint (amongst other finishes), AFM Safecoat keeps the DIY enthusiast safe whilst painting without odor – meaning no more paint-headaches from the lingering smell! Our products are formulated with human health in mind and are free of off-gassing to avoid aggravating babies and sensitive customers prone to allergies.