Having construction work done in your home disrupts your normal flow and can be dangerous. With pieces of equipment, ripped-up materials, stacks of old materials, or tools laying around, it can be hard to keep your kids away from these items and protect them from injury. In this blog, we will give some tips for safety for people of all ages during a remodeling project, how to keep your kids preoccupied while renovating, and how to get your project done on a short timeline. Renovating with kids doesn’t have to be impossible when you work with the right people.

Rosewood Painting and Remodel know that improving your home has to happen in the midst of your other life happenings. We work to complete projects in the shortest time possible and respect your space. Keeping your home and family safe is one of our ultimate goals. 

1- Talk About The Reason Behind Your Renovations With Your Kids

Discussing the why of your remodel or DIY project with your kids will help them understand what will occur during the project and how long it will last. Clear communication is important when you are raising kids, so telling them about new people coming into the space, giving them an idea of what the home will look like when it’s done, and showing that is it ok to work hard for something you want, will all be good learning opportunities as well.

2- Consider The Time Of The Year

Renovating with kids often means that you will need to get out of the house occasionally or create a space in your home where they can play safely. During the winter or fall, this may make keeping your home warm a bit harder, or taking trips to the park more work than it is worth. If you are thinking about starting a DIY project or hiring a contractor, think about the weather and how it will affect your children’s mindset. 

3- Clean Up Paint And Tools When You’re Done

Leaving materials and tools laying around can bed dangerous for children. If you are working on a remodel project yourself, make sure to clean up your workstation and other materials when you are done working for the day. If you are working with a company, make sure they know that little kids will be around, and ask what safety measures can be taken. 

It may just take some extra work on your part as a parent to make sure kids don’t ingest paint, play with sharp equipment, or knock over equipment on top of them. 

4- Let Children Help With Small Projects

Letting children paint on some primer, using a screwdriver to remove a screw, or helping sweep up some debris will help them feel involved. 

Get some little tools, fake tools, or a small paintbrush and get them involved. Kids may not be very helpful, but it is worth it instead of fighting to keep them out of the construction zone. 

5- Communicate With Your Contractor

As mentioned above, if you are going to have external people working in your home, telling them before any demo work, or large-scale jobs about your kids can make things a lot easier. While it is not the construction worker’s job to watch your kids, having a heads-up will prevent any surprises. 

6- Take A Family Outing To Escape The Remodel

Disrupting the routine is a large part of renovating with kids and may set them into a rebellious or angry mood. When the weather is good, taking your kids to the park, the pool, or on a bike ride can be a good escape from the chaos. 

If you are doing DIY projects in your home, carving out time to spend as a family is important during a stressful time. Take time to go out to dinner, spend a Saturday at the museum, or take a trip or staycation while some projects are taking place. Renovating and remodeling are expensive, but getting the kids out of the house doesn’t have to be expensive. Ask neighbors or friends to watch the kids for an hour or two.

7- Buy Special Toys Just For The Remodel Stage

Take the kids to the thrift store and pick out a special toy or book that they can use during the remodeling timeline. Not only does this get you out of the construction zone, but it gives the kids something to look forward to when many of their other toys are stored away. 

8- Shut Off The Reno Space With A Door Or Plastic Sheeting

If possible, keep the renovation space blocked off from your kids. Tell them not to enter the space, keep the door shut when you are not working, or cover an opening with plastic sheeting and caution tape. Renovating with kids will require some extra safety steps.

9- Come To Terms With Living In A Mess

Living in a construction zone will be overwhelming, so coming to terms with this and helping to keep your kids calm will help improve everyone’s mental state. Renovating with kids may make the amount of mess even more overwhelming. Living in a mess can make it hard to function as a family, but everyone can do their part to help clean, keep materials from taking over personal space and keep a clear head in times of stress. 

Your children will pick up on your frustration and stress and mimic it. Try your best to decompress and keep the home calm despite the construction mess. 

Trust Your Remodel To Rosewood

Rosewood Painting And Remodel wants to improve the value and appearance of your home. Our team wants to work with homes and businesses across Utah and help them have updated spaces and better home functionality. Contact our team to start your next home project!

Lead paint was once seen as a marvelous invention but has turned out to be a huge problem for many painters and homeowners. Lead paint has existed for years and has been causing health problems for just as long. Here is some more information about the dangers of lead paint and how we can protect our homes and loved ones from lead poisoning. 

Why Is Lead Paint Dangerous?

The first symptoms appearing in children who ate lead paint chips were the first reason to suspect the dangers of lead. In 1925-1927, more painters died in the U.S. than in any other profession. The efforts to ban lead began shortly after, but nothing concrete stuck until around 1971. Seven years later, the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a final ban on the use of lead paint in all homes. 

Lead stays inside your body once inhaled or digested. It can deteriorate your bones and tissues. As you age your body can release the lead back into your bloodstream even if it hasn’t caused problems in years. 

Symptoms And Problems Of Lead Poisoning

Common symptoms of lead poisoning include: 

• Constipation
• Stomach pain
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Trouble Sleeping
• Memory Loss
• No Appetite
• Always Feeling Tired
• Joint Pain
• Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Or Premature Birth

Some that are common in children are:

• Developmental Delay
• Irritability
• Weight Loss
• Hearing Loss
• Seizures

Once you have a significant amount of lead in your system, it can cause major health problems in adults. Some common ones are discussed below. 

Reproductive Problems- The biggest concern that comes from lead paint is its effects on the reproductive system. In males, it can decrease libido and semen quality. In females, it can change menstrual cycles, reduce fertility, and delay hormone production. This can lead to infertility or preterm birth. 

Anemia- Lead can stop the production of hemoglobin which gives red blood cells their color and helps blood move oxygen through the body. Lead can stop your body from getting enough iron and lead to anemia. 

Kidney Damage- Less common in recent years, kidney damage from lead is most common in those who are exposed to high amounts of lead on a job or for several years. Those with pre-existing kidney problems are at higher risk. Low levels of lead do not tend to lead to kidney damage.

Brain Effects- Lead poisoning takes a major toll on the brain and can damage the prefrontal cerebral cortex, and multiple parts that affect memory, information processing, and body movement. This damage can possibly cause Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or even schizophrenia. 

How Did It End Up In Paint?

Lead compounds were originally added to paint to create bright and vivid colors. These colors included white, yellow, and red to help enrich the pigment and help extend the paint coverage further. 

Lead paint was marked as durable and after that, it has been used widely in commercial buildings and residential buildings alike. 

Solutions

If you do find that lead paint is present in your home or business, the first response does not have to be a full repainting job. While getting rid of lead paint is a big project, there are other small ways to help combat the effects of lead paint. These include: 

• Fix peeling paint
• Keep kids away from open paint
• Avoid sanding lead paint in your home
• Eat a healthy diet
• Clean clothes and shoes, or remove them before coming inside

Paint Alternatives

Red oxide, zinc phosphate primers, activated zinc primers, and alkyd primers. Titanium dioxide has superior color properties over the lead. Lead was used in paint to shorten drying time, increase pigment, and help paint weathering. 

For indoor paints, lead is unnecessary because it does not need to withstand weather and UV light. There are more additives that are much safer than lead paint, including inorganic pigments to produce bright colors and are anti-corrosive. There are cost-effective alternatives that are making their way into household and commercial paints today. 

Avoid The Dangers Of Lead Paint, Trust Rosewood Painting

We strive to give our customers a safe and exceptional painting experience. Whether we are working inside or outside of your home, we want to keep you safe. Rosewood Painting works with non-lead-based paint to keep those in your home or business healthy. While lead was once known as the best way to increase pigment, times have changed and pigmented paint is available without the health risks. 
Our mission is to have customers who believe we are the best place to meet their painting needs. We also strive to give our employees the best place to work and make our communities better. If you are considering a painting project, contact Rosewood Painting today.