Tips on Avoiding Interior Painting Mess Ups with Young Children in the Home
On its face, residential interior painting can seem like a simple process. However, achieving the best painting results requires more than just slapping on a new coat and calling it a day. Not only are there various prerequisite steps to take before putting brush to wall -- there are also countless opportunities for mistakes and messes involved with interior painting projects. These risks are only compounded by the presence of young children. As a general rule, kids and interior house paint don’t mix. At minimum, small hands can smudge wet paint and track paint onto other surfaces. At worst, kids can ingest paint, creating serious health hazards.
For the sake of your paint job and your children’s health and safety, here are some tips for avoiding interior painting problems with young kids in the home.
How to Keep Children from Damaging Paint Job
Keep Your Kids in the Loop
Kids are smarter than we often give them credit for. Of course, if your kids are extremely young, they won’t understand what you’re doing or why it’s potentially dangerous for them to get near wet paint. Slightly older kids, however, may be mature enough to understand what’s happening and how to handle the situation. Depending on your kids’ age(s) and maturity level(s), then, you might want to let them know that you’ll be investing in fresh paint for your home and that they should avoid interfering with the project. If your kids don’t know what’s going on, they’re more likely to accidentally mess up your paint job.
Keep Work Areas Closed Off from Kids
Regardless of how in-the-know your kids are about the project, it’s usually a good idea to prevent them from entering the work zone until it’s safe to do so. Keeping young kids out may be as simple as locking a door or installing a child-proof gate. This way, you can rest assured that those little hands won’t touch the drying interior paint even if you’re momentarily distracted.
Remove or Cover Non-Paintable Surfaces
This is an important step to take for any interior painting project. After all, you don’t want paint landing on surfaces you didn’t plan on painting, such as floors, furniture, and so on. Before you get started, it’s a good idea to take moveable objects out of the room and cover fixed surfaces with sheets and drop cloths. Doing so won’t just protect you from interior painting mess-ups -- it will also decrease the odds of one of your kids getting paint where it doesn’t belong (in case they manage to make their way into the work area).
Try to Paint When Your Kids Are Away
Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one. If you want to avoid interior painting mess-ups caused by your children, it only makes sense to tackle this project when they’re not around. Now, this is easier said than done for some folks. After all, it’s not always possible to find someone to watch your kid(s), and they might still be too young for daycare or school. If, however, there’s an opportunity for your kids to get out of the house for an extended period of time, take advantage of this period and get as much painting done as you can. Unless your kids are away for several days, though, you’ll still want to take the other steps mentioned here, as it can take time for interior wall paint to fully dry. Plus, the odors of recently painted rooms can be bothersome and potentially hazardous for young kids (this is also why it’s important to select the best interior paint for kids in the home).
At Anderson Painting, our experts work in all kinds of environments, and we know how tricky scheduling can be with kids around. Our expertise allows us to paint homes without making a mess while also ensuring the ongoing safety of everyone inside. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
