Schedule a consultation
Any home renovation is an extensive project that should be left to be done by professionals. However, with proper research and planning, construction skills, equipment, and creativity, you may choose to tackle your home renovation yourself.
Preparing for a home renovation project involves gearing up with the essentials. Working within your home doesn’t mean you can skip on following the safety working standards. It means you have to be equipped with proper safety wear to avoid accidents and ensure comfort.
To get ready for your DIY home renovation, here are some of the safety wear you have to prepare:
A shirt with long sleeves is the essential workwear in any construction setting. Aside from providing basic protection, this clothing will help keep you comfortable while working.
When shopping for proper work tees, look for those made with durable yet breathable fabric. Moisture-wicking fabrics like polyester and nylon are best for trapping moisture away from the skin, keeping you dry and comfy. These materials are also highly durable, making them perfect for protective clothing.
In addition to durability, another quality to look for is elasticity. A proper work shirt should allow you to move your arms freely. Elastic fabrics do not hinder your movements which is great for keeping you functioning at your best.
For total comfort, pair your work tee with durable work pants. Long pants can keep your lower body safe from cuts and bruises during your home renovation.
When shopping for work pants, look for the ones with high quality and stretchable fabric. While good old denim pants seem perfect, especially if you’ll only do paint works, upgrading to utility pants with elastic stretch is best for more flexibility.
Additionally, proper work pants have multiple pockets. These pockets are often double-layered for extra protection from sharp bits and screws you may carry.
Another notable feature of pants dedicated to intense construction work is cut resistance. You can find highly durable yet lightweight pants that suit your style without compromising comfort and protection.
To level up your basic safety working clothes, you may wear a leather apron. Leather is a rigid material used to craft other safety wear like gloves to prevent cuts and bruises.
A leather apron is a piece of essential protective equipment worn during woodworking. It protects your clothes and body from sharp tools used to cut and shape wood.
Moreover, a leather apron is also one of the welder’s must-have items. Leather is a natural material that has heatproofing capacity. It provides enough protection from burns caused by sparks during welding and cutting metals.
If you’re not convinced with leather’s protective qualities, you may choose a polyurethane apron as an alternative. Polyurethane is also a more durable material than genuine leather despite its lower price.
When shopping for a protective apron, go for ones with many pockets to easily carry small tools, screws, and nails.
Protecting your hands is the top priority since they’ll be the most exposed to different materials and chemicals during construction. Therefore, grabbing suitable gloves for each project is a must.
The type of protective gloves you’ll need for your home improvement project depends on the materials you’ll be working on. For instance, prolonged usage of angle grinders and impact drills means you’ll need impact and vibration-resistant gloves. Aside from providing a firmer grip, the right glove can also help prevent hand-arm vibration syndrome.
As a general rule, you should choose gloves that provide a high level of cut-resistance, grip control, breathability, and dexterity. You may also wear fabric gloves under any protective gloves for added comfort and warmth, especially if you’ll be working in the cold. Also, get the accurate size to maximize its protective function.
Face shields protect from chemical splashes, sharp debris, and sparks. Wearing one is a safety standard followed in construction sites to ensure maximum protection.
Despite working within the comfort of your home, wearing a face shield is a must to prevent accidental bruises and chemical splashes on your face. It can also protect your eyes from chips when you’re cutting metal and wood.
If your home renovation project only requires woodworking, face shields made with high-grade polycarbonate or cellulose acetate would provide enough protection. They’re impact-resistant and provides good optical quality.
You’ll need a welding helmet or mask if you’re doing metal works like cutting and welding. Unlike regular protective face shields, welding helmets provide ample protection against flash burns.
There’s a variety of welding helmets you can choose from according to your needs. The most affordable option is the classic passive welding helmet. It’s made with tough materials that can withstand UV rays and extreme heat. However, its lens is adjusted manually.
Your next best option is a helmet with an auto-darkening lens. It detects the light emitted while welding and adjusts the lens’ brightness accordingly. This simple upgrade can help you work faster since there’s no need to stop working to change the lens’s brightness manually.
Safety glasses function like face shields but solely for the eyes. It provides total protection even on the sides of the eyes to prevent penetration of harmful debris or chemicals that may cause injury and irritation.
There are various types of safety glasses that can suit your needs. You may use filtered ones to protect your eyes against ultraviolet light and heat. Wearing one under a clear face shield can provide further protection when you’re working under the sunlight.
Moreover, if you’ll be doing some paint jobs, you may get clear safety glasses instead of tinted ones for better optic quality. It will protect your eyes from accidental paint splashes that can cause chemical burns.
The type of headgear you’ll need depends on the project’s expected level of intensity and hazard. The aim of wearing headgear is to protect your head from falling objects, as well as from light and heat, especially if you’ll be working outside.
For renovations that involve lifting objects like ceiling installation and repair, wearing a hard hat is a must. Wearing an impact-resistant helmet prevents head injuries during construction. Light-colored hard hats can also prevent heat stress, especially if you’re exposed to sunlight.
Moreover, high-quality hard hats also provide protection when working on electrical wiring and repairs. They are made to protect you from electric shocks and other traumatic brain injuries.
If you’ll be working in the middle of winter and for increased comfort, you may wear a flat top beanie under a hard hat. Aside from keeping your head warm, it can also provide a cushion between your head and the hat.
On the other hand, in working on less hazardous home renovation projects like wall painting, basic woodworking, and floor installation, wearing a comfortable, breathable, and moisture-wicking protective cap is enough.
Dealing with electrical connections means you’ll need sufficient protection against electric shock and fire hazards. Like what every expert in this field says, wearing a fire retardant coverall is necessary.
Fire retardant coveralls are made with chemically treated fabric to ensure fire resistance. Wearing one while doing electrical work and welding is necessary to protect you from sparks that may cause a flame.
In case of fire, the fabric used in fire retardant coverall will protect your skin from heat and burns. The clothing won’t melt to your skin, unlike synthetic fabrics such as nylon, and it is also self-extinguishing, meaning that once the flame or heat source is removed from the fabric, the fabric ceases to burn.
Furthermore, fire retardant coveralls are available, both reusable and disposable. To avoid fabric damage during washing, you may choose disposable ones. Plus, they’re also less expensive compared to reusable coveralls.
As a reminder, electric works should be done by licensed, trained professionals. While some homeowners choose to take on minor electrical DIY work after researching, we recommend reaching out to an expert to avoid certain risks.
Most power tools produce loud sounds that can cause ear damage through prolonged exposure. To keep your ears safe, wearing noise-reducing earmuffs is the best solution.
Noise-reducing earmuffs are made with unique materials that dampen noises in the environment. They protect your ears from high-frequency noises produced by the gears and fans of power tools.
Earmuffs have a cushion, making them comfortable to wear while working. You may also find ones made with moisture-resistant fabric that keep sweat from absorbing.
When shopping for good-quality earmuffs, always check their noise reduction rating or NRR. The highest NRR available in the market is 31. However, you can always upgrade its efficiency by wearing it with earplugs.
For doing a home renovation that requires working a minimum of three meters in height, like painting high exterior walls, you’ll need a safety belt or harness to secure your safety.
A safety belt is a piece of personal protective equipment required when working at least 10 feet from the ground. It serves as a fall arrest in case of slipping. Using this safety wear is a must to still observe the safety working standards even at home.
Safety belts or harnesses are made with polyester, a highly durable fiber commonly used for other workwear. However, if hot works like torch-cutting and welding are involved, it’s best to look for a safety belt made of heat and fire-resistant materials like Kevlar.
Another factor you have to consider is the size of the harness. Its fit significantly impacts its function and your safety. Along with the size, you must also consider comfort. It should be a non-negotiable factor that you should take into consideration since you’ll be wearing it for a long time.
Harmful dust is always present when working with wood and concrete. When inhaled, this may lead to irritation and lung problems. Wearing a respirator with an accurate filter can help prevent these hazards.
Before you start working on your home renovation project, grab yourself an appropriate air-purifying respirator and replacement filters. A respirator blocks tiny particles that you may inhale when cutting and sanding wood.
A respirator also protects you from inhaling silica dust—a natural chemical that can be fatal since it restricts lungs from taking in oxygen. Silica dust is present in concrete, porcelain tiles, mortar, and bricks.
Aside from hazardous dust, a respirator can also protect you from welding fumes that negatively affect one’s health. When inhaled for an extended period, welding fumes can cause shortness of breath, nausea, irritation in the nose and throat, and may even lead to severe lung problems.
To ensure the efficiency of your respirator, replace your filter after a maximum of 40 hours. Replace it immediately when you feel like you’re not getting enough oxygen.
Moreover, consider the type and rate of filters appropriate for the work type. You may see the letters N, R, and P, which are indicators of the type of respirator you have. P100 filters are the most efficient in blocking particles. It’s also oil-proof. In contrast, R is oil-resistant, while N is not. In terms of rating, a higher number means higher filtering capacity.
To ensure overall protection from head to toe, grab yourself a pair of work shoes or boots. Unlike regular rubber shoes and sneakers, work shoes are crafted to provide maximum impact protection.
Wearing safety shoes and steel-toe boots protects your feet from different hazards like stepping on sharp objects, bumping on hard corners, and dropping heavy objects. They are made with a protective layer that’s highly impact-resistant.
The soles of safety shoes are also specially made to be anti-slip and thermal resistant. It prevents accidents like slipping on wet floors and burning from torches and sparks.
Aside from protection, wearing the right shoes during your home renovation also provides comfort for a long day of work. You may also wear socks with reinforced heel and toe sections, specially made to wear with steel-toe boots.
There’s a wide range of options on safety shoes and boots that offer maximum protection, durability, and comfort. For checking out different safety shoes and boots’ specifications and for more information check out mancaveworkwear.com.au.
Conclusion
Getting the proper protective wear for your home renovation projects is a safety standard you must follow. Above your project’s quality is your safety. Also, ensuring protection from all types of hazards will help you work more efficiently.