Our painters at Sharper Impressions love pets. We want yours to be safe while we are hard at work repainting your home’s interior. Here are a few tips to prevent any mishaps or health problems when you have your home’s interior repainted.

Four-Legged Friends

There are a few things to consider for hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, dogs and other furry friends when Sharper Impressions is working in your home. Give them a vacation. Take them to a friend’s house or their favorite kennel for a day or two three. Since animals’ noses are much more sensitive than human noses, the paint fumes may bother them. Their bodies are smaller and they may feel the stronger effects from the fresh paint as it dries. We do use low-VOC paints, but that is not enough for our small furry friends.

Fish and Reptiles

Pets in tanks, such as fish and reptiles, should be moved to another portion of the house in a well-ventilated area and have the tank covered with breathable fabric for extra precaution. When Sharper Impressions is  painting the entire house, consider giving your pets in tanks a vacation, too.

If you are unsure, ask your local veterinary professional for advice on your particular pet.

Sharper Impressions Painting has earned the Lead Safety Certification for home renovation, repair and painting. This lead safety certification is a new requirement of the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, for spring 2010. It is imperative if a home is built before 1978, to use a painting contractor who is certified for Lead RRP (Renovation, Repair and Painting).

This certification ensures that Sharper Impressions Painting is educated and capable of testing your home for lead, quoting lead removal, and safely painting homes built before 1978. We are able to test for lead and then proceed to prepare, clean and paint the home properly. As a certified renovator for homes with lead present, we use proper containment procedures outlined by the EPA.

First of all, it is important for us to answer one crucial question: Why is lead dangerous to your family? Lead is very dangerous to children, and can cause damage to the brain and nervous system. Pregnant women are also in danger of the lead paint causing damage to their unborn child. Adults can be affected by having high blood pressure, and different types of physical fatigue. Lead exposure can cause permanent damage and should be properly prevented by using a certified paint contractor like Sharper Impressions Painting.

Sharper Impressions Painting has been taught the correct way to test for possible lead paint throughout the home. Surfaces that are suspected to have lead paint need to be scratched to the bare wood, ¼”, and the testing device should be used over the area to check for traces of lead. Once the test is complete, a formal lead sheet will be provided to the homeowner outlining any problem areas. If lead is present, the homeowner must sign the form acknowledging the issue before the paint contractor is able to move forward and start the painting project.

In order to contain lead on an interior painting jobsite, we cover everything in the room; including all vents, windows and doors that may be open, as well as taping all covers to the floor and walls to ensure no saturation into other areas. Containing lead on an exterior painting jobsite requires plastic sheets be spread out and taped to the wall, along with a barrier set up around the work area.

A certified painting contractor like Sharper Impressions Painting will test a home prior to painting to determine if lead is present. The painter will then contain the lead dust, water run off and chips, and proceed to apply two coats of safe, non-toxic waterbourne acrylic latex paint or stain on the home.