Residential painting is a service many people will need at least once in their lifetimes. Interior house painters focus on painting a home’s inside, including both walls and ceilings. But is the process safe for home-dwellers, or should they steer clear until the painting is completed?
Staying During Painting
No matter what type of interior is receiving a paint job, generally speaking, you can remain inside your home while it is being painted. Keep the following caveats in mind, however.
Health Conditions
Paint fumes can contain substances known as volatile organic compounds. It all depends on what type of paint you’re using. If your paint does have VOCs, and if you or someone else living in the household has an illness or a particular susceptibility to strong odors, it might be best to seek other accommodations while painting is taking place.
Older individuals may want to rethink prolonging their exposure as well. The same applies if young children are in residence. If anyone in the house starts experiencing symptoms like headache, coughing, nausea, skin irritation, dizziness, or light-headedness, you should leave the residence.
Type of Paint
Oil-based paints often contain more volatile organic compounds in comparison to water-based latex paints. Further, oil paints usually take longer to dry. Since it’s recommended that you limit your exposure to still-wet paint, if oil paint is being used in large supply, you may want to reconsider staying in the house.
Painting Areas
An interior house painter works on both old and new homes and on residences of various sizes. The layout and design of a home may impact your ability to stay. For instance, smaller and older homes can be more difficult to ventilate and, therefore, may pose more of a risk. Open floor plans make containing fumes more challenging as well.
In addition, if largely unused areas such as basements are being painted, fumes and odors can be trapped, thereby raising the potential for health problems if you linger in these areas. Ideally, give any painted area at least two days of drying time before staying in it again.
Amount of Exposure
If you do stay inside a house undergoing painting, you should limit your exposure. One room at a time may be worked upon so that you can stay in a part of the house not being painted. Covering up ventilation holes in the unpainted area can further diminish exposure to fumes. If you do anticipate spending time in a freshly painted room (such as at night in a bedroom), keeping furnishings covered can prevent trapped vapors.
Keeping a painted room ventilated by opening windows and using fans that blow air out of the windows can likewise mitigate fume exposure. You’ll also want to bear in mind the weather conditions at the time of painting, such as cold or rainy weather, can prolong drying time and, by extension, prolong fume exposure. After the walls have been painted and have dried, keeping them clean can help alleviate lingering fumes, too.
How Interior House Painters Can Help
Professional painters are exposed to paint, so they have the ventilation equipment and techniques to make a residence safer during painting. Better yet, a professional can efficiently complete a project in less time than doing it yourself, minimizing inconvenience. If you still have questions about your ability to stay in a newly painted home, these experts can answer your questions.
Factors such as health, paint type, residential type, and duration of exposure are important variables that should be considered when deciding whether or not to remain in your house during the painting process.