Proper dust prevention

Dust Containment in the workplace

One of the biggest customer complaints about having painters in their homes is dust and lack of cleaning after the work has been completed! The following is how to ensure dust containment in the workplace.

Professional painting contractors and painting companies usually have proper systems in place to estimate/allocate time for cleaning.

Whether it’s prep time, painting time, or cleaning time, they can all be added into the painting estimate/contract. That means the painters take the time to clean after themselves and get paid to do so. However, the time spent on cleaning dust, paint spatters, and mess from an average room could be few hours. Therefore, at a rate of $75 an hour, this can add up quickly.

Most of the dust is generated from sanding drywall patches and trim. Even with proper covering and masking-off the work area, the joint compound dust is so fine that literally find its way out into adjacent rooms. 

Steps to ensure dust containment

There are few simple steps that can be taken in order to reduce the spreading of dust.

As mentioned above masking-off entrances to the work area prevents dust from leaving the work site. Using statically charged plastic films can help in attracting some of the airborne dust. Furthermore, using multiple layers of plastic to cover up furniture is the best solution. This enables painters to collect the top layer as it gets dusty and then dispose it.

This way there is always a clean plastic film on the top. Last but not least, using sticky plastic pads in entrances to collect dust from shoes as workers leave the work area is important to keep dust contained! 

Sanding with Festool Planex sander

One of the best ways to manage dust and cut down on time spent cleaning is to utilize industrial dust extractors when sending patches and wood surfaces.

These specialty Festool Dust Extractors hook up to different sanders and can collect more than 90% of the dust before it gets airborne. Less dust means less time spent on cleaning after the work is completed.

Saving cleaning time translates in less time allocation for cleaning in the estimate. That can save customers hundreds of dollars for an average interior painting project.

Interior painting projects require a different level of care and attention to details that are not usually the case with many who claim to be painters. It’s only with the right organization and tools that professional house painters can provide a safe and pleasant experience for their customer!

Please call or email us to set up an estimate or consultation at 914.762.7874 or info@painttrack.com. 
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