Stay Safe While You Renovate With These 7 Safety Items

Coming out of a pandemic, we are probably all exhausted by talk of masks and gloves and PPE, but in a renovation context, especially when taking on demolition or working with power tools, the right protective gear is a necessity. 

Below, I have outlined the most useful safety equipment, as well as links to the products I use. So before you pick up a hammer, consider investing in these items to help keep your renovations safe and incident-free.

1. Respirator

2. Eye Protection

3. Construction Gloves

4. Steel Toed Boots 

5. Noise Reduction

6. Knee Pads 

7. A Solid Ladder

1. Respirator

One of the most important pieces of PPE will be a mask or respirator to protect your lungs. Demolition can kick up a ton of dust and it is not fun getting this into your airways. In addition, many older homes carry the risk of asbestos in materials like tile, insulation and wall coverings. I would always recommend doing asbestos testing for materials you suspect might contain it, but quite often, asbestos-containing elements are buried beneath other layers of renovations that have occurred in the house overtime, so a high-quality respirator mask will be your first line of defense when you don’t know what you might be uncovering. 

Full Face Respirator 

I like this anti-fog full-face respirator and I have one that I have used since the very beginning of the renovations. It uses detachable cartridges with disposable filters–just replace the filters in the cartridge when the air begins to taste/smell dusty. The great thing about the full face mask is that it doubles as effective eye protection and you don’t have to worry about the shield fogging up because the vapor from your breath is being exhaled through the mouth and nose covering. 

(*Please note that some of the reference links provided in this article may be affiliate links, meaning that any purchase from that link would help to support my site, at no additional cost to you.)

Half-Face Respirator

I have also used this half-face respirator and it works well, especially if you want something a bit lighter on your face, but if you are going with something like this, be sure to always pair it with eye protection.

Disposable Construction Masks 

For lighter work that doesn’t involve a lot of dust or harmful particulate matter, you can probably get away with just disposable construction masks. I use these for light demolition, when I’m installing new insulation batts or when I’m going to be around sawdust, ie, sanding or using the table saw for an extended period of time.  

2. Eye Protection

Flying debris is common when doing demo and operating power tools, so safety glasses or googles are essential. The trick is to find a pair that don’t fog up and are comfortable enough that you can forget you are wearing them. 

Safety Goggles

These Dewalt safety goggles are perfect for projects like demo where you will need to wear eye protection for long periods of time, as the adjustable elastic strap keeps them securely on your face without slipping. This particular pair are impact resistant, have UV protection against solar glare and have an anti-fog coating to preserve clarity of vision, even in humid working condition.

Safety Glasses

You might also want a pair that you can easily slip on and off just when you are using power tools or doing quick jobs that require them. I find it handy to keep a pair next to the table saw which kicks up a lot of sawdust. These are also thin enough to keep in your pocket or tool belt and pull out when you need them.

3. Construction Gloves

Okay. One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that in any given hardware store, I can never find construction gloves to fit my hands. Hardware stores just don’t sell normal construction gloves for small hands (ie, for women). I have asked multiple times, and each time I have been directed to a pair of floral gardening gloves. So, I have taken to buying gloves online. 

Gloves that fit

I’ve found these ones to be comfortable and they come in a variety of sizes to fit every hand shape. Construction gloves are different from, say, gardening gloves or rubber-dipped work gloves because they have padding on the back of the hand and the knuckles to keep your hands safe when doing things like demo. Construction gloves are more durable, with reinforced fingers that are often rubberized for non-slip grip. While it might be tempting to buy a larger glove if that is the only thing available, a good fit is really important for dexterity and to keep the fabric from catching.

4. Steel Toed Boots 

I used my steel toed boots a lot during reno, when I was constantly stepping on debris with nails. For instance, if you are working with lath and plaster, each piece of lath can easily have half a dozen nails that can pierce through the soft rubber sole of a running shoe, but not a good work boot.  These boots are also ESR rated, meaning they have resistance to electrical shock, helping to ground you and prevent injury if you come into accidental contact with an electrical current. So for demo projects especially, I would highly recommend investing in a good safety boot.

5. Noise Reduction

Protection for your hearing is an important piece of safety equipment that often gets overlooked. Prolonged exposure to noise over 85 decibels can lead to hearing loss, and power tools like nailers, sanders and saws are often over 90 dBA. But it is not just power tools that cause dangerous levels of noise, some of the most ear-spitting sounds I have encountered on a jobsite has been during demolition. The hammer hitting the back of a prybar, a technique used repeatedly in demo to get the wedge of a wrecking bar underneath something that needs to be pried up, creates a ringing reverberation of metal on metal that can be damaging so close to your eardrums.

Construction Earmuffs

These earmuffs are have a noise reduction rating of 30 decibels, perfect for working with power tools and doing demo, and they are comfortable. While I would highly suggest a pair like this for louder projects, regular construction earplugs can also be effective. 

Earplugs

I also recently picked up a pair of Loop earplugs (not sponsored, I just really like them) and while they don’t provide the same level of noise reduction that the earmuffs, or even a regular construction earplugs would (these ones that I bought have a noise reduction of 7 dB), I find I can pop them in and forget I’m wearing them and get a decent boost to my hearing protection while still being able to hear background music and people talking. The Loop brand also has a series called Loop Quiet, which have a noise reduction rating of 14 dB, and come in a variety of colors. 

6. Knee Pads 

This one is more of a good-to-have, rather than an essential bit of equipment. This past summer, my knee inexplicably swelled to the size of a grapefruit with no explanation other than the fact that I was doing a lot of work from a kneeling position. So while knee pads are now more of an essential item for me, others might get away without them. Some exceptions might be laying or refinishing flooring, tiling or doing other jobs that are hard on your knees. There are some really great high-end kneepads available but I find the foam ones are nice and lightweight and get the job done.

7. A Solid Ladder

While this isn’t exactly PPE, selecting the right ladder is an important choice to make that can directly affect your safety. Our first ladder (a Werner aluminum A-frame with a 225-pound capacity) served us well for several years, until it recently buckled when my brother-in-law was using it, resulting in a serious fall and a badly twisted ankle. It was the most dangerous accident that has happened during our renovations so far, and it could have been so much worse. So I would highly recommend investing in a durable ladder with at least a 350lb load capacity (It is important to consider the weight of the person that might be using or borrowing the ladder, plus the load of anything heavy they might be lifting, ie, a beam or joist).

A-Frame Step Ladder

There are many types of ladders to choose from, but for most indoor DIY projects, one good A-frame stepladder is probably the most useful. I would recommend one with at least 5 steps, as it is tall enough to reach most ceilings without standing on the top step, yet still lightweight enough to move around easily, replacing the need for a smaller step ladder.

This Dewalt model is extremely durable with a 500lb load capacity, yet it is lightweight enough to carry, weighing only 26lbs. It also has well-designed top compartments for holding tools and a magnetic band to catch screws.

Final Thoughts

Despite its obvious importance, I find safety equipment is sometimes considered a bit of an afterthought; an additional, often overlooked expense after all of the other tools and materials that will be needed to complete a reno. However, it is important to consider the cost of what could happen if we don’t properly protect ourselves. There are many variations of personal protective equipment, with items available at different price ranges to suit any budget, and while a cheaper set of PPE is better than nothing, not all protective equipment is created equal. I would suggest considering the effectiveness and durability of each item you purchase and how it will serve you overtime.

The original ladder we bought was one of the lowest-cost ladders available, and while it was useful in the right circumstances, we paid the price when the foot of the ladder bent and failed catastrophically, resulting in an injury to one of our family members that could have been avoided. Most of the equipment we purchased early on (another exception being gloves which just naturally wear out from frequent use) are still items I use today, and it is a good feeling knowing that we got our money’s worth from items we invested in so early on.

So before you begin your reno or consider your wish list of tools, give a bit of thought to what personal protective equipment you will need, and factor it into your reno budget early on. It is always beneficial to invest in safety. I guarantee you won’t regret it.