Some Days Just SUCK!

[Doc Sprocket]

This was my day today.

Background: I work for a contracting firm that handles insurance work. If you have a flood, fire, B&E, tree damage, wind damage, vehicle impact, whatever- your insurance company pays us to deal with the emergency, and ultimately repair/rebuild your home.

The place I'm in right now had a fire, Christmas day. The basement's been gutted, and I am spraying KILZ, an alkyd-based sealer-primer that encapsulates any remaining smoke, soot, and smell. Once completed and dry, we can commence the rebuild.

Unfortunately, it's called "Kilz" for a pretty good reason. The s**t stinks to high heaven, and the chemical composition will funk you up good. First, it'll give you a wicked headache and stone you out. Ultimately, it'll screw up your central nervous system and kill you.

So- pretty much full HazMat gear. Cartridge respirator, spray suit, gloves, boots, hood, headwrap, face smeared with vaseline... Ugly. Sticky. Stinky. Uncomfortable task at absolute best.

I am applying it directly out of the 5-gallon pails it comes in, using a Titan piston-pump spray machine that delivers the material through the spray gun at more than 3000PSI. ALL surfaced must be completely coated- Ceiling, joists, walls, remaining studs, beams, posts, floors, everything...

So- you think YOUR day sucked? You COULD be me... LOL. Fortunately, I do not have to do this too often. This is only the second time I've had to do it in the last six months. There's other guys on staff that get shanghai'd into doing it on other occasions.

 

[devino246]

Sounds like a long day. I guess you spray it instead of roll it on because it's quicker?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Partially. Also because rolling exposed studs, joists, rafters, pipes, wires etc would be ridiculous. Any walls, ceilings etc that that have not been completely demolished are reduced to bare studs (framing). Any and all remaining surfaces must be coated.

The picture shows me finishing the room. Before spraying, it was entirely black except for the concrete floor. That room was actually the source of the fire, and had been a basement kitchen.

 

[Badot]

Wow, that's gotta suck. At least it's not a hot day in the middle of summer when you need to wear the hazmat gear though.

 

[devino246]

How'd you get into that business anyway?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

@Badot- Like the one I did 6 months ago? Yeah. That WAS bad.

@Devino- I have spent MOST of my working life as a painter. My dad is, so in high school, I painted. In college, I painted. Through my whole adult life, whenever I got bored with what I was doing, or wanted a change, I got back into painting. About 7 years ago, my dad ended up with this company, and he bugged the he// out of me for about 4 years to apply for a job. I was getting very tired of my job (which consisted primarily of welding) and finally applied. I've been with this company about 3.5 years now. Sometimes, I even end up on the same jobsite as my dad, which is a treat. We get along very well. Although our company can do non-insurance related contracting, the insurance industry keeps us busy enough that we almost never take private contracts.

I am technically on staff as a painter, but often take on other duties. Occasionally, even welding. I am on the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and am working towards WSIB certification.

 

[fowler]

Wow, that's gotta suck. At least it's not a hot day in the middle of summer when you need to wear the hazmat gear though.

Currently 35 *C
Wearing full high vis cloths
Thermal lanceing pivot pins and swinging on a sledge hammer for half an hour
I'm rooted

 

[sideways]

I get shat on by cows for a living.

 

[landuse]

It is 38*C out here today. Luckily I work in an air conditioned office now, but I use to work at a wine farm delivering their wine to exporters (amongst other things). Now that was tiring work. Driving an old truck in 30+*C heat all the way to Cape Town from Stellenbosch every day was hot work. And I had to do all the fork lift loading and unloading. I think I left a bum imprint on that seat that will never come out.

I suppose I cannot complain too much. At least I have a job.

 

[souperman000]

Is the job market as bad in SA as it is in the US?

 

[landuse]

Is the job market as bad in SA as it is in the US?

Yup, its pretty bad. Even if you have a university degree, you are not guaranteed of a job. There are lot of university graduates flipping burgers.

 

[fowler]

come to west aus

we are desperate for skilled work
teachers doctors so on

they all move overseas or go to the mines

toystory u rekon this kilz will kill u
if u just paint over it wont it be toxic to the owners when the paint starts to peal off
or god forgive the house catches fire again

 

[newrider3]

toystory u rekon this kilz will kill u
if u just paint over it wont it be toxic to the owners when the paint starts to peal off
or god forgive the house catches fire again

Kilz is just like any other paint, bad sh!t to spray, but more or less harmless once dry. It's basically just a really high quality primer. We used it all the time at my old job, prepping apartments that had been smoked in or water damaged before new tenants moved in.

 

[shakey0818]

I own a painting co and I have sprayed thousands of gallons of that stuff.I don't use it much anymore.about 6 years ago I used the sherwn Williams orderless stain blocking primer on this 20 by 15 room with no ventilation or resporator.just cause it says odorless don't mean it isn't toxic.I got so messed up I could barely talk and walk.I am sure I was really close to respiratory failure.I feel ya pain.

 

[devino246]

I get shat on by cows for a living.

I'd rather do that than alot of other jobs.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I own a painting co and I have sprayed thousands of gallons of that stuff.I don't use it much anymore.about 6 years ago I used the sherwn Williams orderless stain blocking primer on this 20 by 15 room with no ventilation or resporator.just cause it says odorless don't mean it isn't toxic.I got so messed up I could barely talk and walk.I am sure I was really close to respiratory failure.I feel ya pain.

...Which is EXACTLY why I refuse to use any of the "odorless" products. I do not like the fact that they "sneak up" on you. Your nose tells you that things really aren't that bad, meanwhile, the real damage is being done. At least with the "stinky" stuff, you can TELL when your respirator seal is bad or you have cartridge breakthrough.

Unfortunately (as I'm sure those of you in the know can attest to) there just is no substitute for the stuff that is user-friendly. The very nature of smoke and water damage dictates that an acrylic or latex won't cut it. Combine that with the very nature of my business, and it is what it is, which is completely unavoidable.

While chemists are making great strides in waterborne alkyd emulsions, I cannot forsee any user-friendly substitute any time soon. The best we can do for now is take all the precautionary measures we can, and make sure to use the appropriate protective equipment.

As a member of the company's Joint Health and Safety Committee, I am pressuring the company towards the purchase of the ultimate in protective equipment for situations like this: respirator equipment that constantly supplies fresh, uncontaminated air directly to the user.

Kilz could be defined as a high-quality primer,and indeed it is. However, the chemical constitution gives it abilities (see smoke and water comments) well above and beyond any waterborne material available. Unfortunately, this chemical composition is an incredible health hazard.

Shakey- it's amazing what we used to do to ourselves in days gone by, yes? Ever seen a retired painter? No- doesn't happen. They just work 'till they die from it. The most f*ked up I have ever been was applying an epoxy to the walls and ceilings of a couple of squash courts in a condo about 20 years ago. Nobody bothered to tell us that the ventilation system automatically turns off after 8pm, and we were working late so as not to disturb the tenants. Very quickly, the vapours got thick enough to actually see, and the next thing you knew, the whole crew was fried. Although it was February and maybe 10*F, we all went outside. Most of us threw up repeatedly, and we all sat there in the frigid cold for about 2 hours before any of us could even think about driving home. Not cool.

SPS is pretty danged wicked too, eh?