Can You Paint Furniture When Pregnant

Its best to limit your exposure to paint and paint fumes while youre pregnant.

Can you paint furniture when pregnant. Unfortunately there are no studies that document the effects of household painting on pregnancy and the developing baby. Pregnancy is not the time to refinish furniture. Working with lead-based paint commonly used before the 1970s poses the greatest risk.

If you decide to paint during your pregnancy consider the scope of your project and be smart about your exposure levels. Next apply an oil-based primer with a brush or roller and wait 4 hours for it to dry. Be aware of smells.

Breathing paint fumes isnt great for anyone let alone pregnant women. Choosing a paint labeled low-VOC or zero-VOC is recommended. Because youre using only water-based paints while youre pregnant anyway cleanup is easy with water.

Much like painting walls there is a safe way to refinish furniture when pregnant. The paints may be low or zero VOC but its safer to let someone else do it. Currently the assumption is that household painting involves very low levels of exposure.

The fumes are strong and toxic. One-time projects that take a daylike a DIY craft or painting the nurseryresult in isolated exposure and are much better than say painting your whole house over the course of many months which would add up to chronic exposure Twogood says. If youre putting a topcoat on moveable pieces such as furniture its best to do the job outside in the open air.

If painting is a part of your job consult an industrial hygienist or occupational medicine physician to determine how you can paint safely. That way you know your safe from the fumes. If your pregnancy has no complications you may lift things that are near 50 pounds in weight till the 20 th week of your pregnancy.