Plan to renovate your home before getting pregnant! Don't put it off until the last minute. Stress, chemical smells and noise are all things you should have nothing to do with when you're pregnant. What should you remember to avoid surprises?
You don't really have to be part of this at all. After all, you are now on special rights. You should rest a lot in peace and quiet, instead of arguing with the workers about every detail or listening to knocking and drilling behind the wall. There is another good reason why you don't have to, or even shouldn't, be at home right now: fragrances. Since you react completely differently to your favorite perfume than you used to, the more you will not like the aromas of chemicals released during renovation. Neither you nor your baby. The smell of paints, even ecological ones, is not very pleasant, and it can also cause allergies in the child later. Ideally, you should just leave for the renovation. However, if you cannot, try to stay outside for as long as possible, and it should be thoroughly aired before your return.
As quiet as possible
Your baby will sleep a lot during the first months of his life, and apartments in blocks of flats are usually very "acoustic". You can hear music and conversations from the neighbors, you can hear passing cars outside the window, and the furniture moving upstairs makes a noise as if a tank is passing there. Also, remember that when your little one grows up, he will run a lot. If you have a non-insulated floor, your downstairs neighbors won't love it.
- A light drywall partition or a structure with mineral wool placed between special profiles will isolate you from your neighbors behind the wall and from noises in the staircase.
- Shock sounds (e.g. from moving furniture, walking) are transmitted through the building structure, therefore it is difficult to silence them. However, the suspended ceiling in your apartment will muffle the sounds spreading in the air (music, conversation).
- The new soundproof windows will provide you with insulation against noise coming from the street.
The ground is … the floor
The easiest and fastest way is to sand and varnish it. However, if you decide to lay a new floor, pay attention to its class and quality, which are the features that determine how many years it will stay in great condition.
- The floor in the child's room must be durable. Always choose the first type of wood (it has an even surface) and choose the hardest types - ash, oak, beech, maple.
- An important floor finish is varnish. For the renovation of a children's room, choose a water-based one, because it does not emit harmful fumes and has no unpleasant smell as polyurethane.
- If you are in a hurry, cover the floor with panels or a board. They are oiled or varnished - after arranging them, the room can be used immediately. These types of flooring, when not attached to the sub-floor, can "float" as the wood contracts or swells due to changes in temperature and humidity. Under the floor, it is worth laying a sound-absorbing material - a foam mat, wood chip boards, cork mats.
Paint, wallpaper or cork?
When the child grows up, he often uses the walls as a comfortable surface for various artistic experiments. So instead of getting frustrated in the future that children's drawings appeared on them, now choose a surface that is easy to wash off.
- Mineral water paints (without solvents) are most often recommended for a child's room. They spread easily, cover well, dry quickly, and do not emit harmful compounds. It is worth choosing paints resistant to washing. Some manufacturers offer hypoallergenic paints designed especially for children.
- Another option is to cover the walls of the room with wallpaper. The most popular non-woven wallpapers (paper or vinyl) are glued with the so-called interlining, which protects the wallpaper against wrinkling and tearing. Wallpapers in stores tempt with beautiful colors and patterns - you will find everything on them: from balloons to the heroes of children's bedtime stories.
- There are many advantages to lining the walls with cork. Wallpaper made of a thin layer of natural cork (on a paper backing) muffles sounds, is antistatic (does not attract dust), it is easy to arrange and it is cleaned with ordinary chemicals. You can also paint it with paint.
For the sake of the toddler's safety
Before you know it, your baby will be running all over the apartment. And such an apartment is a big challenge for a toddler. You have to watch everything, and even worse - touch everything. It may turn out that for the first 2-3 years of his life you will not decide to renovate the apartment again, so prepare it now so that the child is safe in it.
- Windows should be tilted. However, if you cannot afford to replace them when the child starts to walk, install special locks in them to prevent them from being opened wide. In summer, it is worth installing in themmosquito nets against mosquitoes and black flies.
- Doors should have safety plastic panes, not glass. Even if your little one snaps them shut with all their strength, they won't hurt themselves. A small tenant learns to use a handle quickly, so it is best to choose a door with a twist knob. If you want them to stay open all the time, buy a special lock, and then your fingers won't get caught.
- Electric wires should be hidden under furniture or placed in special covers. The contacts must be well fixed in the wall so that they cannot be pulled out. They should also be plugged with special plastic plugs.
Important strategy
Prepare for renovation like a war strategist planning a complicated battle. Only then will your actions end in a full victory.
- Plan the sequence of work - you will save time and money. The most difficult and dirty work should be done first, and leave minor corrections at the end. Why? If, after painting the walls, you decide that you want to refresh the floor, you will have to paint the walls again after sanding.
- If you are renovating only one room, protect its immediate vicinity against dust and dirt. Cover the furniture with painter's foil, seal the glass of windows and doors, and cover the floor with newspapers (replacing them frequently enough).
- Choose trustworthy professionals who have proven themselves with your friends. Before starting work, determine exactly what you expect and find out how much it will cost you. It's best to write down the contract - then you will avoid misunderstandings.
- After consulting the team, prepare a list of things needed during the renovation. Buy all your materials in one place. Some stores over a certain purchase value offer free transport or discounts. Remember that the larger the packaging of varnish or paint, the lower the price per liter. Always buy a bit more material than calculated. Better to have too much of it than to drive to the store for half a liter of paint later.