How To: Remove Lead Paint

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How To: Remove Lead Paint and hope the blog can help you.

Rid your home of this toxic additive to keep your loved ones safe from exposure.

Adding lead pigment to paint started way back in the Colonial era, as it made paint extremely durable. By the mid-1900s, however, health officials became aware of the hazards of lead exposure, including brain and organ damage. Lead paints began to be removed from the market, and were completely banned in 1978—yet lead-based paint can still be found on door and window trim, and on painted stairways, in many homes built prior to that time. If you own an old home and think lead may be present in the paint, you can actually test for lead paint to confirm your suspicions.

The mere presence of lead paint in your home doesn’t necessarily indicate a health risk. If the paint is still in good shape, it can be encapsulated and repainted to protect residents from exposure. The danger from lead paint increases when it’s peeling or otherwise deteriorating, which can lead to the inhalation of lead dust or the swallowing of lead-based paint chips.

If, rather than paint over it, you are planning to remove paint that has tested positive for lead, contact your local building department. Municipalities have strict rules about how the demolition of lead-containing building materials should be handled (and how the debris should be disposed of).

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It is always wise to hire an EPA-certified contractor even if you are only removing a relatively small amount of lead paint. In other words: lead paint removal is not a suitable project for average do-it-yourself homeowners. Proper, safe execution of this job requires not only specialized training, but specialized tools and materials as well.

For example, after the job is done, it is essential to clean up the work area with a HEPA vacuum designed for lead dust removal—not your home vacuum with a HEPA filter. HEPA vacuums designed for lead dust removal resemble shop-type canister vacuums; you can purchase one (starting at around $300) or rent from a construction rental store for $35 to $45 per day. (Note: Some local community health centers loan out HEPA vacuums at no charge, or for a small fee, as part of a lead remediation program.)

Remember that when professional, EPA-certified contractors are called in to remove lead paint, they arrive in hazmat suits and masks. It’s unquestionably dangerous work, not to be undertaken lightly—or undertaken at all—by amateurs. Still, some choose to do so anyway, despite the regulations and risks, by carefully and deliberately following a process like the one outlined below, based on EPA recommendations.