Interior Painting in a Home with Lead Based Paint

For some homebuyers, older houses hold a certain attraction. The architecture is appealing; there are details that often cannot be found in newer homes; and they just have that “welcome home” feeling. Unfortunately, they also might have lead-based paint. Lead paint is most commonly found in homes that were built or remodeled prior to 1978. If that’s your home and you are about to repaint, then you’ll need to make sure the painting job is done by one of the painting companies in your area that is certified to remove and/or repaint lead paint. Platinum Painting has this certification. Read on to find out about the hazards of lead paint and how interior painting can be accomplished safely.

The Hazards of Lead Based Paint

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lowered the legal maximum lead content in many kinds of paints to 0.06 percent in 1978. Homes built prior to this time need to be tested for lead before renovation or repainting. Testing is especially important if infants, children or pregnant women live in the home.

Although there is a lingering image of a child eating chips of paint off of a deteriorating windowsill, this is not how lead is most often ingested. Where there’s lead paint there’s lead dust, and this is what is usually ingested or inhaled. Lead dust can be found on floors, walls and furniture. From these locations, the dust can be ingested via direct hand-to-mouth contact. Also, lead dust can be stirred into the air when a home is cleaned, swept or vacuumed. Just walking through your house can move lead dust into the atmosphere.

Removing and Repainting a Home with Lead-Based Paint

For the health and safety of your family, leave the job of painting over lead-based paint to a professional painting company such as Platinum Painting. The walls must be correctly prepared; there is important paperwork to document the presence and content of lead paint; and finally the lead paint must be safely painted over.

For your safely, we recommend that you and your family stay out of the work area until the job is completed. All furniture, carpets and draperies will be removed from the area and other surfaces—floors, cabinets and countertops—will be covered and sealed.

Contact Us Today

If your home was built before 1978, then call Platinum Painting when you are ready to repaint. We’ll handle the job safely and create a beautiful finish.