We don’t hear as much about lead paint these days as we used to. But while we may not use it anymore, it’s still present in many houses, shops, factories and other buildings, and it’s important to understand what it is, why it’s dangerous, how to identify it and what to do if you do come across it.
Lead paint was used in many buildings from the early 1900s up until the 1960s, and in some cases even into the 1980s. “White lead” (technically lead carbonate) was widely used, particularly in paints for wood and metal, as a relatively low-cost drier and white pigment; lead paint was easy to apply and gave a hard-wearing finish.
Manufacturers started to phase it out from the mid-1960s onwards, but it was still used in certain specialist situations (such as in historic buildings) in the 1980s; in fact, as late as 1992, EU legislation finally banned the use of lead paint except for use in historic buildings and artworks.
The reason it was phased out, and ultimately banned, is that lead is extremely harmful. When lead is absorbed into the body it can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, and kidneys, and cause other side effects such as behavioural problems and seizures. It is particularly harmful to children and pregnant women.
In this blog we’ll look at how to identify lead paint, and what to do if you discover it.
Does my House Have Lead Paint?
If your house was built after 1970, the chances of it having lead paint in are pretty small. Older houses, particularly pre-1950, may have lead paint in them, but it’s by no means certain – previous owners may have had it removed, for example. The most common place to find lead paint is on wood and metalwork, both inside and out, but the Victorians (for example) weren’t averse to painting their walls with lead paint too.
If the paint on your doors, skirting boards, spindles etc is particularly thick, made up of multiple layers, then some of the older layers may contain lead (but this is no guarantee).
A classic sign of lead paint is “alligatoring” – where the surface of the paint cracks and resembles the skin of an alligator – but the absence of this does not mean that lead is not present. If you suspect your home (or other building) may have lead paint in, the best thing to do is to test it.
How to Test for Lead Paint
Fortunately, testing for lead paint is neither difficult nor expensive. Test kits can be purchased online by clicking here or from many decorators’ merchants and DIY stores for a few pounds, and are really simple to use.
The first step is to expose the lead paint. Please note – if the lead paint is already covered by layers of more recent paint which is all in good condition, then you shouldn’t have an issue anyway, because the lead is not going to be absorbed into your body from there.
The problems come when the paint is cracking, peeling or failing in some other way, exposing the lead paint underneath. Or if pets (or children!) are fond of chewing your woodwork!
But assuming there is some peeling or cracking, sand the painted surface and/or scrape away any loose paint. Wear a respirator when doing this to avoid inhaling any dust, and ideally use a dust-free sanding system if you have one. The objective is to expose an area of the paint that you suspect may be lead.
Once you have exposed the suspect paint, simply take one of the swabs from the test kit, dip it in water, and then rub it over the area where you suspect lead paint to be present. If lead paint is there, the swab will change colour (usually within 20-30 seconds but read the instructions on the packaging as they do vary).
A video Demo
Testing for Lead Paint
Mike Cupit shows how to test for lead paint on a decorating job.
What to do if you find Lead Paint in your Home
The first thing I would say is – don’t panic! Just because lead paint is there, doesn’t mean that you’re in immediate danger. It’s been there for decades. It only becomes a problem if it is absorbed into the body – either by breathing in dust, or by swallowing it.
If the lead paint is already “buried” under layers of more recent paint, which is all in good condition (not peeling, flaking etc), then effectively the lead is locked away, and will only be a problem if you decide to sand back all the paint (creating dust that can be inhaled), or if flakes of it chip off and somehow get eaten (e.g. children and pets chewing skirting boards!).
If you are simply giving the woodwork a light sand to provide a “key” for a new coat of paint, then you should be fine if the lead is “below the surface”, but it’s always a good idea to wear a respirator and/or use dustless sanding gear to be on the safe side.
If the lead paint is on the surface (which probably means the house hasn’t been decorated since the 1960s!), or if subsequent layers of paint are failing and exposing the lead paint beneath, then sanding is not a good idea, as it will release lead-containing dust into the air, which you or others might breathe in.
Removing with a heat gun is not ideal either, as the fumes from lead paint can also be harmful. It can be done, but you need to be careful to apply just enough heat to soften the paint, but not enough heat to burn it and give off fumes.
The best way is to remove it completely using a chemical paint stripper such as Barrettine Paint Panther, following the manufacturer’s instructions, keeping the room well-ventilated and wearing appropriate PPE (gloves and eye protection).
You will then have “new” woodwork to prime and paint from scratch… although, when I say new, it’s probably going to be at least 50 years old, in which time it may have suffered its fair share of wear and tear! So, you may be better off just removing and replacing items such as doors, skirting and architrave.
FAQs
How do I know if paint has lead in it?
A white powder coming from the paint, or the paint “alligatoring” are visible signs that the paint may contain lead. To be sure, all you need to do is buy a cheap testing kit from Amazon and see for yourself.
When did they stop putting lead in paint in the UK?
Lead paint was common up until the 1980’s, and it was finally banned in 1992.
Is lead paint still toxic if painted over?
Lead paint that has been sealed with modern paint is essentially harmless.
Can I use a heat gun to remove lead paint?
Avoid using a heat gun when removing lead paint as the gas it gives off is harmful.
Final Thoughts
Identifying lead paint couldn’t really be much cheaper or easier, so if in doubt, test. Even if you do discover lead paint lurking beneath layers of more modern paint, it’s not necessarily a problem to be concerned about, unless it’s in really poor condition or you’re doing something that will be releasing dust from it into the air.
Whatever you decide to do, think “safety first”, keep the room well-ventilated when working and wear appropriate PPE. Keep children and pets (and pregnant women) out of the room and regularly vacuum up any dust.
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